Sometimes You Just Get Lucky!

So…How many times have you been on a road trip…plans change a little and you find yourself stopping somewhere for the night that wasn’t on the schedule.  The hotel is OK…but now you have to find somewhere to eat, preferably not just another chain restaurant.  Chains can be pretty good in this day and age, but exploration and discovery is part of the fun with road trips!

So…one of the biggest food gambles you can take is to ask the desk clerk at the hotel for their input on the best local places to eat.  Every once in awhile, I do take that chance…and the desk clerk at the Hampton Inn in Port St. Lucie Florida came through with a winner!

Frank & Al’s Pizza is a family owned ‘chain’ of 2 restaurants that has survived and prospered in the area for more than 20 years.  The St. Lucie West location was just across the road from the hotel.  We’re always looking for good pizza as there seems to be a lack of quality pizza in our neck of the woods…that is, with the exception of Big Ed’s in Oak Ridge Tennessee…

Frank & Al’s was busy…always a good sign in an area crowded with chain restaurants.  The customers were definitely locals…and from the conversations around us, we could tell that many of them were regulars…

We ordered up a pitcher of beer and perused the menu…although pizza was our goal, you just have to check out the other possibilities!  Appetizers ranged from Garlic Bread Sticks ($2.00 for 6), to Fried Calamari ($8.95)  Salads ranged from a Side Salad ($2.95) to Grilled Mahi Mahi and various Chicken Salads ($8.95). In addition to Pizza, there were Stromboli’s ($11.95 - $14.99); Calzones ($7.95 & up) and; a wide variety of Sandwiches ($6.95 - $8.95).  There were also 11 pasta dinners available.  They ranged from Spaghetti with Meat Sauce ($7.95), to Mahi Alfredo ($12.95) and Veal Parmesan ($13.95)

But Hey!  We were there for the Pizza!  After all, the name of the place is Frank & Al’s PIZZA…and their slogan is “Pizza is Our Passion”.  They also tout the fact that both their dough and sauce are homemade.

We ordered our usual 16” cheese, pepperoni and Italian sausage pizza.  This was indeed a very good pizza!  The crust on the bottom was crisp and the ingredients were top notch.  We ate the whole thing!  It was a great end to an interesting day of exploration…

Frank & Al’s offers 8 specialty pizzas, including White Spinach ($16.95); Lasagna ($16.95) and; All the Way ($17.75) Prices are for 16” pies… The All the Way Pizza has 10 ingredients! There are 17 options available for customers who want to create their own pizza…

“Our” Frank & Al’s Pizza is located at 2088 Northwest Courtyard Circle in Port St. Lucie Florida.  Phone: 772-323-2700.  Although a website is listed on their menu, (www.FrankandAls.com), I couldn’t find a website for this restaurant. Clicking on the website as shown takes you to GoDaddy.com. 

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for beer and pizza!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave