Frankie’s Italian Grill in Beaumont, TX

The Facts:

Pizza: Frankie’s Italian Grill

Business Category: Locally-owned

Website: http://frankiesgrill.net/

Location: 105 I-10 South in Beaumont, TX (on the west side of the highway)

Date of Review Visit: December 19, 2017

What I Ordered: Mini-pizza (10”) with pepperoni and sausage

Price: $10.81 (includes tax)

The Micro:

Crust: The pizza at Frankie’s Italian Grill features a hand-tossed crust of the not-too-thick-not-too-thin variety.  The crust has a nice chewy texture.  This is not my favorite type of crust, but this crust is nice for what it is.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The sauce has a nice tomatoey taste, and it appears in good quantity.  I like it.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: This pizza is slightly undercheesed, and it still produces a decent amount of grease.  At least the cheese has some nice flavor, especially after you sprinkle on some parmesan.  Score: 6/10.

Toppings: The two toppings fall at the two extremes in terms of quality.  The pepperoni has nice thickness and just enough spiciness; it is excellent.  The sausage is of the horrid pellet-variety.  Both toppings appear in good quantity.  Score: 6/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The big sausage pellets dominate the appearance.  I ordered take-out, but Frankie’s has a nice dining room atmosphere with big band music playing through the speakers.  The service was fine. Score: 9/10.

Value: Slightly above average quality plus slightly above average price equals average value.  Score: 5/10.

Taste: The overall taste comes together pretty well, but it would be a lot better without the sausage.  Score: 15/20.

The Final Judgment:

Frankie’s is a nice little pizza place that has other menu offerings as well.  If I lived in Beaumont, I would make it a part of my regular pizza rotation.  Score: 59/80.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill

The Facts:

Pizza: Carrabba’s Italian Grill

Business Category: National Chain

Website: https://www.carrabbas.com/

Location: 1550 I-10 South in Beaumont, TX (on the west side of the highway)

Date of Review Visit: December 18, 2017

What I Ordered: Wood-fired (10”) pepperoni pizza; Dr. Pepper to drink

Price: $17.62 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

The Micro:

Crust: As you would expect for a wood-fired pizza, the crust at Carrabba’s is of the thin and crispy variety, but it is not too thin.  The crust has an excellent texture, and my pizza was baked just the right amount.  Score: 10/10.

Sauce: Carrabba’s puts very little sauce on its pizza, and what sauce does exist has an odd slightly spicy taste.  Score: 4/10.

Cheese: The 100% mozzarella cheese appears in decent quantity.  You can request some grated parmesan or romano to sprinkle on, which I did liberally, but you have to ask for it.  The cheese produces quite a bit of grease, which leads to a mandatory deduction.  Score: 7/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni appears in thin slices, but there are not that many of them.  The pepperoni has just the right amount of spiciness, but there is also a “topping” of spices sprinkled over the pizza that can overspice the taste relative to my preference.  Score: 5/10.

The Macro:

Appearance/Atmosphere/Service: The pizza has a tidy appearance with every piece of pepperoni in its place.  The dining room atmosphere is fantastic with cloth napkins and some pleasant instrumental music playing through the speakers.  The service was prompt and attentive, which is excellent considering they were very busy when I came here on a Monday evening.  Score: 10/10.

Value: You must be paying for the atmosphere and service.  Even considering the good quality, this pizza is very overpriced relative to what you put in your mouth.  Score: 1/10.

Taste: The spiciness really dominates the taste palette, so this pizza’s taste does not rank too high in my book.  Score: 13/20.

The Final Judgment:

I could sanction coming here if you are trying to show someone or a group a good time, but Carrabba’s offers too little value for casual or solo dining.  In the wood-fired pizza space, I prefer Brixx over Carrabba’s.  Score: 50/80.