About Frankie's

About Frankie's Frankie's is a charming, family owned, neighborhood Italian Café, located one block north of Redmond Town Center, on Redmond Way in downtown Redmond, Washington. We specialize in homemade Italian cuisine, made fresh from scratch daily, including: New York style pizza (Traditional and Gourmet), calzones and pasta (traditional Italian pastas and original creations). We also have a wonderful selection of appetizers, salads, espresso and homemade desserts. We have a large selection of beers, including many local microbrews and our wine list is one of the most extensive, and highest quality you'll find in a small, casual restaurant at affordable prices. A little History: Frankie's opened for business in the spring of 1993 with 3-4 years of prior planning. The restaurant is owned by Frank, Rhonda Curtiss and family. You'll usually find Frank in the restaurant on a busy Friday or Saturday night or during lunch. Their oldest son Chris is the Manager; in Frank and Rhonda's absence, you'll likely find him and his wife Sandra around. Prior to opening the restaurant, Frank worked in the corporate fast food world of McDonald's for 22 years working his way up from being a cashier to mid-management, managing local restaurants in the area, to becoming a training consultant at McDonald's management training facilities in Kirkland, Washington. “I chose to leave because I wanted the freedom of running my own business and McDonald's was not an environment where I could truly apply my creative talents. It was a great training ground though and taught me the systems and disciplines needed to run a successful restaurant.“ Frank is largely a self-taught cook, though he has attended continuing education classes at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. He says “I'm one of those people who love to read cookbooks and cooking magazines for fun and inspiration. Rhonda thinks I buy way too many! I also love to attend cooking classes and watch cooking shows. I enjoy cooking many types of food but Italian is by far my favorite cuisine to cook and eat. When people ask me why I opened Frankie's, I simply explain that I designed a restaurant that I would like to eat at and hoped that others would too.“ Frank believes fresh, high quality ingredients are essential to producing tasty Italian cuisine. We purchase the freshest, highest quality produce, and use a lot of fresh herbs. Gardening is another of Frank's passions; you'll find many fresh herbs in pots or tucked into the landscape areas around the restaurant. Frank and his son Chris develop most of the menu and recipes. Each season they rotate about twenty percent of the menu to take advantage of peak seasonal quality and availability as well as to keep the menu fresh, lively and interesting. Accolades: Voted “Best Italian Restaurant“ and “Best Pizza“ for 2004 by the Redmond Reporter Chosen the Best Italian restaurant in Redmond Washington by Where the Locals Eat. Voted Best Ethnic Food and Favorite Restaurant by the readers of the Redmond Daily News. Featured in Pizza Today magazine as Pizza Restaurant of the Month Awarded a prestigious “Award of Excellence“ in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 by the Wine Spectator Magazine for our Wine List.