A Marechiaro Pizza is pulled out of the wood-burning oven at Fratm Pizzeria in San Rafael on April 15. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
Gnocchi Truffle at Fratm Pizzeria in San Rafael. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
A waiter tends to customers at Fratm Pizzeria in San Rafael on April 15. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
Beets at Fratm Pizzeria in San Rafael. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
The exterior of Fratm Pizzeria in San Rafael. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
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A Marechiaro Pizza is pulled out of the wood-burning oven at Fratm Pizzeria in San Rafael on April 15. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
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San Rafael’s Fratm Pizzeria is part of the Bay Area restaurant group Doppio Zero, owned by Angelo Sannino. The name “Fratm” is a friendly Neapolitan greeting meaning “bro” and refers to Sannino’s brother, Alberto, the general manager and head pizza maker at this location. Both men grew up in Naples, Italy, and are food ambassadors for their homeland. Alberto Sannino’s girlfriend, Veronica Valenti, from Sicily, is the chef. Fratm has a friendly, family vibe kept very alive through the front-of-house staff, especially Maria, who enhanced our experience.
Entering Fratm Pizzeria, the covered, heated patio is on the left. The white-topped tables and green metal chairs match the color of the Fratm sign above the door. Walking inside, the color scheme changes to darker tables and chairs on the left. Straight ahead on the back wall, bottles of wine are lined upright on the shelves. The wines are far too close to the street windows on the left and to the pizza oven on the right. And what a pizza oven! This Stefano Ferrara Forni oven, made of concrete and volcanic rock, Alberto Sannino refers to as the “Ferrari of pizza ovens.” He keeps it at a temperature of 800 to 850 degrees. We were seated next to the glassed-off pizza prep area. On that side it wasn’t too warm.
We ordered a bottle of Cannonau Cantina Mesa DOC from Sardinia, reasonably priced at $46. It was far too warm when tasted, so we asked for an ice bucket.
Looking over the small plates on the menu, there were only a couple that didn’t duplicate what we would be having on the pizzas. The Beets ($15) seemed to offer the least overlap. A lavish plate of irregularly cubed red beets on vibrant arugula was topped with a large dollop of burrata and a scattering of toasted hazelnuts. The menu stated balsamic and olive oil but were any, they were sparingly used. The individual ingredients were of good quality but lacked any zing.
This was true, too, of the Little Gem Salad ($15). This salad is also available with the addition of grilled salmon ($10) or chicken ($5). The crisp lettuce leaves were stacked and topped with marinated anchovies. Shavings of Parmesan and radishes were tossed in among the greens, but there was no taste of anchovy-avocado dressing listed on the menu.
We dropped down to the house specialty part of the menu to order the house-made Gnocchi Truffle ($22). A large white platter/bowl of soft, plump and perfect potato gnocchi in a black truffle-speckled creamy fondue was reverently consumed.
Now it was time to order pizza. Since the pizza takes only a few minutes in the blazing hot oven to raise its puffy crust, Maria took our order once we’d finished our first three items. Our plates were cleared, and the oven-hot pizzas were whisked onto our table.
We had ordered a white pizza, the Mortadella ($22), and a red pizza, the Marechiaro ($20).
One definition of a true Neapolitan pizza is that it is surrounded by a puffy, leopard-spotted outer crust and has a thin, soft center that’s slightly wet in the middle.
That “slightly wet in the middle” part didn’t entice me to bite in. But both pizzas were so dramatically beautiful, we didn’t hesitate to attack.
The Mortadella had the requisite spotted, puffy crust with five folded slices of mortadella topping the mozzarella base. A generous dollop of burrata garnished each pillow of the mortadella. Chopped pistachios were liberally scattered over the pie. Using a knife and fork, I guided a slice onto my plate. If you try to lift a slice, there isn’t the structure to hold the pizza together so the toppings will slither off. I pulled the crust off and enjoyed it out of my hand, then ate the rest of the pizza using my utensils. Every bite was a delight.
This style of pizza may be new to you. Lots of pizza places say they serve Neapolitan-style pizzas. This is the real thing!
The Marechiaro pizza had a San Marzano tomato sauce-stained crust with roasted eggplant, basil pesto, mozzarella and shavings of Parmesan. I think I’m more of a red-sauce pizza person. This pizza had more of that “pizza tang” I prefer.
Our wine cooled enough to show off its friendly grenache flavors that go so nicely with this type of food. There are several interesting wines on the list. Hopefully they will be stored to serve at a proper temperature.
Looking for something that’s not pizza? There are several reasonably priced mains to choose from.
We ordered the house-made Cannoli ($13). It had a traditional filling and the ends were dipped into crushed pistachios. Crunchy and creamy textures are a perfect combo for a dessert — perhaps for a whole meal!
Oh, by the way, the plate of cannolis was garnished with a large, perfectly ripe strawberry. My first berry of the season was so delicious.
Ann Walker is a freelance food writer. Email her with suggestions, comments and questions at ijfoodwalker@gmail.com.
Fratm Pizzeria
Address: 901 Fourth St., San Rafael
Phone: 415-785-3478
Website: fratmpizzeria.com
Cuisine: Italian
Noise level: Moderate-loud
Seating: Inside and covered front patio
Liquor selection: Wine and beer
Vegetarian dishes: Yes
Vegan dishes: Yes
Gluten-free selections: Yes
Dog-friendly: Outside
Parking: Street
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays; 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays
Prices: $8 to $28
Reservation: Only on weekdays; call the restaurant
Summary: Contemporary restaurant with southern Italian-inspired menu
Dining and Cooking