Frammi Italian & American Cuisine Adding More Italian Fare!

For everyone who hasn’t yet tried Frammi American Grille & Italian Food, located on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. just north of I-75 in New Tampa, I only have one question — Why not???

For those who loved the burgers at the old Oakley’s Grille, which Luca and his wife Erika took over nearly four years ago, Frammi does still serve those award-winning burgers, crispy fries and other American favorites, but Luca and Erika have brought, as he says, “the genuine cuisine that you find in the homes of Italians, in the everyday kitchens of Sunday family lunches.”

Luca, who is from southern Italy, and Erika, who is from the north of the boot-shaped country, have each contributed their favorite recipes of their respective regions to Frammi, which was changed from Oakley’s during the pandemic — and folks from New Tampa and beyond have been rightfully thrilled with the results.

“We import many ingredients in our dishes from Italia to maintain authenticity,” Luca says, “and all Italian and American dishes are prepared from scratch, so please realize that cooking fresh food from scratch takes time.”

And, speaking of fresh, Luca adds, “We apologize if we don’t always have your favorite dishes, but we don’t freeze anything and our quantities are limited.”

So, What’s New?

Luca has definitely committed to expanding both the Italian and American sides of his two-sided menu. Our favorite new American dish is the fried chicken sandwich, which is a full breast filet, lightly battered and flash-fried to golden crisp on the outside, but still incredibly juicy on the inside. When you add in those perfect fries (which are included), you really can’t go wrong.

But, as much as we love Frammi’s American food (the chicken fajitas, which really are more like fajita meat soft tacos, are pretty great, too), it’s the always-amazing Italian fare that keeps bringing us back. And, Luca says the Italian menu items are definitely from both the north and south of his native country.

My favorite from Luca’s southern region is probably still the linguine alla vongole (with clams, diced tomatoes, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, red hot crushed peppers, white wine and garlic) and Jannah’s favorite is the parmigiana di melanzana (eggplant parm), but the new, lightly spicy pasta Amatriciana (rigatoni with fresh tomato sauce, pancetta, diced tomatoes, pecorino Romano cheese, red hot peppers and parsley) is an amazing addition.

Italian Salad
Salmone Pasta
Minestrone Soup
Kamikaze Pasta
Amatriciana Pasta

Our favorite dish from Erika’s northern region is the ragu di salsiccia (penne with Italian sausage ragu (onions, celery, carrots, tomato sauce, Italian sausage and red wine), although the Black Angus beef ragu also is outstanding, and the lasagna (made with bechamel sauce, instead of ricotta) is both authentic and a best-seller.

And, although they aren’t new to the menu, on our most recent visit we also loved two of the other pasta entrées we hadn’t tried before —  the fettuccine carbonara (with crisp pancetta, parmesan and pecorino Romano cheeses, eggs and black pepper) and the fusilli alla pesto (made with basil and pine nut-rich pesto sauce imported from Genova). All of Frammi’s pasta dishes are served al denté (firm) without having to ask for them that way and are so authentic, they’ll have you singing “O Sole Mio” in no time.

Fettuccine Carbonara

One of the other dishes from the Italian side of the menu that we tried recently but hadn’t gotten to sample before is the vegetable soup (with carrots, onion, celery, potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese and rosemary), which Luca says is like real Italian minestrone, but not like the red broth-based minestrone you may have had at other places.

We also enjoy the bruschetta (diced tomatoes, garlic and extra virgin olive oil on crisp Italian ciabatta bread) and the meatball sandwich, which are Luca’s famous authentic fried Black Angus meatballs topped with mozzarella cheese, but with a side of tomato sauce for dipping, instead of served on the sandwich itself. The mixed Italian salad is a huge portion of romaine and iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, carrots, hard-boiled eggs and fresh imported mozzarella cheese served with Italian dressing. The hot pressed Cuban, spicy Italian and mufaletta sandwiches proudly include Boar’s Head meats, and include a free soda if you order one of them on Saturday.

Other daily specials are served Tuesday-Saturday — Burger Tuesday, Chicken Wednesday (both specials include a free soda), Philly Thursday (get $1 off the ribeye or chicken cheesesteak and fries) and Healthy Friday (all salads are $1.50 off).

And, while we rarely leave room for dessert, the tiramisu and Nutella crepes are great options and Frammi also offers beer, wine and soft drinks.

Frammi (17631 BBD) is closed on Mon. but is open Tues.-Sat, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and noon-8 p.m. on Sun. Call (813) 523-5075, or visit Frammi.com. Delivery is available through DoorDash, Mobile Meals and Uber Eats.

Whether You Crave Italian Or American Food, Try Frammi!

(Above, l.-r.) Travis Younger, Rachell Reed, Ciara Weiss and Erika, Francesco & Luca Ammirati invite you to check out Frammi, New Tampa’s only restaurant serving both great American and Italian cuisine.(Photos by Charmaine George & Gary Nager)  

If your family can’t always agree about what type of food to eat — you want delicious lasagne but your kids are asking for great cheeseburgers — you can both find plenty of favorites at the all-new Frammi American Grille and Italian Food, located in the space previously occupied by the popular Oakley’s Grille on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in North Palms Village.

The restaurant has been owned by Luca and Erika Ammirati since August of 2018, but they kept the name as Oakley’s Grille until about a month ago, and they kept the menu virtually the same, with Luca adding some of his authentic Italian specialties a little at a time.

But, considering that Luca is from Napoli (Naples) in southern Italy and Erika is from a small town outside of Milano (Milan) in northern Italy, the two have a vast wealth of Italian dishes that they love sharing with hungry diners in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and beyond.

When they were formulating the menu for Frammi, Luca says he and Erika wanted to keep as much of the all-American Oakley’s menu while incorporating an equally extensive selection of truly authentic Italian favorites. To that end, the Frammi menu is American on one side, but flip it over, and you’ll find Italian specialties on the other side.

“There are plenty of places in the New Tampa area serving American food and some serving Italian,” Luca says with his charming accent, “but we wanted to be the only restaurant in the area specializing in both.”

Great Grilled Specialties

Yes, Frammi still has those delicious Oakley’s hamburgers (with a dozen different options, including the popular ghost pepper burger and the bacon, egg & cheeseburger below), “Kars Katch” fried tilapia tenders, Philly cheesesteak and chicken Philly sandwiches, beef, chicken and fish fajitas and some of the best fries in the area.

But, Luca and Erika also have added sandwiches with Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, like the pastrami & swiss sandwich on marble rye bread, as well as a great corned beef Reuben. 

And, although it’s not shown on these pages, the fried chicken sandwich also is excellent and is one of a half-dozen chicken sandwich choices, including my favorite, the unique Cajun chicken Cordon Bleu, topped with hot capicola and melted Swiss.

The Ammiratis’ Italian influence also is evident in the  variety of hot pressed sandwiches, including the spicy Italian and Uncle Muzzie’s mufaletta.

Now, That’s Italian!

But, to be honest, I was much more interested in Frammi’s all-new Italian side of the menu, especially the incredible variety of pasta dishes.

  • Prosciutto and Mozzarella
  • Meatballs
  • Lasagna
  • Clam pasta

There are favorites like pomodoro (fresh tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese  and basil), two different ragus (not to be confused with the jarred sauce) — one with black angus beef (aka Bolognese) and an incredible ragu di salsiccia, with fresh Italian sausage. Luca says his favorite is the spicy pasta arrabiata and there’s also a puttanesca (with black and green olives, garlic, anchovies, tomato sauce and capers).

But, my favorites are the truly authentic meat lasagne (above), made with creamy bechamel sauce, instead of the more Americanized ricotta), the perfect pesto (which sticks to the pasta better than at most places) and especially, the vongole (tiny, fresh clams in their shells, made with diced tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, garlic and red chili pepper flakes. 

Luca originally introduced me to his authentic fried meatballs more than a year ago, as he says in southern Italy, they don’t serve the meatballs in sauce, they’re served with a side of fresh tomato dipping sauce and garlic bread.

Other Italian specialties include a chunky bruschetta appetizer, a an antipasto Italiano with prosciutto, mortadella (also ham), salami, Parmesan cheese and house-baked bread), a “secondo platto” (second dish) of prosciutto e mozzarella (also with house-baked bread), a fried chicken “cotoletta” (served with fries), an eggplant (melanzana) parmigiana so popular it sells out all the time, fried calamari and several others. 

There’s also a variety of freshly made salads and a reasonably priced kids’ menu, with everything from fish sticks to cheeseburger and more — all from $3.49-$6.99.

“Please be patient,” Luca says. “We are not serving fast food here. Everything is made to order — including Erika’s homemade tiramisu (above).” 

And, everything I’ve sampled to date has been outstanding. I can’t wait to try more — and neither should you!

Frammi (17631 BBD Blvd.) is open every day, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and offers delivery with Doordash, Mobile Meals & Uber Eats.  For more info, call (813) 523-5075.