Tuesday, November 11, 2014

review - Fresh Brothers, Encino

Fresh Brothers
Pizza.Salad.Wings
Encino 
(Ventura at Woodley)
(818)528-2100

Founded by three brothers from Chicago Adam, Michael and Scott Goldberg, Fresh Brothers had its first opening in Manhattan Beach in 2008. Boys from Chicago know a thing or two about pizza, and Adam and his brothers started using the finest, freshest ingredients within their very own recipes to attract customers. It worked, to be sure, because at this point in time, there are 14 stores, if you include the stand at LAX, in LA, OC and the Valley... and the business keeps on growing with several openings planned from 2015 onward.

The Encino store that I visited on Veteran's Day is a small, casual space with totally up.to.date features. It opened in April of this year and within my hour and a half stay, there was a steady stream of customers, including a mother with her children (see photo below). Kids are most welcome. In fact, on Saturdays there is a Kids' Club where kids come in and while eating their pizza, may participate in face painting and making things out of pizza dough. That's right. The operators of the store give pizza dough - which, by the way is handmade in their kitchens every day - to the kids, who mold it like clay, keeping them active and happy while they are on the premises. As if eating pizza were not pleasant enough!  There are 10 full TV screens - two on each wall - where you can watch your favorite channel ...great for Monday night football, soccer matches, Olympic games, etc. But what about the food?


Well, pizza is not the only attraction at Fresh Brothers. There are also luscious salads, like the delicious Caesar I had...and an abundant number of appetizers, like Buffalo wings, chicken tenders, even gluten-free, mozzarella sticks, fresh knots - garlic bread tied in tasty knots and dusted with parmesan and served with marinara sauce on the side. There are also vegan tenders and savory fries served with your choice of six homemade dipping sauces: hot, mild, BBQ, roasted garlic BBQ, super hot and sweet chili. Sound yummy? Well, indeed, they are. And...the piece de resistance, a meatball slider to die for, served on a King's Hawaiian roll and topped with pizza sauce and mozzarella. The sliders come in an order of three and you will want to gobble them right up, they are sooo scrumptious. But, save room for the pizza!


You may try a favorite or build your own on thin crust, skinny crust - half the dough means half the carbs - or deep dish for just a mere $2.50 extra. My friend is vegan so he chose the vegan pizza which had an ample amount of green olives. He raved about this! I had the original sausage pizza, with a full layer of sausage underneath the cheese. Yes, uber delicious! There are Hawaiian style, Old School - meatballs layered with pepperoni and smothered with spicy Giardiniera, cheese only, fresh vegetable, BBQ chicken, margherita, and Da Works with sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, and onion. Sizes are medium, large and extra large, all ranging in price from $16 to under $25. A steal!

You may add an Isabella's chocolate-chip cookie or a vegan brownie, if you dare! The food is fantastic; the service ultra friendly. Manager and cook Scott Davidson spoke with us frequently, stopping by our table to make sure everything was just right. Yes, sir, it assuredly was! Fresh Brothers may be small, but iis big on flavor, fresh ingredients and easy on the purse-strings.  You can dine in or take out, and there is delivery. Fresh Brothers also caters your favorite party or social event. It's great and I'll be back!

Encino:
call 818-528-2100!

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