For most of the year the sun refuses to shine in Buffalo - everywhere except Frank's Sunny Italy that is - and even with many choices for Italian food in the area Frank's glows seven nights a week.
Located just outside Buffalo's Italian district at 2491 Delaware Ave, Frank's Sunny Italy has become a staple of good Italian food at an affordable price in the northern Buffalo area.
Family owned and operated since 1990, Frank and Joe Sclafani have turned the restaurant into a family business to be proud of.
"It's great, the food, and serving the customers," Joe Sclafani said. "It's a family restaurant, my two sisters are working here, and a couple of cousins work here."
With a menu that consists of classic dishes like Chicken ?Ae la Marsala, Chicken ?Ae la Francese and Veil Cacciatore, Frank's satisfies most old-fashioned Italian tastes. And for those who want a bit more variety, submarines, chicken wings and broiled fish are also on the menu.
According to Joe Sclafani, the recipes are unique to their family.
"All the recipes came from my grandmother and the others came from my older brother Frank," Joe Sclafani said.
Dinners average around $15. Along with the main dish they include a dinner salad, bread and a choice of spaghetti, ziti or linguini with tomato sauce. Pasta dishes average around $10, and home baked Italian specialties run at $8 or $9.
Aside from producing great meals seven days a week, Frank's also provides a great community service in the spring when they host the St. Joseph's Day Table. The event usually draws a large number of people, and collects donations that are sent to a local charity each year, in past years the donations have gone to Children's Hospital, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the MS Society. The food is free at the event, which runs from around 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
"All our relatives come for the dinner and help us, and all the workers help us for free," said Rosie Sclafani, sister and dining room manager. "It makes us feel such happiness and gratitude towards our customers and gratitude towards St. Joseph. It's great to continue the tradition.
According to Joe Sclafani the St. Joseph's Day Table stems from a Sicilian tradition where the rich farmers in the countryside fed the poor children during a famine. The help of prayers to St. Joseph eventually ended the famine, and his grace is celebrated every year through the St. Joseph's Day Table celebration.
While many Italian restaurants can come off as being over the top with decorations, Frank's keep it simple with traditional chandeliers, coastal artwork in gold colored frames and marble pillars surrounded by green plants.
The d?(c)cor stems from the family's background.
"It's traditional Sicilian, the pictures, the plants, they are all Sicilian," Joe Sclafani said. "My parents were born there; my brother, my sisters and I were born here in Buffalo but we grew up in Sicily."
The clientele is diverse, with a sampling of age groups dining at Frank's. Even college students enjoy the menu and reasonable price tag.
"I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes great food," said Michael Brewster, a UB alumnus. "It's a family type restaurant, and its perfect for a nice date."
According to Joe Sclafani, the future of Frank's looks bright and the owners are hoping to keep the same success.
"I hope to continue on until I'm old and grey."
