Granfanallys
Pizza Pub/VisitingNewEngland small business partnership - Local Small Business Stories
Getting In A New York Pizza State Of Mind At Granfanallys In Salem,
N.H.
Granfanallys owner Beau Ramunto creates New York pizza.
Article and photos, unless otherwise noted, by Eric Hurwitz. Article
created on 12/19/2018.
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The titles from classic rock songs playing in the background at
Granfanallys Pizza Pub in Salem, N.H. say it all about the experience
of driving to, and dining at this classic, old-style pizza pub.
"Slow Ride" (Foghat) describes the hectic commuting traffic that,
unfortunately, delays the arrival at Granfanallys. "Peace of Mind"
(Boston) suggests the relief of finally getting there and settling down
at the
warm and inviting family-style restaurant.
"Closer to the Heart" (Rush) suggests Owner Beau Ramunto's
love and passion for creating "real New York pizza." "Human Touch"
(Bruce Springsteen) takes that passion a step farther by making sure
the pizzas are hand tossed instead of assembly-line ready. The lyrics of "Hotel California"
(The Eagles) might as well be switched here to "You can check out any
time you like, but you will never want to leave."
Let's face it, not too many places like Granfanallys exist anymore
in southern New Hampshire as they mostly fall into the high-turnover
take-out joints, or the
"gourmet" categories that usually translate to
overpriced. Granfanallys, on the other hand, brings back the type of
restaurant
that never should have gone away in the first place. The
authentic pizza dishes, mouthwatering burgers, oversized
subs and calzones, flavorful wings
and excellent craft beer selection combined
with a likable pub atmosphere, friendly staff and locals, and easy
parking make for an all-around tremendous dining out experience.
Additionally, the value for the money is impressive with
reasonably-priced lunch and dinner offerings that are filling -- so
much, that many do not find room for dessert (which would be a shame,
given the deliciousness of the homemade treats!).
How It All Started
Granfanallys Pizza Pub in Salem, N.H.
Beau's roots, no doubt, play a factor in the pizza magic. His
dad excelled in the business for 32 years, operating pizza places first
in
Long Island, N.Y. and then several pizza businesses in Vermont and New
Hampshire.
"I was the little kid sitting at the back table playing Game Boy on
a
Friday night while my dad was making pizzas," said Beau, who first grew
up on Long Island and then spent most of his childhood living in
Woodstock, Vt..
Working in the restaurant industry since 14 and later in the beer
industry after graduating Colby Sawyer College in New
London, N.H. with a degree in business gave Beau a mastery of the food
and drink industries. Not satisfied with working in the beer business,
however, Beau
eventually decided to open his own pizza business and settled on Salem
to do so. The area needed a high quality pizza destination and the
40,000 vehicles driving this spot daily on Route 28 (near Canobie Lake Park) suggested
tremendous business
potential.
"This area needed a good pizza place," said Beau. "My then girlfriend
-- now my wife - and I searched from western Massachusetts to this area
and finally settled on Salem. There are lots of chain restaurants on
Route 28, but there was no place like Granfanallys. I thought, 'If I
could get just a fraction of the traffic passing by, it would work out
fine."
That it did, opening three-and-a-half-years ago and becoming virtually
an instant success from the beginning -- bringing locals in from the
Salem/Windham/Pelham/Derry area, but also through word-of-mouth with
customers arriving as far away as Taunton, Mass. (80 miles from Granfanallys).
Beau named the
business after his dad's great run as a pizza
maker for three decades.
"Stepping down from his business, that was his grand finale," said
Beau. "The spelling of it (Granfanallys), I am not sure -- it just came
out that way!"
The First Impression Of Granfanallys
The first impression after walking into
Granfanallys is how the
restaurant just feels so right -- the exact opposite of the strip mall
presence outside, the densely populated commercial highway and the
faceless culture of chain restaurants. The pine wood walls come from a
70-year-old barn in Vermont, while the wood floors, glass-like retro
tables, tin-style ceilings, exposed brick, wall sconces and signs, hanging lights
over the bar and an order-at-the counter, take-a-number section with
pizza slices to
the right collectively lend that lively, retro pizza pub vibe.
Dining room at Granfanallys.
"We see a regular crowd that comes here four to five times a week,"
said Ramunto. "And word-of-mouth is bringing in a lot of first-timers. We serve up to 500 pizzas on a weekend."
The Food at Granfanallys
Margherita pizza with garlic knot crust.
Not many pizza places rival
Granfanallys' New York
and Sicilian inspired pies. Although having its own distinct pizza
taste, the pie quality compares favorably with the best
in
New England including Regina Pizzeria, Santarpio's and The Pleasant
Cafe in Boston, Mass., The Venus Cafe in Whitman, Mass., and Frank
Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Conn.
Granfanallys might not have the years of those time-tested restaurants,
but shares a critical trait in that sometimes the best change is no
change at all.
"Dough, sauce, cheese, dough, sauce cheese" emphasized Beau,
about what his dad instilled into him when learning the pizza business.
"That's what I make sure is done right every day. We make the dough
fresh every day, use quality ingredients and whole milk mozzarella
cheese. We make 20 gallons of tomato sauce at a time. We make pizza
with the same recipes that my dad started in Long Island. Not
much has changed because it is delicious pizza."
For the New York pizza, Beau follows all the tenets of that style by
first handtossing and then creating a large, thin crust pie. The slices
are wide and the taste straight from the New York parlors. The Sicilian
also stays true to traditional form as more of a thick crust pizza.
One of the highlights: The Garlic
Knot Pizza made with a basic dough shell and a
crust braided with garlic knots -- fresh pizza dough tied up and baked
until golden brown and then smothered in Parmesan cheese and
garlic-olive oil. The final product is topped with fresh garlic,
Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Simply phenomenal,
one of the best pizzas this writer has ever tasted.
The Garlic Knots look good enough to eat on their own. Fortunately, Granfanallys serves Garlic Knots and "Cinnaknots" (coated
with cinnamon sugar and vanilla frosting) as
appetizers.
Garlic knots from Granfanallys. Photo,
courtesy of @the-roamingfoodie at Instagram.
Granfanallys makes its Sicilian pizza by first putting sauce
on the pizza to soak in the dough when first cooked. The pizza is then
taken out of the oven to place another
layer of sauce, as well as the cheese and any toppings before going back in to lock in
the
flavors. The outside of the
pizza has a crunchy taste with the inside nice and soft.
Sicilian pizza from Granfanallys. Photo,
courtesy of @the-roamingfoodie at Instagram.
Beau also keeps good company in the food industry to help make his pizza
pub that much more special. As a prime example, The Tuckaway Tavern and
Butchery in
Raymond, N.H. provides the meat and chicken for Granfanallys. Many
consider The Tuckaway Tavern the gold
standard for a steakhouse and meat market in New Hampshire and arguably
the successor to the legendary former Hilltop Steakhouse in
Saugus, Mass.,
as a popular family-style place to go for steaks in New England.
To their credit, many restaurants do great things with just-OK ground
beef, but Granfanallys takes the top-notch source and does it full
justice -- the best of both worlds. The burgers taste better
than any of the high profile local restaurants and national chains I've
been to, as
the freshness comes bursting out of the many different burger options
(the steak and cheese subs and calzones are quite popular, too!).
One of the most popular: the delicious, huge Texas Smoked
Burger with bacon, cheddar, caramelized onions and a tangy homemade
barbecue sauce. Wow.
The Texas Burger from Granfanallys.
And, of course, what would a pizza or burger be, for many, without a
brew? Granfanallys offers 31 beers on tap -- many locally made-- as well as
unique bottled beers and wine by the glass.
Granfanallys offers many brews on tap. Photo,
courtesy of Shannon McLaughlin at Granfanallys.
One of the most popular dishes at Granfanallys is an appetizer: the
spinach and artichoke dip. This often-ordered dish is taken to the next
level with the right mix of cream cheese, artichokes, baby spinach and
flavorful spices, as well as crostini on the side topped with garlic
knot sauce and fresh mozzarella.
Spinach and artichoke dip from Granfanallys. Photo,
courtesy of @the-roamingfoodie at Instagram.
The jumbo wings also remain a favorite with many sauce
options including hot, kamikaze, nuclear, Singapore, honey mustard,
garlic terriyaki, barbecue, honey barbecue, southern style, garlic,
terriyaki and the "Triple Threat" -- kamikaze, terriyaki and garlic
knot sauce combined.
Jumbo chicken wings from Granfanallys. Photo,
courtesy of Shannon McLaughlin at Granfanallys.
Beau's mom, Marie Ramunto, works a few days a week at Granfanallys and
has
gained customer accolades for her home style spaghetti and meatballs
dish. It's a recipe from Marie's mom that has been passed through
the generations -- all the way from home kitchens to Granfanallys.
"I grew up on this -- brings back a lot of memories," said Beau.
Spaghetti and meatballs from Granfanallys. Photo,
courtesy of Shannon McLaughlin at Granfanallys.
Beau does not hold back enthusiasm on his mom's gift for also making
delicious
desserts at Granfanallys.
"Mom makes the best cheesecake and chocolate cake," said Beau. "There's
none better. Mom said she'll leave the cheesecake recipe in the will!"
Cheesecake from Granfanallys. Photo,
courtesy of Shannon McLaughlin at Granfanallys.
When A Restaurant Becomes a Go-To Place For Customers And Employees
For Shannon McLaughlin, manager at Granfanallys, working at her job has become a way of life.
"Working at Granfanallys is not a job that makes me want to
watch the clock," said McLaughlin. "During a shift, I truly feel
surrounded by friends, and we make up quite a family. From bent over
laughing to high-fiving after absolutely crushing an intense dinner
rush, I couldn't be happier with my job. My favorite things to eat are
plain cheese pizza ( that's how you can tell a good pizza from bad )
and the spinach artichoke dip. It is absolutely amazing and people are
always asking me for the recipe. Also the tenders, you can't beat how
moist and tasty they are. We hand pound them and bread them to order --
dipped in our triple threat sauce that is actually pretty hard to
describe but as you can imagine does have a kick to it. One of our
most popular sauces for sure."
Granfanallys ultimately offers a legitimate departure from the generic
pizza houses that put out the same old stuff and more upscale restaurants that often veer too far away
from traditional pizza that America still prefers most. It's pizza that
tastes real and real good, no doubt, the creation
of a genuine down-to-earth business owner with small business pride of
ownership and an impressive work ethic. With that said, our "Journey" to
southern New Hampshire for the best pizza place extends with "Open
Arms" -- as that classic rock title states -- at Granfanallys.
"It's a place for every one," said Beau. "We try to do things the right
way with no short cuts and a welcoming place for all to enjoy.
It's nice to see so many people dining here, having a good time and enjoying the food."
Granfanallys Pizza Pub is located at
354 N. Broadway (Route 28 North), Salem, NH. Tel. 603-898-4412. Web
site: http://www.granfanallys.com.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Granfanallys. Twitter page: https://www.twitter.com/GFPizzaSalem.
Instagram page: @granfanallys
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