Eggplant Parmigiana from Francesco's

The Pizzeria/Italian Restaurant on the Corner of Union St. and Henry St. is one of my go-to places for slices and some of the best Eggplant Parmigiana Hero sandwiches around. It used to be called Nino's, which I used to go to back in Junior High for lunch, but about a year ago it was upgraded and is now called Francesco's (531 Henry St., 718-834-0863). I was worried during that transition time, but I'm happy to say that Francesco's may be even better than Nino's was.

We usually start with a small order of the House Salad. This is your basic lettuce, tomato and sliced red onion salad, but it's dressed simply yet deliciously with white vinegar and oil, with a dash of oregano flakes and black pepper. It's fresh-tasting, tangy and perfect.



Then there's the Eggplant Parm. Hero. With gobs of melted mozzarella oozing out, and the bread a touch burnt on the ends, it's such a hearty meal, we split it in two! Loaded with slices of breaded and fried eggplant, in a wonderful marinara sauce, it truly is a work of art. Every once in a while a slice of the eggplant is undercooked, or cut too thick, but I can easily overlook that since everything else is so good. And there are never any left overs!