Jason Strauss

When in NYC, people are always on the search for the best pizza. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you a work of art: the Artichoke pizza located conveniently at Artichoke Basille's Pizzeria & Bar.

Not only is Artichoke a place to get good pizza, but a spot to feat on fine Italian cuisine and star gaze.

Celebs fans include Gerard Butler, Leighton Meester,Chace Crawford,Jim Carrey and the list goes on.

I caught up with the brains behind the magical Artichoke pizza, Fran Garcia and Sal Basile and chatted with them about Artichoke being a Hollyscoop certified Hotspot.


Hollyscoop: Tell us about your story how did you get started?
Fran Garcia and Sal Basile: Me and my cousin Sal were born into a family of restaurateurs, it goes back to our grandparents even great grandparents who owned restaurants all over downtown Brooklyn since the 40's. We grew up behind the counters of our parent’s restaurants in Staten Island and New Jersey and we one day decided we would open a shop in Manhattan where we would just specialize in our pizza.

HS: How did you and the boys of Strategic group connect?
Fran & Sal: Sal's brother in law introduced us to Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss and we hit it off instantly, they're awesome partners and we're getting a great education from them.

HS:What is the best item to get on the menu at your restaurant?
Fran & Sal: The menu is so limited its hard to say, everybody seems to have a favorite but the most popular by far is the artichoke pizza.

HS: What is the secret to your success?
Fran & Sal: It's pretty simple, hard work, good help and a passion for what we do.

HS: Why do people love the artichoke food?
Fran & Sal: It's simply delicious, they can taste the love in every bite. I've been experimenting with pizza for more than half my life, I wanted to make something different that stood out above any other style of pizza. I started making Artichoke pizza in my mothers restaurant "Basille's" about 5 years ago and the response was huge but I knew we needed to take it to Manhattan to get the recognition it deserves.

HS: Do you get excited to hear that your spot is a celeb hotspot?
Fran & Sal: Yes especially when they wait in line!! But I get excited when I hear good things about Artichoke whether it's from celebs or just ordinary people it doesn't matter. It feels great to know our hard work is appreciated by anybody no matter who they are.

HS: Are you expanding your locations?
Fran & Sal: Yes we plan on expanding into outer borough's we've looked at spaces in Astoria and Williamsburgh. We've also looked at spaces in Boston, Las Vegas and Miami.

HS: Will you be opening a artichoke in Los Angeles?
Fran & Sal: It's definitely on our radar, I hear "Silver lake" can use a place like Artichoke.

Artichoke in Silverlake? Just the thought of it gets me excited since that is my neighborhood. Until then, I need to travel to NYC to get a slice. Well worth it!