Tag Archives: Freddy’s

Some of my fondest holiday memories of my dad are of preparing dinner with him on Christmas Eve. We conjured up some pretty fabulous feasts, but a red sauce with perfectly tender calamari evaded us for years. We would sauté the squid first, soak it in milk, and simmer it in the sauce anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, but to no avail. Then I sampled the absolutely sublime calamari sauce at Freddy’s in Cicero and I had to know their secret. “Simmer it longer,” said Joe Quercia, who runs Freddy’s with his wife, Ann Marie, “and buy East Coast …

Because we go to press so far in advance, I’m penning this column in late December, even though it’s destined for the February issue. That places me squarely in the Resolution Zone, that fanciful timeframe during which we bind ourselves to a host of worthy and sometimes unattainable goals for the coming year. Those resolutions can expand, contract and morph as the months progress. As of this moment, I’ve resolved to: 1) Exercise more, consume fewer calories and in general take better care of my aging body. 2) Seek input from current and former Fra Noi readers and the community-at-large …

Calling the gelato con brioche at Freddy’s Pizza in Cicero an ice cream sandwich is like calling the Mona Lisa a pretty good portrait. Owners Joe and Ann Marie Quercia drop a scoop of their heavenly gelato between the halves of a soft, golden bun, heat-sealing it with a special press imported from Sicily and then drizzling it with chocolate sauce. Warm on the outside, frozen in the center, it’s a masterpiece through and through. “In Sicily, they have it for breakfast!” Joe assures. Goodbye, Good Humor. Hello, Freddy’s! http://freddyspizza.com