Walking into Franchesco’s felt like discovering a little secret.
We showed up for an early dinner on a sunny Sunday, while most people were still out enjoying the glory of warm weather. The restaurant was empty, quiet and peaceful.
Franchesco’s is unassuming from the outside; it’s in a little shopping center. Inside, it’s a nice Italian restaurant.
We settled in to wait for some friends and order drinks — sangria for my husband ($5.99) and pinot noir for me ($4.99). The sangria was tasty; our waitress said it’s made at the restaurant. Sangria was ideal for a nice summer day and I wished I’d ordered one for myself, although my wine was nice as well. We sat happily chatting until our friends showed up.
When everyone was accounted for, we ordered some garlic cheese bread ($7.99) and tomato mozzarella ($9.99). The cheese bread was nice and a generous size. Four of us shared it easily. It came with some simple marinara for dipping.
We also enjoyed the fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, although I think they would have been tastier with a bit more fresh basil and balsamic vinegar.
We lingered for a long time over the appetizers, chatting, sipping wine and telling out patient waitress, “Yes, give us a few more minutes, please.” It was a pleasant place to sit and chat. I was sad to see the place so empty, and I was pleased later when groups began to trickle in as the warmth of the day slowly faded outside.
The menu at Franchesco’s is relatively short, yet we took a long time deciding. The menu may be limited, but it offers many tempting choices. I settled on the seasonal ravioli ($15.99) when the waitress told me that it was made with lobster that evening. How could I resist?
My husband ordered seashell pasta with shellfish, mushrooms, tomatoes and a creamy alfredo sauce ($14.99).
Our friends picked lasagna ($11.99) and a veggie panini ($8.99).
The restaurant also offers pizzas and salads.
Our food came promptly, not surprising as there wasn’t yet any competition for the cook’s time.
My ravioli was tasty. The lobster ravioli was mixed with some nice summer squash, all cooked perfectly, and I’m picky about squash. It was tender without being too soft or slimy. The red onion went nicely with everything. I would certainly suggest you give this a try.
My husband’s pasta was also good, but needed salt. That’s easily fixed. Our waitress offered pepper for my husband’s salad, which came out earlier, but never brought it back for our main courses. I didn’t think to ask for it then, but wish I had. The food would have benefitted from a dash of fresh pepper.
As for my friends, they also enjoyed their food. The veggie panini was generous with the goat cheese, and was a generously sized sandwich.
The lasagna was rich and delicious, but the meat was in rather large chunks. That’s fine, of course, if you really enjoy meat, but it was somewhat overpowering.
We all finished the meal without much room left for dessert, so we split an order of creme brulee ($4.99). This was the star of the evening. It was delicious, creamy without being too rich and large enough for the four of us to happily share. Even my friend who usually dislikes creme brulee found it fantastic. Really, it was good. If you go, order it. You’ll thank me.
Franchesco’s was a nice find. A cozy restaurant with good food. Good food and some really killer creme brulee.
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