Service, food and recommendations were all spot -on.
We landed at Francoli after spending 45 minutes on a wait list for an outdoor table at Haven, just down the street. Finally, famished, the gentlemen hoofed it over to Francoli to see if they had outdoor seating available while a friend and I caught up. Glory be, a table for four, outdoors, was indeed available! We quickly vacated the very loud Haven and hoofed it over to Francoli. Best decision of the evening!
We were seated at a lovely outdoor table and our server promptly appeared. I ordered a Primitivo from the extensive wine list, but unfortunately they were out of that particular bottle so I chose another, similar Primitivo, first asking our server what he thought of this new bottle. His honesty (""It's pretty good"", no attempt to oversell the alternative) is among the traits that made our service shine throughout the evening. After decanting, the alternative Primitivo opened up nicely and we ended up ordering two bottles throughout our evening. For a starter, we ordered a Carpaccio di Bue (Raw beef, arugula, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, capers, drizzled with lemon and extra virgin olive oil) for the table. Carpaccio is something we order often, and this one was very good. The tart-crisp of the arugula and the salt of the capers melded wonderfully with the fresh beef. Definitely give it a try when you're here.
Next up, it was a tough call between the Fettuccine Bolognese (I'm a sucker for a phenomenal Bolognese) and the Scaloppine al Vino Rosso (Veal scaloppine sauteed in a red wine reduction sauce, porcini mushrooms, served with fresh seasonal vegetables). Since veal is also something I order often, I wanted to get a good handle on how they prepare it so I went with the Scaloppine. It was divine. Cooked perfectly, no complaints - and the flavor was fantastic.
Curtain call: we could not decide and ended up with two desserts for the table. First was a classic: Tiramisu (One of Francoli Gourmet's specialties. Made freshly every day. Lady fingers soaked in Illy Espresso coffee, layered with Mascarpone cream and topped with cocoa powder) and next was something I'd seen on menus but never tried: Tartufo (A round form of fantasy creams covered with soft chocolate cream. Rolled in chopped praline nuts and covered with powdered cocoa). Both were very good and I'd recommend either or both if you're in the mood for dessert.
Overall, SO happy we ended up at Francoli over Haven. SO happy.
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