My husband and I had dinner at the rennovated Francesca's last night, a restaurant I visited often with family while living in Boston around ten years ago. I've recently moved back to Boston, and was pleasantly surprised to see so many changes to the restaurant--it's lost none of its charm, but has only become more ambient. Though there were a lot of customers, it didn't feel crowded (they've opened up a few new dining rooms, which our waiter took us on a small tour of before we left). The rennovations are stunning, and there is a more elegant feel, but it wasn't stuffy. Our waiter treated us as old friends--and there were in fact a few waiters that had been there ten years ago! For an appetizer we shared the Antipasto for 2, which was absolutely great. Really fine Italian imported cheeses. My husband took the recommendation for the lobster gondola with mussels and calamari, spaghetti and white wine sauce....amazing! Delicious lobster, and really quite the spread of food for a reasonable price. I requested chicken piccato, which I used to order years ago, and was no longer listed on the menu. The chef assured it was no problem to custom make, and the homemade fettunci couldn't have come out any better. We also enjoyed two bottles of a Tuscany Brunello wine, which my husband was just smitten with. He couldn't get over the wine selection and quality of this particular wine. Really just an all-around pleasant experience--like coming home.
Pros: great wine, fine Italian, friendly service
Cons: reservation needed on Saturday
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