Tuesday. July 28, 2015
The dinner last month at Francos, www.francositalianrestaurant.com, was so successful they decided to do another. About 28 people in attendance tonight. Different layout of the tables. This time they wine dinner group was concentrated in the back area at four tables. Made serving and talking with the reps easier. I think a far better arrangement and left the front of the house open for walk in diners which there were numerous tonight. I was at a table with people I sat close to last dinner. Enjoyable conversations.
We started out with Polenta con Funghi (sauteed wild mushrooms over creamy polenta) Sauce was excellent and I liked the selection of the mushrooms and taste much better that the ones at Chianina. This was a good dish to start with. Everyone was happy with this dish. The wine was a 2012 Burchino Bianco Trebbiano-Vermentino. Slightly acidic, crisp, clean, well balanced with lots of pear and a hint of green apple. I was really surprised to see how well this white wine paired with the mushrooms.
Second course was a Insalata Estiva de Franco, crisp spinach with Gorgonzola, glazed shallots, roasted walnuts, sliced apples and tarragon vinaigrette. Again everyone talked about how good the salad was. Vinaigrettte was very subtle. Pairing wines with a salad is difficult but this pairing went off without a hitch. A NV Parolivini Rosato Sparkling. This wine was 100% Merlot. Not sweet but with a fresh light strawberry taste.
Next was the entree. Brasato di Manzo, braised short rib with housemade pappardelle pasta. This short rib was huge and had the bone left in. I prefer this style of cooking because the bone gives a lot to the meat when cooked together. The meat was full of flavor and very tender. Far better and much bigger than the short rib I had last week at Antonellos which was good. Paired with a 2010 Castellani Chianti Reserva. A nice pairing.
Dessert was a Torta Cioccolata con Zabaione, Genoese chocolate torte with light Marsala wine cream and raspberries. Not overly sweet but a deep chocolate flavor. Wine poured was a NV Olptrepo Pavese Lombardia Moscato. Slightly sweet with a rich mouth feel. A good ending to the meal.
Again tonight the wines were poured generously. Just ask and they poured. Wines paired well with the food. This diner was $69 and Antonellos was $110. I feel I really got better food at Franco's. It is not always price but quality.
Ciro the distributor entertained us with a few songs later in the evening when most people had left and then Alex chimed in with his voice. Free entertainment. Again Franco (papa) came out and sat with us. Drank wine and relaxed after a busy day in the kitchen. Elizabeth was beaming. A really fun way to end the evening. And it looks like there will be another dinner in September. They were talking about bigger red wines. I am sure the price will go up a bit because bigger reds are more costly but this dinner was a bargain. I had more than enough to eat, took most of my short rib home and gave half of my dessert away. I should have stayed away from all the bread with garlic spread when I first sat down. But it was so good.
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