Wine Dinner at Franco's

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

This was the very first wine dinner ever hosted by Franco's. www.francositalianrestaurant.com .   Approximately 36 people in attendance. My friend Susan was the wine rep tonight along with Ciro who is the importer of these Italian wines.  The entire staff including Alex, Luigi, Sarah, Elizabeth and Franco were on hand tonight. Smiles all the way around because of the full house. Papa even came out and sat at the table with us after the food was served and told about all the presidents he has cooked for. Mama seemed ecstatic.  Such a good time was had that they have set up another wine dinner for July 28.

I got there early so I had two glasses of wine in me before dinner started. The pours were large. These were not tastes but close to full glasses of wine. Between 3 and 4 ounce pours.   Saw several people I knew from other places. Most people tonight were regular patrons of Francos but there was at least a dozen people that had never been there before. That is good for the restaurant.

Started off with several glasses ( 3 to be exact) of Villa Marin Sauvignon Blanc. Clean wine without a lot of acidity and a hint of tropical fruit. Served with a Zuppa di Pesce, a seafood soup in a wonderful light broth with tons of flavor. The calamari was very tender. A perfect  start.

Next was a plate of Scampi Carciofi. Very fresh, tender shrimp with artichoke pesto and asparagus. Very good flavor and paired perfectly with the Col Reale Bianco Del Veneto Cortese-Garganega. I don't see this dish on the regular menu so I will have to remember and see if they will fix it for me next time I am dining here.

The entree was an Involtini Di Melanzane. Rolled Eggplant with Capellini Pasta and a red sauce. I am not an eggplant fan but this was good. Paired with a Chiudenda Rosso Sangiovese and Merlot.

A Zuccotto was served for dessert. According to Susan who is Italian a good Zuccotto is hard to find and she raved about this one.  It is a "trifle type cake" with chocolate and whipped cream. The wine was a Sangue De Giuda Pinot Ne (Noir). A slightly sweet wine that paired well with the dessert.

Ciro was an engaging host as he explained about all the wines being served, the growing of the grapes in Italy.  A lot of wine was sold tonight. That makes everyone happy.  I had more than my share of vino. They poured generously and often. No one's last was ever empty for long. These wines are not overly expensive but are very nice wines especially the whites for summer and paired well with the food. That makes a nice dining experience.