Frankie’s Taste of Italy

On a recent visit to Frankie’s Taste of Italy, we started with the antipasto misto: soprasetta, Genoa salami, roasted peppers, marinated mushrooms, olives, artichokes, and fresh mozzarella. There are lots of great flavors going on here, and this is a very tasty start to a meal.

Veal Saltimbocca is a tender scallopini of veal sauteed with prosciutto and mushrooms in a white wine-marinara sauce with lots of flavor, on a bed of greens. I had scoped out the website the night before and set my sights on chicken Casa Franco, a chicken breast cutlet topped with prosciutto, eggplant, Italian greens, melted mozzarella, and sauce. This is one amazing dish: layers of great flavor from the crispy chicken, salty proscuitto, tender eggplant, fresh, gooey mozzarella, piquant greens (escarole), and homemade sauce (a huge portion, too).

All meals come with salad and bread, which was served family-style to the 13 of us. I went with lemon cream cake for dessert. This is a super-moist cake with a bold lemon cream filling and a top that reminds me of coffee cake. Every bite was bliss!

Not only was this meal top notch, but Frankie spent time with us before and after the meal. He and his son do the cooking. There was a wait for our table when we first arrived, so we went downstairs to the bar and had a few drinks. About 10 minutes later, we were called up and Frankie was giving hugs and kisses to the ladies as we walked by. He looked at me and said, “No kiss for you, I saw the look on your face!” After which he let out a huge laugh. When we were leaving, he wished my mom and Harold the best for their wedding and let me take a couple of pictures with him. When we told him who was doing the reception, he said we’d really love it as they do great work. Now THERE is a guy who is confident in his food!

Frankie’s does serve greens as an appetizer and chicken riggies (as well as vodka riggies), both of which are definitely regional fare. I wasn’t sure at first if I would call this Roadfood, but given the quality of the food, the attention and service, and the ever-present Frankie and his gregarious personality, I would definitely add it to my Roadfood list.