Monday, August 25, 2008

I love Franny's...



And not just for those perfectly blistered crusts. Franny's attention to sourcing their ingredients locally and organically really pays off in the taste department. Appetizers of farm fresh vegetables have such bold, explosive flavors - usually enhanced by crunchy sea salt, generous pours of delicious olive oil and dashes of artisanal vinegars. The vegetables really sing and are the highlight of meals there. On one recent trip with a couple of friends, we had a beautiful salad of dandelion greens, nectarines and huge strips of guanciale; the tastiest squash dish I've had all summer - just thin, wide strips of yellow squash and zucchini, dressed with lots of lemon juice, olive oil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese; a salad of heirloom tomatoes, all perfectly ripened and gorgeous shades of rose, red, yellow and green, with thinly sliced marinated cucumbers; and a slice of the pork and beef terrine with toasted buttered bread. (Yes, the four of us managed to put all that away and still eat four perfect pizzas - everything is just so incredibly tasty that it's hard to stop. I actually hoped that someone would order the blackberry gelato for dessert, but I didn't want to admit it. I went home satisfied and happy anyway.)

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