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mokenamessenger.com dining out
the Mokena Messenger | July 6, 2017 | 21
The Dish
Francesca’s Vicinato joins franchise in celebrating 25 years
Throwback nights
offer original Mia
Francesca menu,
throwback prices
Bill Jones, Managing Editor
When Mia Francesca first
opened in 1992 on Clark
Street in Chicago’s Lakeview
neighborhood, it did not take
reservations and reportedly
saw lines down the street as
word of mouth spread.
Its recent 25th anniversary
celebration, featuring the
original menu and throwback
prices, had a similar buzz
about it, according to regional
manager Joe Christiano,
who said customers came out
in droves to join the party.
That’s when Francesca’s
decided to expand the festivities,
much like the franchise
itself expanded to 33 locations
over the past two-anda-half
decades.
“After 25 years, we have
all these restaurants,” Christiano
said of the logic. “Let’s
just do it across the board.”
The party came to Palos
Park June 26, when for one
night only Francesca’s Vicinato
featured the original Mia
Francesca menu and prices,
including the likes of Linguine
all’ Arlecchino, with shrimp,
scallops and clams, and the
Vitello Sassi with baby artichokes
and wild mushrooms.
Christiano said each of the
Francesca’s restaurants have
their own vibes and culinary
experiences, but a constantly
evolving menu is a hallmark
of the franchise.
“We want to be innovative
and stay up with the times,”
he said.
That said, Francesca’s Vicinato
has long featured a few
of the original menu’s old
recipes — among them is the
Pollo Arrosto alla Romana,
a roasted half-chicken with
Francesca’s Vicinato
12960 S. LaGrange
Road in Palos Park
Lunch Hours
• 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Dinner Hours
• 3-9 p.m. Monday-
Tuesday
• 3-10 p.m. Wednesday-
Thursday
• 3-10:30 p.m. Friday-
Saturday
• 4:30-9 p.m. Sunday
For more information ...
Web: www.miafrancesca.
com
Phone: (708) 671-1600
garlic, shallots, rosemary,
lemon and olive oil, served
with roasted potatoes — and
for good reason.
“It never comes off the
menu,” Christiano said. “It’s
one of those staples.”
Another staple is the Insalata
alla Francesca. The
appropriately dubbed house
salad features Romaine, endive
and radicchio, with blue
cheese, fresh vegetables,
lemon and balsamic. It was
flanked on the one-night-only
menu by the Insalata di Rucola
and the Insalata Cavoletti
di Bruxelles. Christiano said
they all serve as great examples
of how Francesca’s both
adheres to and breaks from
Tuscan traditions.
“We got rid of the bean
salads … and really got creative,”
he said.
The restaurant also has
made a name for itself in Palos
Park since its opening in July
2003 with dishes like the Carpaccio
con Asparagi, which
features thinly sliced raw sirloin
with asparagus, capers,
tomatoes, mushrooms, lemon,
olive oil and shaved Grana
Padano, as Christiano said it
is difficult to find carpaccio
anywhere else in the area. Its
Burrata con Pomodorini —
The Insalata alla Francesca — which effectively serves as
Francesca’s Vicinato’s house salad —features Romaine,
endive and radicchio, with blue cheese, fresh vegetables,
lemon and balsamic.
featuring burrata, heirloom
tomatoes, basil and aged balsamic
— is another customer
favorite. The olive oil blend is
made in house, too, complementing
the bread and cheese
on every table.
And for dessert, it is hard
to avoid the sloppy sundae,
featuring scoops of vanilla
gelato, topped with chocolate
sauce, caramel sauce,
biscotti, whipped cream and
berries. As the story goes, the
dessert was conceived one
night years ago when a customer
insisted on a sundae
the restaurant did not have.
A pressured chef crafted an
obnoxiously large mess of a
sundae, as much to cater to
as make a point to the customer.
The point backfired/
became legend when the customer
loved it, and other diners
could not help but notice
it and inquire about it. Even
though it was not technically
on the menu, the restaurant
kept getting orders for it, and
so it stuck around, Christiano
said. It also became part of
Francesca’s willingness to
create custom dishes based
on customer requests.
“If we have the ingredients
in house, we’ll be able
to make whatever that person
wants,” Christiano said.
And that really is the cherry
on top of what has made
the Francesca’s franchise a
success.
“The food and, of course,
the service,” Christiano said
of its prolonged success.
“Those are the things that define
us.”
The Sloppy Sundae at Francesca’s Vicinato was featured
during the celebration of the franchise’s 25th anniversary.
Its legend is that of spur-of-the-moment creation turned
secret menu item turned customer favorite.
Photos by Bill Jones/22nd Century Media
Francesca’s Vicinato’s Burrata con Pomodorini features
the soft cheese alongside heirloom tomatoes and basil,
topped with aged balsamic.