AWARDS/REVIEWS

West Suburban Sun

Francesca's Amici is the seventh feminine imprint in the Francesca group of restaurants owned by the chef Scott Harris and Francesca Harris. Each of them - including Naperville's La Sorella di Francesca - is individualized by a female oriented photo logo on the menus and business cards. This particular Elmhurst location features a close-up photo of two charming little girls in a smiling, affectionate moment of friendship. The single-page menu bears a common resemblance throughout all of the locations; with some typed standards and other hand-written daily specials including pastas, entrees, several appetizers and a pizza del giorno. Some signature items are the same at each location, while other items vary with distinctive sauces or vegetables.

The signature of the Francesca restaurants has been good, boldly flavored food at affordable prices. Although I've seen the price points climb in the past five years, as to be expected, the food and wine remain a good value.

Located in the space occupied by the former Zealous, which moved to Chicago, this Francesca has a newly refinished interior. Designed to carry the eye upward toward a copper screening that's rolled to create an unusual, wave drop ceiling, the long room is tastefully decorated in a simple, contemporary look, with a handsome bar across from the entry way in front. This place seemed a bit more upscale than its sister restaurants on Clark Street in Chicago and in Naperville.

The restaurant was filled to capacity and noisy the night we dined. There are no candles or flowers on the tables here, but excellent olive oil awaits diners in a cruet on each white tablecloth top. The lighting is soft but bright enough to see the menu. An attractive private dining room in the back is used for overflow on weekend nights and otherwise for private parties. The dress here is a mixture of chic casual and dressy.

A very loud foursome was seated two tables away and they never got the message from stares of surrounding diners that they were being inconsiderate. Even our waitress had trouble hearing us, and we strained to hear her. She was genuinely cheerful and friendly and was helpful in advising us about menu items. Service was efficient throughout our meal.

We began by ordering two glasses of wine, the Villa del Borgo, 1998, Pinot Grigio (Friuli), a dry, crisp aperitif that was a good match for our appetizers. The 67 or so wine selections are mainly value-focused Italian and American offerings.

Upon reviewing the menu, we ordered two appetizers from the list of tempting items, including risotto and carpaccio del giorno. The spinach in olive oil with lemon juice consisted of cooked leaf spinach, deliciously infused with "olive oil and tart with lemon. My only critique is that it was a bit too salty. The mussels were a treat; plump and properly cooked in an unusual spicy tomato sauce. We mopped up the sauce with our crusty bread and knew we were off to a great dinner.

For my main course I ordered pesce con disperata - fresh fillet of white sea bass - from the chefs daily special menu. It was excellent sautéed in olive oil and served with a garlic white wine sauce with peppers, onions and wild mushrooms. Other items include thin-crust pizzas, vitello, pollo and a variety of pastas, from linguine frutti di mare to ravioli.

My companion's generous portion of rigatoni alla verdure was cooked al dente to perfection and hearty with wild mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, broccoli and escarole, all flavored with garlic, olive oil and pine nuts.

The dolci vary. Some signatures include tiramisu - an excellent, light and flavorful rendition - and the crostata di limone, a lemon tart with creme anglaise, berries and whipped cream. The filling - with intense lemon flavor - was on a great pastry. Other dessert choices include creative flavors of gelato and sorbetti and several rich chocolate items such as budino di pane al cioccolato e banana, a chocolate banana bread pudding with warm caramel sauce and gelato. The cappuccino is nicely prepared with a good, foamy top.

I recommend Francesca's Amici for excellent, flavorful food and friendly service at good prices.