AWARDS/REVIEWS

The Daily Southtown – Howard Ludwig

Francesca's Vicinato in Palos Park brings chef and restaurateur Scott Harris back to the Southland.

Harris, a graduate of Lincoln-Way High School in New Lenox, opened his Roman trattoria on July 1 (2003) in the Mill Creek Center at 12960 S. LaGrange Road, Palos Park.

This is the first Southland restaurant for the Francesca Group, which operates 12 restaurants in Chicago and in the northern and western suburbs.

"I have been looking for (locations) for the last couple (of) years, and it has been hard to find property out here," said Harris, owner of the Francesca Group.

The native of Chicago's Southwest Side became a restaurant owner with the opening of Mia Francesca in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood in 1992.

Serving the cuisine of northern Italy, the Francesca Group continues offering fresh food in a trendy atmosphere with its latest restaurant in Palos Park.

The non-smoking dining area seats 140. Smoking is allowed in the bar, which has space for 25 people and offers a wide selection of wines and liquors.

The dining area has floor-to-ceiling windows and is decorated like a photo gallery with detailed shots from Tuscany.

Chicago photographer and music video director Paul Elledge offered his pictures of the people and landscapes of Italy's most renowned culinary city as a favor to Harris.

The interesting photographs serve as a backdrop for the wide array of fresh pasta, seafood and even pizzas.

The handwritten menu, modestly presented on a photocopied sheet of paper, changes weekly to allow for seasonal entrees.

A recent visit to Francesca's Vicinato began with an appetizer of mussels in spicy tomato sauce ($6.95). The dish was served steaming hot and was large enough for a party of four.

Salads are sold separately from entrees, but the Insalata alla Francesca ($5.25) is large enough to split between two people. The colorful salad is lightly garnished with oil and crumbled blue cheese.

Contemporary music ranging from hip-hop to rock played softly in the background as dinner was served.

An eager wait staff suggested the Spada Mia Notte, a grilled swordfish with roasted artichokes and oven-dried tomatoes ($16.95). The fish was moist with a slight smoky flavor, enhanced by the tomatoes, as evidenced by the small portion shared by my dining companion.

I opted for the Cappellacci Quattro Formaggi, a hat-shaped pasta filled with four cheeses, spinach and walnuts in a vodka tomato sauce ($13.95). The light creamy sauce garnished with green onions brought out rich flavor in the cheese-stuffed pasta. The pasta was noticeably fresh, with a pillow-soft texture that was easily pierced with a fork.

We concluded the meal with a cappuccino ($2.50) and a shared fruit tart ($5).

Harris is confident the latest Francesca eatery will be a success -- and even named the 4,000-square-foot restaurant in honor of his homecoming.

Francesca's Vicinato combines the well-known Francesca name with the Italian word for neighborhood -- vicinato.