Mia Francesca

Clearly the business minds behind this Italian concept have figured out a formula for success: approachable, Northern Italian cooking for the masses, with suburban outposts seemingly opening weekly. At this location, loyalists from the neighborhood dig in to huge oval platters of cool, caper-studded carpaccio; pastas tossed with lemony cream and asparagus; capable fish and chicken sautés; and what’s surprisingly the best garlic spinach in town. Couples and families happily wait at the bar drinking tumblers of cheap wine, somehow oblivious to the chaos of the always-packed room and the obligatory wait even for those with a reservation.