I won’t mislead you, I love Italian food so trying to be objective while have plate after plate of deliciousness placed in front of me is just not going to happen.  So I will share with you my favorites of the day and also some of the family history of Franco's Family Restuarant.

My taste buds happiness started with the Meatballs and Sauce.  The meatballs are made with four types of meats, hand rolled and slow cooked for over an hour, served with a homemade marinara sauce.  The meat comes from grass fed free range animals.  I also had the family style Clam Chowder, which has become a favorite of mine and I will be heading back soon to get my fix.  Be sure to ask Mabelle, one of the owners, what she adds to make it so special. 

Mabelle and her husband Franco came to the United States in 1993 from the port city of Genoa in the Liguria region of northern Italy.  Franco and Mabelle are the two family chefs who create the wonderful menu items for lunch and dinner and their son, Alberto handles breakfast and the desserts, which I will get to in a few minutes.

My entrée consisted of Carbonara, Seafood Pasta, Pesto Pasta, Chicken Marsala, Mushroom Risotto, and Lasagna.  Wow!  The Carbonara was a very simple carbonara that was rich but not heavy.  The Seafood Pasta, using their homemade marinara sauce has very crisp defined flavors including New Zealand mussels, shrimp, and clams.  The Pesto Pasta was presented with a wonderful aroma and full use of the pesto.  The chicken Marsala reflects the recipe of the Genoa region, especially the sauce.  Do not be surprised when it does not arrive with the traditional cream sauce you are used to, instead embrace the sauce made with the Marsala wine.  It has a strong flavor and a generous use of mushrooms. The one I left for home with extra was the Mushroom Risotto.  I do love a good risotto and this one was one of the tops.  Very simple, not overcooked or mushy, and with a good use of the mushrooms and garlic to bring the flavors together in a great presentation.  Not to be forgotten is the lasagna.  It is a little different than the traditional lasagna and is a family recipe.

Dessert was presented by Alberto and I must say, did not disappoint.  If you only come to Franco’s to try one thing I would suggest the desserts, as hard as that is to say, because I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to be adopted by Mabelle so you could eat her cooking every day.  My two desserts were Chocolate Ganache Mousse and Tiramisu.  The mousse was light in texture and a nice play against the home made berry glaze of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.  The richness of the mousse and the tart tang of the glaze harmonize for a light dessert.  Now the Tiramisu is much like several other dishes here, not what you would expect in the traditional sense of a tiramisu.  The frozen crème is served in a scoop style with organic fair trade cocoa powder and with a lady finger cookie dipped in a coffee amaretto mixture.  It is sure to please any sweet tooth.

Located in downtown Madison, Indiana on the historic Main Street, I am sure you will enjoy your visit to Franco’s and be sure to tell them Angie sent you…..you never know what Mabelle may bring out of her kitchen to the delight of your taste buds!