CloverDines: Black Friday at Francesca’s Intimo in Lake Forest
It was a cold Black Friday night. After having avoided all the crazy crowds during the day, I decided to venture out at night for something to eat. We were in the mood for something nice, it being the holiday and all, and found Francesca’s Intimo on Yelp. Luckily, we were able to book some reservations via OpenTable without much trouble, which was good because there was a wait by the time we arrived. I found that I made my decision based not on photographs I saw of the food, but rather photographs of what the location looked like. What do you find more helpful when looking at photos or reading reviews? Is it the food, or the logistics and atmosphere? Would you like to see more photos of the environment?
Francesca’s Intimo is in downtown Lake Forest, a block off of Deerpath. It’s a small, cozy, romantic type of setting. We didn’t have any trouble finding parking on the streets near the restaurant. The bread they brought us to start off with was excellent. For their own version of a Black Friday deal, all appetizers were only $3! We started off with some fantastic bruschette and carpaccio.
Our cocktails were also quite good. The Death by Raspberry was strong, but didn’t have quite enough raspberry to live up to its name. Fred’s Solstice from Ashore was much better, very smooth and tropical.
Our entrees, which all look pretty similar in the photos after being smothered in freshly grated parmesan, were very rich and flavorful. My gnocchi were soft and fluffy. Perhaps most impressive was the attentiveness of the wait staff; Fred, who nearly always finishes both our waters before a refill comes by, said that his glass never once reached empty.
Of course, no nice dinner would be complete without dessert. The chocolate lava cake was warm and the apple pie was unique. Overall, a very nice experience! I hear there are quite a few of Francesca’s restaurants scattered around the area, and will be sure to keep an eye out for them. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
Clover Eats! 
I’m assuming this is related to Mia Francesca and other Francesca’s in the area? Never had a bad meal at any of them!
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Yes, I believe they’re all related. This is the first time I’ve been to one of them, I’ll have to try some of the other ones too!
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