Franklin Cafe Southie
The Connoisseurs have made an oath to spend a little more time together doing the things that we love, eating and judging. We started this rekindling of cultured outings when Connoisseur Michael came to visit
We entered the bustling restaurant and were shown to a nice booth off to the side. We joked that it was due to Tom’s overly casual dress, but I am sure that it just appeared that way to us, as we were tucked into a corner near the door. It was pretty funny, but we didn’t mind the privacy.
We were started out with a basket of crusty bread with hummus. It was all a bit dry, but unique. We had a nicely attentive waitress who gave us ample time to choose between drink options, and she didn’t even seemed too annoyed that we weren’t ready to order for several passes by the table.
Many of the drinks on the menu were made with rye whisky, a rarity in this day and age, but a welcome sign of uniqueness and good taste to come. We eventually decided on four unique cocktails. There was a blueberry lavender mojito, an old fashioned, a mix of whisky and absinthe, and another whisky cocktail that I believe was called a cranberry bog. All of the drinks were served in rocks glasses, and all were mixed well. I received a lot of heat for ordering the mojito from the other gents, but it was a tasty drink. We were pleased, as the drinks were strong, well-made, and delicious.
We started the dinner with a dozen oysters from the raw bar. The dozen were nicely presented on an oversized ice-stuffed tray, and were accompanied by lemons and a tin of cocktail sauce. At first, I thought there was fresh parmesan on the cocktail sauce, but after tasting it, I found that it was grated fresh horseradish. The oysters were very fresh and had a nice delicately briny flavor. We finished them hastily, and prayed that the aphrodisiac qualities of the appetizers held off until we were in the company of loved ones.
Connoisseurs Jon and Tom decided to go all out and ordered, respectively, a salad and soup with their entrées. The other two were still rather full from lunch, and so there was only the one salad and soup to taste. The salad was a simple baby arugula and crimini salad with sweet shallot relish and a warm fried round of chevre cheese. The ingredients were the stars of the salad, and the flavor were nice together, a bit nutty, and fresh. The soup was a creamy tomato bisque with balsamic drizzle and a grilled cheese sandwich bite. This was a nice twist on the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup, smooth and fresh. The rich balsamic vinegar was a nice gourmet touch.
Then the entrées arrived. Connoisseur Michael had one of the restaurant specials of the day, pasta with Bolognese sauce. The noodles were fresh and nicely done, while the sauce was also a good rendition of the Italian classic. Michael felt that, while nothing was wrong with the dish, it did not “wow” him as he was hoping. He said that the dish made him want to make a better Bolognese sauce at home, and he spend the next five minutes talking about how good of a meat sauce he makes. That is saying something from a former vegetarian.
Entrée two was duck confit with sausage and cranberries on a bed of cassoulet. Connoisseur Tom ordered this dish, and was quite pleased with the portion and presentation. The crispy duck had an excellent caramelized color, and the cassoulet was rich and warming with its perfectly cooked white beans and homemade pork sausage.
The next entrée was actually from the appetizer menu, but I had eaten way too much fried rice earlier, and, with a salad already under my belt, I was in the mood for a light dinner. I had the roasted mussels with clarified butter. The mussels were fresh and buttery, and I really enjoyed the portion size, as it was quite plentiful for a starter course.
The final entrée was Big Brother’s prime sirloin with a stuffed potato and merlot reduction. This was the clear winner of the night, cooked to a perfect rare. The meat was tender and buttery, full of natural flavor and juice. This was some of the best steaks any of us had tasted in a long while.
After the entrées, Connoisseur Michael asked for a dessert menu while buying time to decide on the next beverage round. We were all surprised to hear that there was no dessert menu, but also pleasantly relieved. None of us needed more food, as the portions were generous and wholesome.
We had round of beers, with a selection of porter, IPA, and Chimay Belgian Ale on tap who could blame us, and got our check. Well, truthfully, not all of us got beer.
Connoisseur Tom decided to go with this abomination of a cocktail, combining gin with crushed fresh raspberries. We warned him against this, as nothing good could come of that combination, and his manhood would take a serious hit. Still, he persisted, and unsurprisingly, it was nasty. It tasted like chunky medicine, just as we all thought it would, but alas, Connoisseur Tom needed the photo op with the pink frilly drink.
Overall, we had a very nice night, and the food and drinks were definitely noteworthy. The prices were a little high for the casual diner, but not more than you would expect, and even a little low for the quality that we received. The common thread in all the dishes seemed to be fresh, high-quality ingredients with all of the flavors and none of the needless frills. The only bad thing was Tom’s final drink, but it was made as advertised. It just wasn’t good. All three of the attending Connoisseurs and the Guest Connoisseur would recommend The Franklin Café’s