I bought a Bloomspot Gift for Lunch at Franco on Melrose and it was expiring this week so I made a stop on Saturday to check it out and have my 3-course Lunch. I love getting all these Daily Deals in my e-mail and have tried a bunch of new restaurants this way as well as bought gifts for people because there's such a variety of things to buy!
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| The Caprese Salad at Franco on Melrose |
From the outside, Franco didn't look all that spectacular but when you walk inside, the Kitchen is at the front of the restaurant and as you walk into the Dining Area at the back of the resturant my breath was taken away by how beautiful it was. It was quaint with pretty lighting, heat lamps, decorations, and beautifully set tables; it would be perfect for a small party or reception! I started off with my favorite, a Caprese Salad, which was good. It needed more of a balsamic reduction and the tomatoes were just plain tomatoes so this was something I could easily create at home and charging $12 for it seemed a little steep. The mozzarella was amazing and there was a small roasted pepper salad in the middle that was good too. My entree was the Chicken Ravioli in a Mushroom Cream sauce and while the cream sauce and vegetables were amazing, the Ravioli was rustic and tasted like chicken. Yes, I know, I ordered Chicken Ravioli but I guess I was expecting something more. Obviously they make everything in house to be fresh but perhaps I should have gone with my gut and ordered the Corn Ravioli with Truffle Oil, but did the Chicken Ravioli on the Waiter's suggestion. Lastly, there were only a couple choices for dessert so my only choice was Tiramisu which I normally find just ok. This was by far the best Tiramisu I have ever had; it was light and fluffy, not too sweet, had the perfect amount of espresso and cream. It definitely made me re-think my average idea of Tiramisu!
Overall, the meal was ok, while the ambience was pretty, and the service was good, I wasn't all that impressed by the food. I will definitely go back and give it another chance and order something that I think looks good and hopefully can come back with a better overall impression.
Last night, I had Neighbor Night with Sean and Julie from Karaoke who live just down the street from me, to watch "The Hunger Games" on Blu-Ray. As I had left a very long day at the Irish Times around 8:30 I had called my Mom to let her know how my day was and told her I was going to watch "The Hunger Games" with my neighbors and she said it was a really good movie and she liked it a lot. I'm thinking, what? You watched "The Hunger Games?" She said yes, she saw it at the rental place, thought it looked good, rented it, and said she actually stayed awake for the whole thing and really liked it, even with the story-line that they're killing children. Impressive, Mom :)
I've read the first two books in the series and have been waiting to rent the third book from the library but it's been taken out for the past 6 months so I haven't been able to finish the series yet. That was the one thing I was missing from the movie; clearly a movie can't go as in-depth as a book can but I felt like there were pieces missing from the movie and that there were holes. It almost needed to be 2 parts like the 'Twilight' series. The first part explaining Katniss and Gale's relationship, the Reaping, backstory for everyone, and then training for the games. Part two would be the actual games and everything that happens during that. The best parts of the movie were Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson's performances, very strong, and Woody was hilarious and perfect for the role of Haymitch. I kept going back and forth on Jennifer Lawrence; I've seen some of her more indie movies and really liked her but there was something that made me dislike her in this role even though I thought it was great that they cast an athletic and pretty girl, and not some rail-thin stunning actress, because that wouldn't make sense. Casting did a good job for Elizabeth Banks as well and the world of the districts was incredible to see with all the colors, costumes and make-up applied to so many extras. It's crazy to think of how many people had to be cast in this movie to fill it out!
Overall, I liked the movie and am looking forward to the second one and I'm hoping there will be more of a story and that it won't feel so rushed. I don't mind watching a long movie and having an additional hour for this first movie would have given the actors and crew involved a better chance to tell more of a story and give the viewer a better understanding of "The Hunger Games."
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