The fourth Dine Out ’08 experience took place at Don Francesco. This was a last minute addition to my list, an invitation from my friend to try this restaurant.
On Food
I rarely go to authentic Italian restaurant, so it’s hard to compare from that stand point. The food quality is not bad, but I found the flavour a bit too strong for my liking. The soup and the chicken sat on the borderline of being salty and I sometimes tasted the overly strong coffee liquer in the tiramisu.
On Presentation
Their plating is pretty simple. For the entrée, they put on a lot of sauce to glaze over the meat, which makes the presentation a bit too dark to see under candle lights. On the other hand, they go easy on decorating the appetizers and the desserts and that was good.
On Environment
The restaurant has a nice ambiance. The lighting was great and it was playing Italian music in the background. However, it would be better if they can space out the tables a bit. The tables were a bit too close to each other.
On View
Located on the Burrard Street, unfortunately this restaurant doesn’t have any view other than watching the pedestrians and cars as they pass by the restaurant.
On Service
The servers were really friendly. They provided fresh ground pepper for appetizer and entrée. Our server also made light, funny comments which made the dining experience even more positive.
Don Francesco
Food: 8
Presentation: 7.5
Environment: 8.5
View: 7
Service: 9
Overall: 8
Photos
Appetizer: Crème Dubarry Aux Quatre Fromage (The 4-cheese crouton made the soup a bit salty.)
Appetizer: Linguine Seafood Pescatore (I was surprised to see a pasta dish as appetizer. Not a tiny portion, too!)
Entree: Veal Involtini a la Casalinga (Now that I’m thinking, the meat was a bit dry.)
Entree: Chicken Breast Au Vin Rouge (Surprisingly the chicken breast was not that dry.)
Dessert: Tiramisu (At times I could taste the strong liquer but overall it's yummy.)
Dessert: Orange Cake All’Italiana (Nothing special about this cake.)
