Villa Francesca Blogger Dinner

I love my Boston blogger friends. There’s nothing quite like a night out eating and drinking with them, and when you add in a delicious, hospitable North End restaurant like Villa Francesca, you have the best Monday night ever.

I left work on a very humid, cloudy evening and wandered over to the North End in what ended up being our first rainy evening in quite awhile. As a result, I was early for the event, just to get out of the rain. I ran into Alicia and Michelle at the bar which was a perfect way to kick off the night.

Kristen soon came up to meet us, and as organizer of the event, she was a fantastic hostess. The downstairs setup was pretty sweet with oysters and Prosecco waiting for us.  Two of my favorite things!

prosecco

I ate several deliciously briny oysters washed down by a glass and a half of Prosecco, all while checking out Villa Francesca’s beautiful wine cellar. It’s quite wonderful to find such a wine cellar in Boston. . . it looks like it should be in a Tuscan villa.

Villa Francesca wine cellar

After mingling with some of my favorite bloggies like Katie, Megan, Daisy, Lara, Renee, and Twitter friend Justin, we sat down for a dinner of never ending delicious food and wine.

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I had started upstairs with a Nero D’avola and kept sipping that downstairs while also trying a sample of the white which was a pale in color, grapefruit-y delight whose name I can’t remember.

Villa Francesca Wine

We all shared a family style antipasto, and the spicy salami was the perfect counterpart for salty cheese and fresh tomatoes and basil. The vegetarian in me looks away when antipasto is served. . .;)

Antipasto

I thought we were all set with appetizers when we were EACH served this Fettucine con Gamberi, homemade pasta with shrimp in a light, flavorful tomato cream sauce. I could have been done eating here, satisfied with delicious homemade pasta. . .

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But there was more! Sole served with some of the best potatoes and escarole I have ever eaten. Everything tasted so delicious and delicately flavored. I was stuffed by the time my plate was taken away. . .

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But homemade, filled to order cannolis were next. And who am I to say no to a cannoli? Especially one made to order. I had mine with ricotta, chocolate chips, and powdered sugar, filled by the owner of Villa Francesca himself.

cannoli

I loved meeting Bill, Villa Francesca’s owner, and hearing about the restaurant’s quality, homemade ingredients. Dining in the North End can be overwhelming with so many choices, so being able to try out a new restaurant at last night’s event was pretty amazing. I for one can not wait to explore their wine cellar more and to eat their food again. It was a delicious evening that I was privileged to be part of.

Grazie to Kristen for inviting me and to Bill for hosting us!

If you live in Boston, do you have a favorite North End restaurant?

Don’t forget to enter my CSN Stores giveaway contest. I can’t wait to hear how you all get ready for fall!

Villa Francesca on Urbanspoon

Tags: Boston, cannoli, Dining out, Nero D'avola, North End, oysters, pasta, prosecco, Restaurants, Villa Francesca, wine

  1. MelissaNibbles’s avatar

    Holy cannoli! I want that.
    Beautiful restaurant. My favorite North End spot is Florentine Cafe. Except that one time I threw up on their doorstep…that was my fault for drinking to many apple martinis and eating a plate and half of lobster ravioli. Not theirs 🙂

    Reply

  2. Daisy’s avatar

    Seriously, blogger friends are the best. I can’t recall the name of the white either, so I just called it the house white. lol. maybe someone else will remember. Such a great time, can’t wait for everyone to come back to the North End (aka we need an event like this every monday!!)

    Reply

  3. Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic’s avatar

    I love antipasto. My bf and I go to Bacco in the North End a lot so I will have to say that’s my favorite restaurant there. Unless Modern Pastry counts as a restaurant? 🙂

    Reply

  4. Michelle’s avatar

    Last night was a lot of fun! Can’t you tell from my creepy tooth grin? It was great to find out we have so many people in common…and I hope we can make it out to Amherst together soon!

    Reply

  5. Tiny Urban Kitchen’s avatar

    As you know, I love Mamma Maria and Prezza for fancy dining. I also love Monica’s, Pizzeria Regina, and the pastry shops.

    Reply

  6. Corinne’s avatar

    Seriously looks like a night to remember! One amazing dish after another! I still cannot get over the fact the cannoli’s were filled AT the table. My fav. North End spot is Terremia. Hands down the location of one of my top three most memorable meals. That being said, I might be a tad biased because it is where my bf took me on our first date. 🙂

    Reply

  7. Megan’s avatar

    I mean I obviously love Pizzeria Regina, but I don’t get to the North End enough to really have favorites. Last night was so much fun, the food was so good, and it was great to catch up!

    Reply

  8. Renee’s avatar

    Hello my favorite blog commenter! I had so much fun with you all! As for my favorite North End spot…Piccola Venezia. They hardly ever have a wait, the food is always amazing, they have this fabulous Frescati wine I love, and the prices are great! Or the other answer is – Anywhere my fabulous blogger foodie friends are!

    @renh77

    Reply

  9. Erika @ Food, Fitness, & Fun’s avatar

    Mmmm, that cannoli has my mouth watering! But what should I expect? There is always a bunch of delicious food at blogger meet-ups! 🙂

    Reply

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