Nero D’avola

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!

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.

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.

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.

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. . .;)

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. . .

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. . .

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.

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!