Gianfranco Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Snoqualmie

i'm pretty conflicted on how to review this to get it started, the starter bread was pretty cold, although the garlic butter spread was fantastic

i ordered the baked three cheese gnocchi, but asked to have the prawns removed when this dish came, you could tell it had been freshly baked in a huge bowl

however, when i took my first bite - it was basically nothing but cheese throughout each spoonful thereafter yielded the same - there was nothing but pure cheese throughout, and while i like cheese, this was just way too much i wasn't a fan of the gnocchi itself either

i got through about 1/3 of this dish before i decided it was enough, and didn't ask to have the rest boxed up or anything i guess i'm not sure what i expected - removing the prawns from the dish would come with a ton of cheese, and the cheese is made clear in the description, but i expected less cheese overall or at least a bit of something different

this normally would be a pretty negative review, but the reason i'm still positive overall is the other food was quite good the other people at my table ordered a margherita pizza and the fusilli primavera - and after giving up on my dish, i tried their food

the pizza was excellent - i especially (ironically) loved the solid layer of cheese that was a perfectly warm temperature. It wasn't too thin either I (and the others) also really enjoyed the fusilli primavera - the pasta was really nice and soft, and the vegetables were cooked well. there was a nice amount of oil that coated everything to impart good flavor

i also ordered the cannoli as a dessert this was interesting - the outer shell was really hard and crunchy - which was nice, and the inner filling wasn't as sweet as you'd expect from a dessert as it was more cheesy - but i still thought it was decent the fruits tasted strange for some reason, though

lastly, i do think the portion sizes were pretty impressive for the price. this was most apparent when it came to the pizza, but the pasta, desserts, and even my gnocchi were all quite large - and each all under 20 dollars i will give this restaurant props for removing 9 dollars off the price of my gnocchi after i asked to have the prawns removed - it's something that a lot of places wouldn't do - and that was nice to see

overall, good place, but i wish i ordered a...

Out celebrating my birthday ( on 4.5) is always a special occasion, and my fiancé, who has a deep appreciation for Italian cuisine, decided to make a dinner reservation at Gianfranco's based on its glowing reviews. Raised in an Italian home and working in the industry, my fiancé and I both enjoy dining out.

As someone who tends to avoid too much gluten, I usually opt for a filet when it's available on the menu. We typically start our meals with an appetizer, but the bread served at Gianfranco's was less than enticing. It tasted like it was purchased from a grocery store, perhaps Safeway, and was enough to deter us from ordering anything extra.

When our meals arrived, we were taken aback. If what was served was a filet, then I have never truly experienced one before. The dish resembled a McRib more than a filet, prompting us to question its authenticity. One of the staff members dismissively remarked that "he doesn't know what a filet is." Before we knew it, another staff member, a taller woman, approached us with raised voice, declaring that we clearly weren't satisfied and that they would take the meal away. We didn't even complain about my fiancé's meal.

In an effort to make amends, the restaurant offered us a replacement meal, which we accepted. However, after taking a couple of bites, I couldn't shake the feeling of being observed; I noticed a man peering at me from the kitchen. When offered boxes to take the replacement meal home, we politely agreed, though I felt uneasy when the meal was taken back to the kitchen to be packed.

As we left the restaurant, I noticed an "Ok" rating from the Health Department displayed on the door, which further fueled my discomfort. We decided to dispose of the replacements meals in a nearby trash can, unwilling to risk consuming them.

Despite the unsatisfactory experience, there was an attempt by one of the staff--the lady who didn't raise her voice--to rectify the situation by charging us for only one meal. This gesture of goodwill is the reason I'm giving Gianfranco's a rating of 2 stars. While the dining experience was far from what we had hoped for, the effort to address our dissatisfaction did not...

Not sure how this place has such good reviews, especially when there's actual good Italian food 20-30min away. I don't know if we went on an off night or what. We were staying at Salish for the weekend as a staycation and made a reservation here. Got a call the day of the reservation asking if we wanted to come in earlier than 8pm, since they close at 9 and didn't want us to feel rushed. Should have been a clue from the beginning that it would not be a good experience. The servers were I believe the chef's family members. It was two girls as the hosts and servers, and we did not get any information about the restaurant or an introduction like one of the other girls gave to the table behind us. We started off with cold bread that looked like it had not been home made. The calamari was actually good, tasted fresh, and delicious. Followed up with an atrocious special of baked gnocchi with prawns- there were a few prawns at the very bottom, and the sauce had led to the gnocchi completely dissolving except for the few at the top. Prawns also certainly did not taste fresh, and were very minimal in portion size compared to the huge amount of sauce loaded on the plate. The sauce itself, I should have realized, had Gorgonzola in it which tasted incredibly strange in combination with the gnocchi and other cheeses, and I was unable to eat more than a few bites of this. I also didn't take it to go, which I never do, because what a waste. My fiancé's steak was poorly cooked (medium rare in the middle and over cooked along all the edges), and the veggies were hard and plain. Neither of us enjoyed this and it was not a good experience for a vacation weekend. The ambiance is also off, considering it's a little family restaurant I was expecting a bit more than paper napkins and green tarp tablecloths.

We also got checked on a total of once to refill water. Nobody offered us a dessert menu. Will not be going back and can't recommend this to anyone. The two stars are only for...