Francesco's Ristorante And Stone Fire Pizza — Restaurant in The Villages

THE WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE!!! This is NO exaggeration. I own a small company and have traveled extensively the last 20 years for both business and pleasure and have never experienced such HORRID SERVICE. Save your money DO NOT go to this restaurant. I was visiting family that live in the Villages last week, we were in the mood for Italian food and they suggested this place. It was a Thursday evening, they seemed fairly busy, when we walked in what turned out to be the owner (short man with grey hair and short grey beard) suggested we wait at the bar and they would let us know when our table would be ready. We found a table at the bar, ordered one round of drinks and patiently waited to be notified that our table was ready. As we were waiting we noticed the restaurant was clearing out and more tables were becoming open, after about 30 minutes we decided to go check at the host station as to the status on our table, the same gentlemen (turns out to be the owner) seemed annoyed when we asked and blurted out to us that he had called for us 3 times and was ready to give away our table. The bar area we were seated in is literally 25 feet from the host station, he NEVER called for us, he lied and somehow turned it into our (the customers) fault for not hearing him??. This should have been a sign for us to walk out at that time. Things only got worse once we sat down and we given the most indifferent poorly trained waitress we have ever experienced. After ordering appetizers and a salad, she must have forgotten to turn in our entree orders to the kitchen, as it took over an hour between our salads and main entrees, which consisted of all pasta dishes, which are some of the quickest to cook and serve, she blamed it on other orders ahead of us. however the restaurant was 3/4 empty at the time. when our entrees finally showed up several of us were missing forks so we could not eat the meals that were just served to us, we had to call her back over to the table, where she commented that she must have taken them when she cleared the dishes and again asked if we were sure they weren't there?????? she then walked away and 5 minutes later came back to the table with a water picture and asked if we needed more water?????? we had lost our patience at this point and pointed out to her that perhaps our forks should be the priority. she walked away and then came back with our forks, meanwhile our dinners had gotten cold, we hurried up to eat and just wanted to leave the place as quickly as possible at that point. at one point she came over to the table to apologize about everything and asked if we wanted desert, we told her no, at which time she indicated "oh OK, we were going to give you free desert" we all looked at each other, she then walked away, how CLUELESS!! wouldn't the logical next thing be to at least offer to comp one of our meals or appetizers, something we actually ordered?? since we were not interested in desert. SUGGESTION: Perhaps the owner should give up his host and greeting station duties and delegate to someone that actually has customer service skills and devote some time to training his servers on the BASICS of serving guests and handling mistakes when they occur....

To start, we got a Caesar Salad and House Salad w/Lime Vinaigrette. My date says her salad was amazing. My Caesar was pretty good. I got the Pasta Fagioli. My girl got the meatballs as an appetizer. My soup was good. Maybe slightly better than good. Not fantastic, but better than a lot. The meatballs were not. They are very likely pre-made and frozen, then microwaved and sauce poured on top, as evidenced by the two different temps in the meatball and sauce and the portion of the meatball that had never touched any sauce. We recognize this is The Villages and as such, most food in this territory is bland. And at 50 years old, I am easily the youngest patron in the restaurant (aside from my date) But, as expected, the meatballs were pretty boring. The sauce decent, but bland and predictable. It’s okay. We know what we are getting into when we eat in The Villages.

Service was a little slow. Not horribly slow. But could have been slightly faster. I only waited a couple of minutes for a refill of an empty drink (I’d prefer to not run out at all) but it took several trips of the server walking past to clear a bunch (seven) dirty dishes from our appetizers.

And I will say this, the parking lot is absolutely packed, not a single empty spot to park. Thankfully they have more tables than parking spots because while they are steady, they’re not overly busy. So at least the locals love this place.

I asked the server for her recommendation between Spaghetti and Meatballs and Chicken Parm. She advised Chicken Parm. And I trusted her. And thank God, because at the point of ordering I didn’t know the meatballs sucked.

The funny part is, they didn’t bring me Chicken Parm. they brought me Veal Parm. When I brought this other attention, they claimed that a piece of veal got mixed up with chicken. Which tells me one of two things. Either their cooks don’t know the difference between Veal and Chicken, lol. Or both the veal and chicken both come breaded and frozen and likely from a box. Either way, not awesome. Haha.

My girl got the Chicken Saltimbocca. And she said it was great. I tried a piece and I while it’s not really the type of food I’d order, it was tasty. Her side of broccoli was probably the best I’ve tasted from any restaurant anywhere; seasoned wonderfully. However, it was overcooked and mushy.

My replacement Chicken Parm arrived quickly. And while it was “Villages” bland, it was cooked perfectly. The spaghetti was spot on cooked Al Dente.

So, the check comes, and I’m certain that there’s a problem with the bill. Appetizers, Soups, Sides, salads, two entrees, tea, etc, and the bill only comes to $48? wtf?!?! My lunch was more expensive today, and we ate chili dogs. I’m not kidding. And we’re hearty eaters. The portions were not small.

Okay, if we’re just talking tastiness of the food. I give it a “Villages” 4. But for the value. It’s a solid 5.

I’ll come back just to find something of a favorite on the menu. For $50 per night, I can risk it.

We’ll see you in a few days and...

The Sunday Golfers enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Francesco’s Ristorante in Summerfield, FL. I had made a reservation for 11 people at noon, and as usual, my spouse and I arrived 30 minutes early to ensure everything was ready.

We were warmly greeted by Gaetano, the restaurant manager, who asked whether we preferred our table in the main dining room or off to the side. Since our group can be lively, I mentioned not wanting to disturb other guests. He assured me it wouldn’t be a problem. Although the table wasn’t yet set, Gaetano personally arranged it for us, even asking where I’d like the single guest to be seated. Because our group is made up of couples, I always request that pairs sit across from each other—it makes both conversation and billing easier.

The restaurant itself is beautiful, with artwork and wall colors that evoke the charm of Italy. Gaetano, originally from Sicily, clearly brings authenticity to the atmosphere.

He then introduced us to our server, Savannah, promising we were in good hands—and he was absolutely right. As each golfer arrived, Savannah promptly took drink orders, followed by appetizers, and then entrées. Service was attentive and well-paced, especially impressive for a group of 11.

As is my tradition, I ordered pizza to test the kitchen’s skill. Being someone who makes New Haven–style “apizza” at home, I hold restaurants to a high standard. Earlier, I had explained to Gaetano that I wanted a simple pie—just sauce, a touch of Pecorino Romano, and a well-charred crust with a solid undercarriage. He assured me it could be done and encouraged me to tell Savannah exactly how I wanted it. She listened carefully, and the result did not disappoint.

Every dish at the table was enjoyed, and Savannah’s service was excellent throughout. The timing of the entrées was smooth, even with such a large party.

In the end, Francesco’s delivered on every level—ambiance, service, and food. Bravo to Gaetano and Savannah for making our Sunday Golfers’ lunch such a success. Francesco’s has certainly earned a spot on our regular rotation, and you can expect to...