Foppiano's
690 State Road, Plymouth
508-224-1500
foppianos.com
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. (but beginning June 22 will be open until 10 p.m. daily)
Reservations accepted Sunday through Thursday
Major credit cards accepted
Accessible to the handicapped
Family favorite Foppiano's has reopened just down the street from its former location, which was destroyed by fire a year and a half ago.
Its clean, contemporary lines provide a refreshing change from the grotto-like decor of many Italian restaurants. An expanse of windows on two sides admits enough light to offset the deep red walls and dark green ceiling. Richly hued, leaded-glass drop lamps hang above a nearly circular bar that dominates the space. The bar creates a convivial atmosphere, but the downside is that almost anywhere you sit, you feel like you're sitting in the bar.
Our friendly and efficient waitress brought a basket of warm, crusty bread with butter while we selected glasses of red wine from a reasonably priced wine list.
Mussels Foppiano ($8) was a generous bowl of small, tender mussels in a garlic saffron wine sauce with lemon wheels, diced tomatoes, and scallions. The broth was oddly sweet, but the tomatoes and scallions added earthiness and bite.
Casino clams ($9) - which we usually see as "clams casino" - were topped with cracker crumbs and crispy bacon lardoons. The cracker crumbs made for a lighter filling than the typical bread crumbs, and more clam taste.
A Caesar salad ($7) also featured a lighter version of the typical dressing. We liked the texture but thought it could use more garlic.
Italian sausage over pasta ($13) was a large serving of fat sausages over penne topped with red sauce. The meat was soft and slightly spicy, the consistency more typical of meatballs than sausages. We'd rate the red sauce as average. It had a sharpness that suggested it would benefit from longer cooking.
There were entirely too many things going on in my burgundy braised beef over wild mushroom ravioli ($18). But I have only myself to blame, since the menu described the dish perfectly and should have raised a red flag for people like me who prefer simple, distinct flavors. The chunks of beef were fork-tender, and the raviolis stuffed with earthy mushrooms. Bits of melted gorgonzola cheese added bursts of flavor. But the shallot and red wine demi-glace was so rich, it overpowered the individual elements of the dish.
Overall we found the food reasonably priced and reasonably good. Next time we'll definitely take advantage of the "Be the Chef" option, which we discovered later is the restaurant's main draw. In this part of the menu, you choose a pasta and one of 14 Italian sauces, from Alfredo to scampi, and then add shrimp, scallops, chicken, or veal. To help you choose, the menu tags the sauces as sweet, rich, spicy, tart, or traditional.
Our doggie bags notwithstanding, we couldn't pass up a look at the dessert tray. And once you behold that array of sweets, you suddenly discover room for just one more bite. Tiramisu and rum sponge cake both sounded appealing, but we settled on a traditional ricotta pie ($6.50). It arrived surrounded by rosettes of whipped cream studded with big, juicy blueberries. Somewhere between a cannoli and a cheesecake, and not overly sweet, it was a satisfying ending to our Italian dinner.
ELLEN ALBANESE
