By Gina Horan
Francesco’s Ristorante Menu Inspired by Guests Who Know it Best
You don’t often see chefs greet guests at the front door, but saying hi to regulars is Sean Adamo’s favorite way to step out of the kitchen.
“We’re blessed to have so many lovely guests that come in; most of the staff knows everyone by name,” says the popular chef at Francesco’s Ristorante & Stone Fire Pizza in Summerfield. “It’s like going to grandma’s house.”
The regulars include Bruce, who allegedly came with the building, Lou and Louise, Tom and Gerry, JP and Kathy and the lovely Ms. Sally. All are more than valued customers, they are also consultants. Sean has asked many of them to help create specials.
“Sean is so accommodating,” says Kristin, who comes from East Lake Weir with John Roman almost daily to socialize and enjoy the food. “Even though I’m Italian, I don’t like a lot of sauce on top of my food, so he took the salmon Cleopatra and deconstructed it just for me with everything separate so I can dip it my own way.”
James Rapp and Sean Adamo
John is a veal Marsala guy and he swears Francesco’s makes his favorite dish better than anyone else.
“We come so often we probably pay the electric bill,” he says.
He’s far from Francesco’s only fan. Francesco’s cuisine competes with other acclaimed Italian restaurants because Sean listens to his guests and takes pride in his menu.
Everything is made from scratch with care. For example, the dough is mixed by hand and the bread is baked daily by baker Eduardo. Proteins are hand-cut, dishes are made to order and the sauces are family recipes.
The restaurant was founded by Kathy Funk and Paul Dalton, who have decades of Italian cooking experience. Chef Sean joined them more than 10 years ago, bringing 25 years of experience. He’s now a managing partner as well as head chef.
The recently revamped kitchen adds space and tools to work more efficiently. A Marana Forni oven from Italy is the showpiece. The state-of-the-art oven built with dense refractory materials holds heat evenly so every pie cooks perfectly no matter how busy the night gets.
Genesys Vargas
“We only serve 10-inch thin crust pizzas that bake in about four minutes as the oven spins,” Sean says. “Each pie is meant for one person, making it easy to order several and share since the smaller size keeps flavors focused.”
Nicole and I were greeted by the chef’s son Anthony, whose warm smile made it clear that the hospitality runs in the family.
I love Italian food, but tasting the same five dishes gets blurry. Thankfully, Sean gave us an array of carefully thought-out specials to try.
We started with the house made balsamic dip, which is tangy and emulsified to perfection, tangy and thankfully sold to the public.
The gnocchi al pesto included oven roasted chicken, prawns and veggies in a sauce made in house with ground toasted almonds, rather than the traditional pine nuts, for a delicate sweetness. The pecan crusted salmon was freshly hand cut and served with fresh asparagus, squash, zucchini and wild rice. The lasagna pizza was made with ricotta, mini meatballs, sliced Italian sausage, mozzarella, house marinara sauce, oregano and fresh grated parmesan. All three dishes were delicious.
The house made tiramisu was cold, fresh and creamy. Other desserts, like the popular carrot cake, are procured locally from Donna’s Dreamcakes and Chef Rice’s Cheesecakes. The house favorite cocktail, “Taverna Red,” drinks like an amaretto sour with a red wine float. Sean loves it so much he served it at his wedding last October.
No matter what they serve, connections matter to the Francesco’s staff.
“People may come in for the first time because they heard about our $8 specials, BOGO pizza, comedy night or all-day happy hour, but I hope they come back because we made them feel like family,” Sean says.
Photos: Nicole Hamel
Gina moved to Central Florida in August 2021 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a degree in linguistics and worked as a fashion editor, photo stylist lifestyle columnist and food writer for the Knight Ridder Newspaper Group. She also covered and photographed music festivals, fashion shows and sports throughout Northern California. In 2000, she joined KSAN radio as a morning show co-host and produced the news and sports content there for four years. She later covered travel, events and the restaurant scene for KRON-Bay TV. A veteran bartender, Gina has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. She has been with Akers Media since 2022 and hosts the Healthy Living Central Florida podcast. Her passions include travel, road trips, baseball, history books and podcasts, tasting menus and arriving in a new city without a map or guidebook.
