When asked about the secret to her beauty and success, Sophia Loren, who grew up impoverished in Naples, Italy, said, “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.”
Chef Egidio (Egi) Franciosa also grew up in Naples, immersed in the iconic foods of the culture—simple delicacies like linguine con vongole and Margherita pizza—and the mystique of Sophia. When he and his wife Jannah decided to make the leap from food truck to bricks and mortar, honoring those icons was important. At Il Forno (Italian for The Oven), the Franciosas’ restaurant recently opened in Chestnut Hill, you’ll enter an industrial space warmed by a welcoming bar, an open kitchen with state-of-the-art wood-fired pizza oven, wood-planked tables set with gleaming glassware, and a gorgeous mural of Ms. Loren.
“It’s been a journey,” Jannah says. “Here’s the short version: I was an expat from California living in Switzerland, where Egi and I met. We came back to my home, where he mentored under Tuscan chef Saverio Posarelli in Agoura Hills. We moved to Nashville after Bella Napoli recruited Egi in 2014. We went out on our own with the food truck in 2017 and signed the lease here in February 2020. In our partnership, I’m the designer, and work front of the house. Egi’s the brawn.”
Transitioning from a small mobile unit to a full-service restaurant has given Chef Egi the ability to offer an expanded menu. In assembling their beverage program, the couple works with 100% Italian distributors to showcase a concise but excellent selection of Italian wines. Cocktails are Italian inspired, including Negronis and spritzes. Order a refreshing Aperol spritz or full- bodied Barbera to accompany an antipasto board of select cured meats (Mortadella! Finocchiona Salami!) and specialty cheeses.
To be sure, there are delectable wood-fired pizzas, sauced in either Rosse (red) or Bianche (white.) Made in the Neapolitan tradition using “00” Caputo flour, the dough is light, yet crisp and chewy. Each pie emerges from the blazing oven blistered, bubbly and utterly delicious. Chef Egi does right by the classic Margherita, which he prepares with crushed San Marzano tomatoes, delicate Fior di Latte cheese, Parmigiano, fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil. But you’ll want to branch out and try his other signatures: Prosciutto and Mushroom, as well as “Vegetariana,” with roasted eggplant, zucchini, mushroom, and basil; and “Amore,” ricotta slathered, and strewn with artichokes and Kalamata olives.
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Salads are extraordinary. Some are named after communes in Italy. Mondragone features arugula folded with orange supremes, beets and pistachios in a lemon-honey-mint vinaigrette, crowned with a knob of silken Burrata. A slab of fried polenta forms the base of the Porlezza, upon which sit cuts of gem lettuce coated in Gorgonzola dressing.
And, not to be missed: Sophia Loren’s secret for beauty and success, the house-made pastas. Chef Egi offers four innovative dishes. We’ve sampled two and look forward to trying the others. But know this: Tender rigatoni napped in black truffle sausage- cream sauce is rich and comforting. Squid ink bucatini swirled with wild-caught octopus ragu and cherry tomatoes is a revelation.
Italians are all about family, and the Franciosas have included a menu of pasta and pizzas for the kids. There are four compelling desserts, but we keep returning for the tiramisu. With creamy mascarpone layered in a coupe with espresso-drenched savoiardi (ladyfingers) and dusted in cocoa, it’s the best we’ve found in the city.
Jannah notes that she and Egi have several plans in the works. A covered patio with an open fire pit is almost ready for al fresco dining. They’d like to have movie nights, and cooking classes. Once the soccer stadium opens, the couple will show the games. “Like the Italians do!” They will be offering Bellinis, and other Prosecco-based drinks, and “Aperitivo”—which is more of a cultural experience than a pre-meal drink and bite.
“Our slogan is ‘Da Napoli a Nashville’—from Naples to Nashville,” says Jannah. “With no pretensions. We want people to experience the pleasure of dining in the Italian way. Come in, gather with your friends, your family, your community.” (1414 3rd Ave. Ste. 104, 615-739-6713; ilfornowoodfired.com)