Francesco's, Maitland

I had lunch on Wednesday at this Ristorante - Pizzeria in Maitland. It is on 17-92 in the old NYPD Pizza location. I had a Pollo Mianese Salad for $9. It was good. The spring mix was fresh and bountiful. The chicken was not greasy. It was cut into strips. It probably had a panko crust. The tomatoes and onions were fresh. The Italian dressing may have been a little bottle-y. It was good enough that I sampled a dessert (Cassata al Forno) and ordered a pizza (10 inch) to go for dinner. The cake was made by the head chef's (part owner) father. It cost $6. It was good. It was three desserts in one. The crust was thick like a biscotti or a Snickerdoodle. The filling was like cheese cake (ricotta). The bottom was drenched is syrup like Baklava. It was infused with chocolate. I don't know how the attained such chocolate-osity with what appeared to be a minute amount of product. The family is Sicilian, so, I guess that explains the various influences in the cake. The pizza was ok. They say they have a 700 degree oven. It kind of came out like a tire. The hub cap area had cheese. The tire area was crust. There was a little too much crust and the whole pizza was a little fat. I'd bet they take the same amount of dough the use in a regular pizza (13 or 16 inch) and just didn't knead it as thin. The cheese wasn't great either. Not the freshest it could be. They provided you with some slices of bread that I think were made in house. They didn't have much taste. The menu is a little me-too and small. Under ten options for each course. Oddly, they have panini, but, don't list them on the lunch menu (dinner only). The chef is from Terra Mia and they offer a little more diversity. Maybe some of those interesting items will make it onto the menu as specials. The place is dressed in black and tans. It is meant to look like a rustic enclave like a farmhouse. It is mostly booths. There is a private room and a small area aside it with tables. Unfortunately the bimbo hostess they hired for the summer seated me there and I had a wonderful view of the ticketing computer. There were plenty of other tables on offer and the place wasn't full and it was past the rush. There is a bar area aside the open kitchen. All in all, I can recommend it. It isn't as big or visually appealing as some of its competition and the menu and ingredients could use a nudge, but, it is good. It has opened recently. Try it and then take a trip into Eatonville to see the improved city planning, bird sanctuary and the Zora Neale Hurston home.