Restaurant Review: Franco

On the Friday of our "staycation" Josie and I ventured on over to Soulard in St. Louis to try the French restaurant Franco. It is located in the bottom of a loft building right next to the Soulard Farmer's Market. 

Ample street parking is available.

When we were greeted by the host he asked if we had a reservation to which we replied "no" and he asked if we were okay to eat in the bar areas and we replied "yes." I honestly think you would have the same dining experience no matter where you sit in this restaurant. All along the perimeter of the restaurant are high top tables in which two seats are bar stools and the remaining two seats are actually the window ledge. Josie and both sat on the window ledge and faced the bar...we both agreed we would ask for a window table next time we go back.

We both ordered a beer which I'm sorry I do not remember the names of. Josie's was hoppy and mine was wheaty (go figure). It struck us as odd that it took us what seemed like 15 minutes to receive our beer even though we were sitting in the bar area. We did have a waitress who was serving both the restaurant and the bar so maybe that was the hold up, although that was our only complaint of the night.

We ordered the pommes frites (french fries for those of you who don't speak french) for our appetizer. They were crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. They were also heavily seasoned with fresh black pepper and sea salt. I enjoyed dipping mine in the homemade flavored mayonnaise but ketchup was made available too. Overall a great appetizer.

We liked the presentation too!

For our main courses we both had to go with seafood as that is what Franco is known for and it sounded good too! Josie ordered the local Missouri trout. It was pan sauteed and was topped with tomatoes and a parsley pesto. Her side dish was corn with jalapenos, spices and tomatoes. Luckily she shared a little with me and the trout just melted in your mouth and her side dish sounded spicy but actually wasn't and was quite addictive. Delicious dish for sure!

Josie's MO Trout

I went with the seafood stew of the night. It was served in a large bowl and came with a side of sliced bread for dipping. Everything was thrown into a soup that was a tomato base and was very yummy. The seafood included shrimp, mussels, squid, scallops and clams (although probably the smallest clams I have ever eaten). The seafood was not over cooked and the tomato broth was delicious when soaked up by the bread. I was definitely full after this meal.

Seafood Stew

I think our bill was was around $30-35 each which wasn't bad for having beer, appetizer and an entree. I think that Josie and I will definitely be going back to Franco as their menu changes regularly, the service was nice, the atmosphere was welcoming and it is tough to find good seafood in St. Louis. Let us know if you've eaten there and if you recommend any dishes!