Mia Francesca Trattoria, Raleigh

Mia Francesca is a spacious restaurant attached to the Renaissance Hotel, with an upscale yet rustic feel to the inside. It’s decked out with large booths and lots of rich wood, but also with lots of natural light in the space. The bar is decked with brick archways and seems like a nice place to meet a friend.

The first time we came, we had some brunch and brought our son. I had an amazing vanilla french toast with basil blueberry compote on top. I relished every bite.

My hubby ordered the pollo limone, which I think is the same thing as chicken francese. Chicken francese is my husband’s favorite dish. I prepared it for him when we were dating because I knew, as all women do, that the way to his heart would be through his stomach. That was a success, and I credit it as a major factor in wooing him. Anyhow, this pollo limone also really impressed him. He ate every bite.

I returned on another day to try lunch with some of the lunch crew. We tried the spaghetti bolognese and the NY strip panino. Aside from a somewhat annoying waiter, we all really enjoyed our meals on this occasion, as well. I’d recommend this place as a great spot to meet some colleagues, or stop for brunch. You can also take advantage of the $3 bloody mary bar on Sundays. You can check out the menu and the weekly specials here.