In a previous blog about Mamita’s restaurant in Newtown, PA, I mentioned two other restaurants owned by the same chef, Francisco Argueta. On Valentine’s Day we had reservations at “Francisco’s On the River” which is his newest BYOB in Bucks County, PA on River Road along the Delaware River between Washington’s Crossing and New Hope. It is in a bucolic woodland setting with a glass enclosed front porch allowing you a panoramic view of the river. If you are a big fan of wonderful southern Italian fare and charming romantic views, you’ll probably fall in love with, and maybe at, Francisco’s.

It’s difficult not to sound too effusive when telling about our fabulous experience at Francisco’s. One of my favorite entrees is Linguine al Frutti di Mare Fradiavolo: shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels & fresh fish sauteed in olive oil, garlic & crushed red peppers, finished with white wine and a splash of red sauce. Personally not a fan of mussels or clams, they substitute more shrimp and scallops in place of the mollusks. And you absolutely have to try their house special Whole Wheat Garlic Bread, simply scrumptious!

The Valentine’s menu was altered slightly for the holiday. Some of their regular salads, appetizers and entrees from the original menu were still an option, but it was exciting to see some tempting alternatives. Russ started with probably the most flavorful Lobster Bisque I have ever tasted with large chunks of lobster floating in the creamy bisque. For his main menu, he selected the Zucchini Crusted Crab Cake with spinach risotto and a citrus sage berre blanc. My favorite entree was not an option so I chose the Filet Mignon topped with lump crab meat and herbed butter — perfectly done to a medium rare.

We experienced a couple of irksome issues this last visit. First, we did arrive about 15 minutes early and had to wait crammed into their miniscule vestibule with several other customers and when we were led to our table, they seated us stuffed into a corner right next to the foyer which became drafty when the entrance door opened – not a welcome occurrence on a cold February night! The second irritation was the whole wheat garlic bread we ordered as soon as we sat down, had been given to other patrons and we had to reorder and therefore wait an unusually long time to get the bread. Due to the mix up our waitress did not charge us for the order.

For some reason my camera was not up to par that evening (it too may have been feeling the draft), so the pictures aren’t up to my usual standards, sorry.

The waitstaff is awesome, the food exceptional, and the experience top notch (except for the two glitches this time around.) Reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends.

http://www.franciscosontheriver.com