Fricano's of Alamo
Last night Aimee and I were debating about where to go for dinner. She was craving pizza, but I had pizza for lunch on Friday and was looking for something different. We made a compromise and chose an Italian restaurant that is pretty close to our home.
We decided to go to Fricano’s of Alamo. Even though Fricano’s has a Kalamazoo address, they are actually located in Alamo Township.
We arrived at about 8 PM and found the restaurant was still quite busy. We decided to sit closer to the bar because it felt a little more private as the main dining room was pretty full.
We were quickly greeted by a very friendly waitress named Kaylei. To start with, Aimee ordered a Martini and I ordered a Bell’s Amber Ale. I love Bell’s Beer and have not had an Amber Ale in a while so it sounded pretty good. We were not sure how the Martini would be because it was not on the menu.
Martini and Bell's Amber Ale
The beer was great as usual but Aimee’s martini was not as dirty as she hoped it would be so Kaylei brought out some extra olive juice. While this does fix the problem of the taste to a degree, it would have been much better if it was shaken into the drink. Aimee was not asked what kind of vodka she wanted in the martini and in hindsight we should have specified. We have a feeling that it was the cheap well vodka because the taste just wasn’t there and the drink was so inexpensive on our bill.
For our meals, Aimee ordered a mushroom and olive pizza. I was torn between the Italian sausage with peppers in a marinara sauce served over penne or my old Italian food standby: chicken fettuccine alfredo. I was torn so I asked Kaylei which one she liked more and she said that they both are very good, but she would order the fettuccine alfredo so I took her advice. Aimee ordered a side Caesar salad to go with her pizza and I also chose the Caesar salad as my side. I could have chosen two other salad styles or the minestrone soup.
Fricano's Pizza
Our salads were quite good and we were also brought out Italian bread with oil and herbs for dipping. The salad was fresh and the dressing was excellent. The Italian bread was simple, but has a nice flavor and was excellent dipped in the olive oil and herbs.
Aimee loved her pizza. Fricano’s still uses the same pizza recipe that they used when they first opened in Alamo Township back in 1979. Their pizza is excellent. It only comes as a 12” size and it has a very thin and crispy crust. The sauce, cheese and toppings were all perfect.
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
I also thoroughly enjoyed my meal. The pasta was excellent, the sauce was rich and creamy, and the grilled chicken was prepared perfectly. The portion was large which is great because it let me have some leftovers for lunch on Sunday.
Fricano’s may be a little out of the way for some, but it is definitely worth the trip. We like the environment. It’s the perfect family place or a great place to dine with friends. Down to the simple red and white checkered table cloths to the locals stopping in for a quick beer, Fricano’s is famous for a reason. We can’t wait to go back in the summer. The views from the table side are beautiful farm fields with plenty of deer grazing on the warm, sunny grass.
Fricano’s of Alamo
7454 North 6th Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
(269) 342-0808
#1 by Nobody on July 31, 2010 - 10:58 pm
Quote
comments: My husband and I tried your restaurant for the first time for out
“date” night. I have to say it was not what we expected. We visted on a Sat
night about 7pm. The restaurant was 1/2 full. Our server Kaylei greeted us
after about 8 minutes of us sitting at the table with no menus. I ordered the
chicken cacchatori and my husband ordered the pizza. The pizza was very good,
however my pasta was very undercooked, to the point of being crunchy. After we
stopped eating for about 10 more minutes, I noticed Kaylei sitting at the
hostess stand for another 3-4 minutes. Apparantly her family of 12 came in for
her to wait on her. She took their drink order and came back to our table
(after at that time 15 minutes) and asked if we wanted anything else besides a
box. She promply dropped the check. She continued to bring out boxes and left
the table with the dirty dishes sitting there. She then continued to wait on
her 12 top and after taking their
order came back to ta!
>ke our check. The plates were still sitting there when we left. I have worked
in the restaurant business my entire life from being a waitress, cook to mgr. I
know how to tip. I did not tip her much in this case. It would have been very
different had the restaurant been busy. That happens. This was a case of bad
service on top of bad food. I never did see a manager walking around. That is
sad considering a manager walking around to tables during the slow period is how
you retain customers. Needless to say, my husband and I will not be back again.
I’m sure without the busboys, our dirty dishes would still be sitting there.
Oh, by the way, we saw a busboy take a table cloth off the table next to us,
shake it out and turn it over! GROSS!
RESPONSE FROM THE OWNER!
After a long day I finally got some good news! That would be your statement that
you won’t be back! Why would I care when your only intent is to complain. Oh and
by the way, to your ’shot’ about how slow it was I will really ruin your night
when I tell you Fricano’s is expieriencing one of our busiest years in our 31
year history. You see I forgot more about managing a restaurant than you ever
knew. Phil Fricano