New: Culaccino in Franklin

In keeping with its Italian soul, the menu is divided into Antipasti, Insalata, Pasta, Pizza, and Secondi, or entrees. Familiar items such as Meatballs, Fried Calamari, and Caesar Salad are offset with more esoteric dishes such as Grilled Octopus, Chicken Liver, and Lamb Sausage. Before we got our antipasti, a bowl of creamy homemade ricotta cheese and bread was plunked down on our table. It was so good that we had to fend off Lee's attempts to remove it for the next dishes. The Grilled Octopus was phenomenal as was Nonna's Fennel Sausage with polenta, pine nuts, pickled cabbage, and currants. We ordered the Cacio e Pepe, a simple Roman pasta dish with pecorino and black pepper, and the Porchetta, the classic Italian garlic pork dish that was served with Brussels Sprouts.  Both were divine. They source from local farms such as Bear Creek Farm, Cheekee Greens Farm and Hatcher Family Dairy and serve coffee from Honest Coffee Roasters, all are proudly displayed on the menu.

The Tiramisu for dessert was delicious, but a bit too much for us given what we had already eaten, so we took it home and had for breakfast the next day. Delicious. We're looking forward to going back to sample the wood-fired pizza as well as the slow-braised rabbit gnocchi and risotto with cauliflower that a co-worker raved about on their visit. Welcome Culaccino. We're glad you're here.