You Can't have Perfection All the Time

Location, Location, Location....and nothing more.

Bellinos, located in the heart of Downtown Franklin, MA features a great Italian atmosphere and a very "Ritzy" feel, but not much more. 

The menu features a very appealing array of options, including Pizzas, Pastas, Salads and combinations there of. 

Our meal began with slices of bread that were absolutely worth the trip. Moist pillows of bread with a very tasty olive oil used for dipping. Dinner was looking promising.

I ordered a glass of the house Cabernet, which was tasty, and in a full glass, which I appreciated. However, I would not be able to tell you what kind it was, because their wine list simply stated....  "Cabernet Sauvignon". If you don't want to be burdened with choices, you'll love your full glass of $6 "Wine". 

While my son's personal child's pizza was not half bad, unfortunately, I did not order the personal cheese pizza. 

My dinner was a lemon chicken with a side of Spaghetti with marinara. First of all, after hearing the waiters glorified description of the meal, I imagined a tender, moist chicken breast drizzled with a garlicky lemon wine sauce,(possibly with capers) garnished with a twisted slice of lemon and a sprig of Parsley. On the side, a nicely portioned serving of al dente thin spaghetti with a hearty marinara sauce, (and in my head of course, it would be dressed with chopped basil or shredded Parmesan). This is what I image for $14.

What I received was somewhat different.  I was handed a very large plate, made up mostly of green bushes and garnished with a very thin dehydrated piece of chicken. The chicken was obviously marinated in something yellow, but I'm not sure what that would have been. It tasted as if it were heavily covered with lemon pepper seasoning and left on the stove while the cook took his break. The noodles were bloated and retaining water, and covered with what tasted like a Chef Boyardee pasta sauce... watered down to stretch, just in case the other patron ordered marinara. After drizzling it with a little balsamic and pouring so much Parmesan on top that it almost qualified as an Alfredo, it was almost edible. 

One would think, I may have just ordered the wrong thing. However, this being the 3rd chance at redeeming themselves, I don't hold out hope for a Five Star cuisine at Bellino's.

By all means... Go, enjoy a glass of "Wine" and the bread basket in the cozy Italian atmosphere, but when hunger strikes, consider moving on, there is a McDonalds right down the street.