His journey through the restaurant world made stops at Milano’s which was run by his parents on State and Division Street in the gold coast of Chicago, IL when he was thirteen years old. His grandfather was the original Papa Milano and was famous in Chicago for years. Some of the duties that he carried out were that of a bus boy and he also washed dishes and he really learned the business from the bottom up. The next restaurant that he worked in was Papa Milano's in Rogers Park that was owned by his parents which was followed by another restaurant in Lincolnwood called Gallo's and then he owned Francesco's Hole in the Wall (http://www.francescosholeinthewall.com/) which is also managed by his daughter Lucy Gallo.
Francesco's Hole in the Wall is a trattoria that is rooted in Neapolitan cooking with a slight Northern Italian influence. His inspiration for his restaurant is from his own family. Frank has also started a pasta sauce business that's in twenty eight states in upscale markets.
All of their ingredients are fresh and some are imported. Frank gets some of his desserts and pastas from Italy and all the other ingredients are local. Some of their most popular dishes are osso bucco, chicken Vesuvio, rigatoni with sausage and arugula, veal ala marsala, chicken ala siciliana and Chilean Sea Bass. The restaurant offers beer, wine and spirits but they do not have a fully stocked beer. The wine selection is elegant and truly upscale.
Their best method of marketing is word of mouth and they also have a wonderful website.
This destination is set apart from the other Italian destinations in Chicago and the North Shore because they serve specialty dishes such as stuffed peppers with veal over pasta. This is a dish that other Italian eateries don't serve a specialty such as stuffed peppers. They also have fish and fish salads that are very delicately made and put together with such care and very meticulous approach. Their cooking is home style and when you walk through the doors and through the kitchen, you feel like you are in someone's home. When sitting down with Frank he said "I cook from the heart." He tells other people "The aroma is great. You have to try this!!".
The restaurant is very clean and so is the kitchen. Their ingredients are very very fresh and everything is made to order. They offer specialty dishes that no one else does.
I was able to sample rigatoni in a tomato sauce with a meatball that was covered with melted cheese which was just divine. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the tomato sauce and cheese were so authentic and the meatball was very very tasty. I highly recommend it for anyone who would like to venture in to partake of this great dish.
Francesco's Hole in the wall is a very very special place and is a wonderful place to take your family or business party.
Their hours are as follows:
Lunch
Mon, Wed-Thu 11:30am-2:00pm
Fri 11:30am-2:15pm
Dinner
Mon, Wed-Thu 5:00pm-9:15pm
Fri, Sat 5:00pm-10:15pm
Sun 4:00pm-8:45pm
They are closed on Tuesday's.
Francesco’s Hole in the Wall
245 Skokie Boulevard
Northbrook , Illinois 60062
Telephone: 847-272-0155
http://www.francescosholeinthewall.com/
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