Scottsdale has a swanky new destination for French comfort fare. Here’s what to order

Francine, a Mediterranean fine dining restaurant with a French flair, opened in August as the newest addition to the luxury wing at Scottsdale Fashion Square. The restaurant is located near other high-end dining destinations including Nobu and Ocean 44. 

Executive chef Brian Archibald leads the culinary team of the 5,000-square-foot bright, airy restaurant by Fig & Olive restaurateur Laurent Halasz. Archibald is a Phoenix chef with experience at high-end resorts such as The Phoenician and Boulders Resort in Scottsdale.  

© Shaena Montanari
Burrata and tomatoes from Francine, a Mediterranean fine-dining restaurant in Scottsdale.

Halasz, who now lives in Scottsdale, was raised in the south of France and used that as inspiration for Francine, a dining concept he named after his mother.  

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Francine opened in August for dinner and in September expanded its offerings to brunch and lunch throughout the week.

Here’s what’s on the menu at Francine

The menu is fairly extensive, spanning brunch, lunch and dinner options. The brunch menu is available from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and lunch is from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.  

© Francine
Francine, a new Mediterranean restaurant, will open in Scottsdale Fashion Square on August 14, 2020.

The brunch menu features some sweet options such as French toast and a ricotta lemon pancake, but most brunch and lunch options are savory — think eggs Florentine, tartines, salads, sandwiches and Croque madame. 

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For dinner, which starts at 5 p.m. every day, dishes range from small plates such as steak tartare, roasted bone marrow, oysters and crispy calamari to more substantial plates under the “land” and “sea” categories. 

Some of the main dishes include French classics such as bouillabaisse and duck a la Provençale, but there are also some dressed-up versions of familiar items such as a burger with black garlic aioli and moules frites. Pastas are on the menu, along with pizzas that are currently available in-house only and not for takeout.

Why you shouldn’t skip the burrata and tomato

While the spacious dining room is currently open for dine-in service, takeout is available. It may be a little pricier than other typical to-go choices with appetizers starting at $16 and main dishes ranging from $18 to $42, but the rustic French food travels well for an upscale at-home meal. The meat, vegetables, bread and sides were all packaged separately so they did not get soggy or mixed up in transit.

It was simple to place an over the phone with the hostess. You need to pay for and pick up your meal at the door, but there’s ample room to distance yourself from others during this process.

The burrata and tomato dish is available both for lunch and as hor d’oeuvres at dinner. This quintessential summer plate is hard to pass up when heirloom tomatoes are in season and this version has a delightfully acidic balsamic dressing, a creamy chunk of burrata and fresh Parmesan crisps that add depth and nutty richness.

It would serve as a very light lunch or a perfect starter dish. Fresh bread that was packed on the side was soft and just the vehicle needed to sop up the extra dressing.

© Shaena Montanari
Poulet roti with olive oil mashed potatoes and ratatouille from Mediterranean fine-dining restaurant Francine in Scottsdale.

The poulet roti for one, available for dinner, is a substantial main dish that comes with olive oil mashed potatoes and ratatouille. According to the menu, the poulet is organic chicken coated in herbs and oil and it was roasted to perfection without a hint of dryness. 

The entire dish is ideal comfort food for an evening in, and the portion for one comes with four pieces of chicken, so it could potentially enough for dinner and some leftovers the next day.  

Francine

Where: 4710 N. Goldwater Blvd., Scottsdale.

Offerings: Dine-in and take out service for brunch, lunch and dinner.

Price: Burrata and tomato $16; poulet roti $26. 

Details: 480-690-6180. francinerestaurant.com.

Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @DrShaena.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale has a swanky new destination for French comfort fare. Here’s what to order