BY KAREN DEUTSCH • PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGEL TUCKER
THE FRANKLIN
195 Franklin St., Bristol, 396-5057, groundswellguild. com
Open for dinner Wednesday – Saturday; reservations on Resy required. Wheelchair accessible. Street parking.
CUISINE Bistro devotees.
CAPACITY Forty-two with the bar.
VIBE Turn-of-the-twentieth-century romance.
Appetizers: $ 16 –$ 32; entrees: $ 29 –$ 58; dessert: $ 14 –$ 22.
KAREN’ S PICKS Shrimp, roast chicken, duck confit, pot de creme.
more a mellow pulsing than melodic, which suits the dreamy overtures of the restaurant. Occasionally Henry Mancini’ s“ Pink Panther Theme” breaks through, but most of the time it’ s a steady heartbeat keeping time with appetites. Brass gallery lights illuminate a wall of curated and collected personal artwork, but that wall is certainly not alone: The entire space is a study in romance, a love affair with the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen and all the ages it represents.( If humor is present in the artistry of The Franklin, it’ s in the loo, where Astek’ s Drunk Monkeys wallpaper sets the scene, complete with martinis and discarded bras.)
There are classic cocktails— many weighted toward cognac and vermouth. But a glass of wine feels right in a rich space like this and the servers— young, courant and irreverent— know it.“ A glass of sablet rouge?” asked one.“ She’ s like a bold Côtes du Rhône and I like her. Very much.” There is a rotating duo of beer as well— perhaps
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