Tomasso Trattoria & Panzano Market
Within the last year I’ve discovered Tomasso Trattoria and Panzano Market during my travels to the Framingham, MA area.
Tomasso’s is an authentic Italian trattoria-style restaurant. A trattoria-style eating establishment is less formal than a ristorante.
Tomasso Trattoria
Located next door to the restaurant, is its sister establishment Panzano Market. It carries Italian provisions, baked goods, prepared foods and delectable lunch Paninis. We’ve ordered the pollo, parma and caprese paninis for take out several times. They are amazing and feature house-made ciabatta rolls that are crispy and delicious!
This time we decided to try Tomasso’s restaurant and were extremely pleased. The restaurant features a cool wine bar, quaint dining room, private dining room and a chef’s counter seating giving a panoramic view into the open kitchen.
Tomasso’s chef’s counter seating gives a panoramic view into the open kitchen
The menu features Tuscan Italian style food that changes weekly. I liked that it features locally sourced produce, fish, cheeses and meats, since I’m a big proponent of eating locally grown products. The menu denotes which farms the products come from in the MA, RI, NY and NH areas.
After reviewing the menu, we decided to order two servings of the Arancini for our appetizer. The deep fried risotto balls were crispy and delicious with the homemade pomodoro sauce. Unfortunately we scoffed them up so quickly I didn’t get a photo.
The breadbasket was another highlight before our meals arrived. It featured homemade traditional Italian and Focaccia breads with olive oil for dipping. The focaccia bread was so light and flavorful. It reminded me of my Nona’s.
For dinner I ordered the Capesante – seared sea scallops with pea risotto, leaks and caramelized citrus.
Capesante – seared sea scallops with pea risotto, leaks and caramelized citrus
The scallops were well seared with a nice crust on top but tender inside that they melted in your mouth. This dish was the perfect selection for me as it combined my two favorites – sea scallops and risotto.
Others ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese in the entrée size. The dish featured hand-cut pasta full of a rich, flavorful meat sauce. The portion was huge – enough for a second meal.
Tagliatelle Bolognese
We were very tempted by several of the enticing items on the dessert menu, but refrained because we were full from our meal and the appetizer.
The wait staff was excellent and extremely attentive. My water glass was never below half full.
I highly recommend both Panzano’s Market and Tomasso Trattoria if you’re in the Framingham, MA area…both are worth the drive from CT!
Have you ever eaten at an Italian market or Trattoria-style restaurant?
What’s your favorite Italian food?
JuliEdible 