Home-style cookin’ sets Governor Francis Inn apart

Don Fowler
Posted 8/21/14

Joyce: What do you want for dinner?

Don: I feel like a good home-cooked meal.

Joyce: Good. So do I. Let’s go to Governor Francis.

Governor Francis Inn is one of those restaurants that is …

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Home-style cookin’ sets Governor Francis Inn apart

Posted

Joyce: What do you want for dinner?

Don: I feel like a good home-cooked meal.

Joyce: Good. So do I. Let’s go to Governor Francis.

Governor Francis Inn is one of those restaurants that is always there when you need it.

Got a cold or an upset stomach? Call for a quart of their chicken soup to go.

Feel like a light, inexpensive lunch? Check out the sandwiches, burgers, shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie or one of many daily specials.

Taking friends out to dinner, but can’t afford one of those fancy, overpriced downtown restaurants? The food and the presentation are just as good at the popular Warwick spot.

Friends refer to Governor Francis as the “Warwick Senior Center,” and it is a fact that many of the diners are retired, proving my theory that senior citizens know where the bargains are. And they are not shy about taking home half of their meals for dinner the next day.

Governor Francis serves “smaller appetites” items for seniors and children, but we prefer their larger portions. There’s nothing like a meatloaf sandwich for lunch the next day.

Speaking of meatloaf, it is my favorite meal at Governor Francis. Priced at $7.99 for lunch and $9.99 for dinner, it comes with potato and vegetable. My dinner never varies: meatloaf and mashed potato, covered with gravy, plus carrots and turnips, better than mom used to make.

Joyce finds many of the Italian dinners better than those served at Italian restaurants and always has extra to take home.

There is often a short wait for a table in one of the two dining rooms. We notice that many of the regulars (They’re not all senior citizens) like to eat at the bar. Tables start filling up as early as 5 p.m.

Service is swift and friendly. Many of the waitpersons have been there for years and recognize their customers.

As soon as you are seated, water and fresh Italian bread are brought to your table. Your meal includes soup or salad, and the soups are super. My problem is deciding which one to get. Corn chowder is my favorite. Occasionally, they offer a lamb stew and a sausage concoction that are scrumptious.

We are amazed at how many menu items you have to choose from, with a full page of specials for the day added to the mix. While an overabundance of menu items can spell disaster for some establishments, the chef at Governor Francis knows what he is doing.

How many good restaurants offer smelts as an appetizer and liver, bacon and onions ($7.99) on the menu, along with fish and chips (market priced) seven days a week.

Governor Francis would have been proud of his namesake, which sits in the center of the neighborhood at 1251 Warwick Ave. in Warwick. They are open seven days a week from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays). Check their menu out on line at www.governorfrancisinn.com. For take-out call 463-8227.

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