Frankie's Italian Restrauant

I know you are expecting a hiking/biking blog entry, not a restaurant review. Bear with me however.

This morning, I decided to revisit the Silver Comet Trail (maybe not the best choice for my legs after a two hour hike the night before, and weight training). I drove to Hiram, and started from the parking lot referred to as "Rambo". It is named after the plant nursery in an adjacent parking lot. I planned to ride as far as Rockmart, and come back.

This is a particularly nice section of the trail. Most of it is quite secluded, passing through a nature preserve. It also includes the highest trestle on the trail, and a long, lighted tunnel.

I rode bast Rockmart to a sports complex, and took a rest stop. I was quickly running out of gas, having not eaten much. I went back east on the trail to the Main Street exit, and looped around, but found nothing. The trail goes right through a park further west, so I went back and got off again there.

Just off the trail, I happened across a storefront Italian restaurant named "Frankie's". Not being very adventurous in terms of restaurants, I started to pass it up. I did not see any alternatives however, and there were a couple of bikes in the rack, so I decided to go for it.

When I entered, I was greeted by two other friendly cyclists, who confessed to being weekly diners. They told me that once I had tried bread sticks, I would be hooked. Almost immediately, a basked of them appeared at my table. While I was admittedly very hungry, they were none the less outstanding. I could have stopped without eating the whole basket, until the creamy garlic dipping sauce appeared. It was over.

I ordered soup and half a sandwich. The sign at the entrance talked about the potato soup, so I decided to try it. Good call. It was without question the best I have ever had - irregular chunks of well cooked potatoes, in a cheesy brown soup. Wow.

While I was eating, Frankie herself stopped by and introduced herself. She invited me to write on the wall, a privilege reserved for Silver Comet riders. It was difficult to find a spot however, as the wall was almost full. Not surprising with the great food and southern hospitality.

The good lunch fueled me up enough to make the return trip.

I would drive to Rockmart just for more break sticks, so it you have occasion to ride this section of the trail, make sure you hit Rockmart at lunch or dinner!