Photography by Kelsey Shoemaker
“I don’t believe in fusion. Fusion to me equals confusion,” says Francesco Farris, owner of Zio Cecio.
He opened the traditional Italian restaurant in 2011, making a home for family recipes he picked up from generations ago. Farris grew up in Sardinia, Italy, eating and working at his family’s restaurant. He recalls the first time he tried to cook those family recipes on his own.
“I was 13 years old,” Farris says. “It was Dec. 31 and I decided to cook for my friends for New Year’s Eve.”
His first dish was a simple pasta cooked with olive oil, garlic and diced spicy peppers.
“My mother used to make it just using one pepper, 3-4 inches long,” Farris says. “I went to the market but I couldn’t find one that size. I found a quarter inch, and thought I needed to use ten of those. The first guy bites it and says it’s horrible, disgusting, too spicy.”
He had to prove a point.
“I try it and to be macho I say, ‘You’re wrong it’s perfect,’” he says. “My ass was on fire.”
Farris was long since removed from that dish when he and his brother moved to Houston in the ‘80s. The two worked together closely, eventually opening sister restaurants, Arcodoro and Pomodoro, in the 2000s in Dallas. Their menus paid tribute to the family recipes and traditional Sardinian food they grew up around.
In 2011, Farris decided it was time to go separate ways. He left Arcodoro and Pomodoro’s Oak Lawn locations to open Zio Cecio on Lovers Lane. Inside, everything is a tribute to his family. Generational photos dating back to the 1800s decorate the walls. The menu is comprised of the finest family recipe selections.
“I do what I know,” Farris says. “I don’t try to compete with anyone.”
Pasta at Zio Cecio is all handmade, with fresh herbs prepared on-site. Offerings include traditional dishes like carbonara and bolognese.
The restaurant’s signature Il Pesce Alla Crosta Di Sale Marino is a customer favorite, a sea salt-crusted whole fish that serves one for $49.50. The most expensive dish is a bone-in veal rib, grilled and oven roasted for $60.50.
Zio Cecio focuses on high-end fine dining, make no mistake. Farris views the price point and presentation as an opportunity to share his upbringing and passion with everyone who comes in.
“It’s my job to educate customers,” he says. “I can’t just bring them food.”
As he approaches his 13th year in business, Farris says he has a wide range of regular customers that know to trust him and his kitchen. With everything prepared fresh and in house, no Zio Cecio experience is the same.
“We promise quality but not quantities,” he says. “If we run out, that’s that. Come back tomorrow.”
