Christmas was my favorite time as a child because I received gifts, as a parent because of the laughter and liveliness on Christmas morning, and now as a restaurant reviewer because this time of year, I visit or re-visit some of the area’s finest dining spots. In doing so, I can offer at least a few special places to celebrate the holiday season in style and culinary delight.

I’m happy to report that the Brickyard Cafe in Franklin will bring laughter and childlike liveliness if you enjoy a fine meal as much as my dining companion and I do. Each moment felt whimsical as we read over the specials and as each course arrived.

For an appetizer, we considered the alligator cake appetizers, or maybe even one of Brickyard’s pizzas they are famous for (smoked salmon and goat cheese on the specials that night), but finally opted for good old-fashioned antipasto. The literal translation is anti, meaning before, and pasto, meaning food - so antipasto is the proverbial Italian appetizer that signifies the start of the meal.

Brickyard’s antipasto, served with the soft bread wedges, was an array of diversity. Using the bread we piled on oversized, fresh ingredients like salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, soft mozzarella rounds, olives, artichoke hearts and the like to create our own soft crust pizza. The first Christmas gift was unwrapped and we were on a roll.

My dining companion proved some of the best gifts come in small packages by ordering the mini-fillets. These were four appetizing fillet mignon steaks grilled and topped with a shallot-peppercorn sauce with potatoes of the day and veggies. Each fillet was fork tender, melt-in-your-mouth good (which is the mark of fillet for me) and the broth-like sauce added a hint of unique, buttery divine flavor.

The mashed potatoes were an unexpected, stocking stuffer surprise. A generous portion of thick, flavorful mashed potatoes also had a creamy moistness. Literally, the perfect balance in a mashed potato - which is hard to achieve.

I opted for the bone-in pork chop Marsala. Marsala is a Sicilian city known for its wine. The wine is a gift that predates Christmas itself since Marsala was founded by the Carthaginians in 397 B.C.

The pork was a white marble pork chop, char grilled and topped with Marsala sauce served with those to-die-for mashed potatoes and vegetables. White Marble Farms pork is a specially bred variety with a clearly distinguishable tenderness and flavor. If you don’t believe in Santa before you eat these pork chops, you will afterward.

A holiday is not complete without some sweets. I usually opt for an appetizer OR dessert, but after that meal, how could I not give the Italian delight, tiramisu, a try? Upon first glance you could tell Brickyard’s tiramisu was unique: drizzled sparingly with chocolate sauce instead of dusted with chocolate powder. It was a delicious layering of coffee-soaked “sovoiardi,” (savory, sponge-like cookies) and mascarpone cream. Yum.

In a nutshell, if you enjoy the anticipatory excitement of Christmas morning, followed by the unwrapping of abundant gifts, then I highly recommend a short sleigh ride with bells on to the Brickyard Cafe in Franklin. “Mangia,” meaning “eat” in Italian, which is what I always heard during Christmas dinner!

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, contact Managing Editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235 or via e-mail to malexieff@bgdailynews.com.

BRICKYARD CAFE

205 W. Cedar St., Franklin

(270) 586-9080

Hours: Lunch, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean

Price range: Dinner, $12 to $26

Specialties: Pasta, pizza

Libation situation: Full bar

Smoking: Yes