WOOD-FIRED PIZZA, ENTREES COMBINE FOR ITALIAN DELIGHTS

TIDBITS SHEPHERD'S PIE THE DRUID, 1357 CAMBRIDGE ST., CAMBRIDGE. 497-0965.

Author(s): Nathan Cobb, Globe Staff Date: May 4, 1995 Page: 6 Section: CALENDAR

We're not sure if Franca's is on the right side of the tracks or the wrong side of the tracks, but we do know it's almost on the tracks. Commuter trains bound from Boston to Fitchburg stop literally at the back door of this cozy pizzeria and restaurant, and more than the occasional commuter has been known to take advantage of its brick oven to grab a pizza on the way home. The oven is Franca's centerpiece, dividing the restaurant into two rooms and filling them with the soft scent of oak. O wner Dennis Dyer says he burns a cord of wood every eight or nine days. ''It costs me about $500 a month,'' he says. ''If it were a gas operation, it would be about $80 or $90. But the brick oven gives the pizza more of a charcoal taste. We don't even ha ve a gas back-up.'' So let's start with the pizza ($5.35-$12.35). The crust is thin, but bread- like and soft. You're encouraged to build your own creation, choosing from among 17 standard but fresh toppings. (OK, the black olives are canned.) If you want to sample a little bit of everything, try Franca's Special ($8.75, $12.35). Another good choice from the brick oven is the pizza topped with lots of chicken and plenty of roasted peppers ($7.50, $9.95). A small pizza here, by the way, contains six slices; a large has eight is big enough to feed an entire neighborhood.

And, yes, they have a nice charcoal flavor.

The entrees at many pizzerias are usually forgettable, but Franca's -- despite the fact that pizza accounts for more than half its business -- fields some fairly solid dishes. The best we tried was the excellent chicken marsala ($7.50), a large and tender serving with honest marsala flavor and lots of fresh mushrooms. You could do a lot worse elsewhere at a substantially higher price.

We also liked the seven oversized, toasted, and cheese-filled raviolis ($6.65; $7.65 with meatballs or sausages) that had been lightly fried and topped with a mild tomato sauce and melted cheese. Our fresh platter of thin- sliced eggplant parmigiana ($6.85), offered with the same sauce and cheese, was also good. So was the shrimp scampi ($7.50), served on a bed of pasta, with its strong garlic flavor and lots of melted butter.

Franca's seats about 35 people in its front room and roughly 45 more out back. The decor is nothing flashy -- brick walls, beamed ceiling, formica tables -- and the hard plastic seating is certainly not the most comfortable you'll find. Service is polite and efficient. (Delivery is available to Waltham residents for $1.) The wines and beers are ordinary, although who can complain about a 12-ounce draught of Samuel Adams lager for merely $1.80?

There is no Franca at Franca's, incidentally. Dyer says she was the previous owner, long gone although her name remains. We presume she left by train.

Memorable shepherd's pie? Really? The recommendation came from a friend who had once lived in England for a year and stayed alive on the working-class dish. "Try The Druid," he whispered, and we wisely agreed. What we found was a chummy little Irish pub in Inman Square that serves only lunch but indeed offers a shepherd's pie to return for. The tasty mixture of mashed potatoes, ground beef, diced carrots, baby peas, corn, and brown gravy goes down extremely well with a pint of Guinness. And th e price is right, too: $4.95. Cheers.

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