|
|
|
Monday, November 20, 1989 |
The light, clean style of Il Forno, a
high-tech, no-nonsense trattoria-type cafe
and pizzeria has become a very popular place
for serious eaters of authentic Italian
food. I can only compare it with some of the
wonderful food I found while poking around
in the small towns of Northern Italy.
The seasonings are bold, and chef Domenico Salvatore doesn't copy or
compromise his gutsy Italian flair for
trendiness. While his pizza menu is
dramatically extended to include caviar
toppings and other exciting tastes, he has
not excluded the dieter who can order the
spa pizza made with lo-fat cheeses, fresh
tomatoes, olives, capers, mushrooms,
eggplant and other assorted vegetables in
season. In fact, they are so tasty, l don't
know why anyone would want the high-calorie,
high-cholesterol kind. His fresh pie-shaped
breads are baked all day, and served hot out
of the pizza ovens.
The restaurant is surrounded by glass, and pinkly clothed tables line the
the covered outdoor courtyard patio. While
the seating inside is close enough to start
a romance, it's not private enough for
seduction. The noise level reaches high
peaks at times, but everyone's plugged into
their own socket, and the energy is
pleasant.
I don't think you could find a tastier or more delightful antipasti
buffet, "a la Italiana" ($6.95). The most
expensive entree is $12.95, and that price
offers dishes like Osso Buco (veal shank).
You can dine well for less than $10. Of
course, it's also easy to spend more,
depending on how many courses you have.
My date and I split an appetizer of highly
seasoned eggplant that was deliciously
bonded with mozzarella and parmesan cheese
in a basil-and-light-tomato sauce, and it
didn't fall apart when we divided the crock.
I have never passes up pasta fagioli on a
menu, a classical dish steaming with the
price of the poor. It's pasta and bean soup,
and you can get it here, intriguingly
spiced, with or without squid.
If I had to choose just one dish from this chef's talented, adventurous
combinations, it would be the
spirited-spunky "Fettuccini a la Rustica," a
rare treat of stunning flavors emphasizing
lightness. The pasta is tossed and sauteed
in olive oil, basil, and garlic, with fresh
artichoke, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes,
eggplant, and baby asparagus.
From the "spa cuisine" menu, we had scampi that was baked in the oven
with a touch of brandy, fresh grapefruit
juice, and green peppercorn with Dijon
mustard. The taste was rich, but calories
were minimal. I also want to recommend the
baked half chicken in lemon sauce. The
flavor of the lemon was in the chicken, not
on it. As W.C. Fields might have said, "A
tasty morsel of pulchritude," and I'll add
that it was succulent, too!
To really appreciate the food here, you must
take a few people along to share some
platters. I wouldn't have wanted to miss the
tagliollini, a narrow, flat pasta dressed in
the kind of fresh tomatoes you might have
picked off a bush when you were a kid. But
the taste came alive with capers, artichoke,
black olives, and a dramatic mixture of
intense spices. Terrific cappuccino! An
outstanding Italian production! |
|
by Shirley Firestone, vice president
of the California Restaurant Writers
Association |
|
|
|
2