#53 La Fourno - Sam's synopsis

La Fourno was the perfect way to cap off the year before heading out for the holidays. Sandya and I were joined by Erin and Senthil, and it was a very relaxed setting with friendly staff, lots of laughs and tasty food.

We arrived and were initially the only table in the restaurant. We sat in the back, at the supposedly warmest spot in the restaurant. It was very cozy and the ambiance was very fitting for both the holidays and an Italian eatery, but it's possible other tables were equally warm. The other thing I noticed about our table was the large print of a photograph hanging above us entitled "American Woman in Italy" which apparently is pretty famous. I personally found it a little unnerving, because it's a young woman walking the streets with 10 men ogling her and her looking a little frightened, but apparently the subject of the photograph didn't feel that way. I'll save my social commentary for anyone who wants to have an offline discussion about it, but at least there were other decorations to distract me - like the fact that our table had a small name plaque stating it was Dennis & James' Table. Who are Dennis and James? I'm not sure, but it made me happy to know they have their own special table at what I can imagine is a favorite local haunt.

the farinatta bread

As it was only a few days before Christmas, we were treated to lots of old timey Christmas tunes. Maybe treated isn't the best choice of word, because holiday songs can get pretty grating after awhile - but we did learn that Sandya has some interesting ideas about how Santa can help you trim a Christmas tree. And while we only heard older holiday songs (or newer artists covering them, like Celine Dion), I think we all came to the agreement that the best "new" holiday song is, and always will be, "All I Want For Christmas is You" by everyone's favorite diva Mariah Carey. I don't care if that song is 20 years old now, it's still new and it's still the best goddamnit.

Okay, onto the food and drink. They had a nice selection of beverages, and I went for a whiskey sour in a mason jar. Sure it was lunch time, but I can't say no to things in mason jars (that's totally a lie. I don't really care about mason jars. Maybe if someone puts a bird on it I'll be more inclined to like it though). It was a nice whiskey sour, a nice balance of alcohol and sour mix. I hate it when there's an unbalance and your stomach basically turns at the flavor, but this was not the case. We were given bread (YES) and we ordered the farinatta bread, which is a thin bread made with garbanzo beans and olive oil. I liked the flavor a lot, but the bread itself was a bit too dry. It was served with roasted peppers and cheese, which helped with the dryness but not quite enough. 

All our meals came with antipasto salad, so we were given a big helping to share. Lettuce, carrots, beans and balsamic dressing. Simple yet the flavors melded together very nicely. Their menu is quite extensive - pasta, pizza, paninis, calzones (Ben Wyatt would be proud), basically anything you would expect to see at an Italian restaurant. It was hard to choose as there were lots of appetizing options (I almost went for the special ravioli of the day with spinach, kale and cheese), but I went for cappellini with olive oil, garlic and chicken. The portion was perfect, and the sauce was light and nicely balanced - not too garlicky or oily. The chicken was cooked to a nice tenderness, and tasted fresh. My only suggestion is that I think the dish would have been better if there were some chunks of roasted garlic mixed in with the pasta - I think that would have really elevated the flavor profile.

mmm... cake....

After finishing our meals, we couldn't resist dessert (and our waiter was pretty good at convincing us to order things) so I went with the dark side of the moon - basically all forms of chocolate in a small, rich cake. It was very good - not the best chocolate dessert I've ever had but certainly hit the spot - but as I mentioned, rather rich. I had about half before I called it quits, but it was a great way to end the afternoon. I also enjoyed a cup of tea, Earl Grey, hot with my dessert, as it is my favorite tea. 

whatcha gonna do when
they come for you?

I would be remiss if I did not mention that La Fourno has a private room for pretty much any kind of party you want, and advertises Bad Boys in Bow Ties. I would be curious to see what this experience is like, if anyone wants to throw a birthday party here in the future. For the time however, I think I can settle with enjoying good food and company during a quiet holiday afternoon. La Fourno was delicious and I would most certainly go back to try one of the myriad other options on the menu. 

La Fourno

636 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 627-9000