La Fuorno is that place on the eastern half of South Street that has the speakers on the outside that always seems to be playing Frank Sinatra. Sometimes they have music battles with the store next door, that is playing death metal on their speakers outside. Sometimes there are also carolers singing "I saw Mama kissing Santa Claus" to add to the cacophony that is this part of South Street. As the different noises fight to find a spot in your brain, it distills back down to Frank Sinatra as you enter La Fuorno to find a spot to sit.
Thankfully for us, this isn't the most popular lunch spot during the holiday season so we had the pick of the litter for tables... does that idiom make sense here? Our waiter was kind enough to suggest the warmest table in the restaurant that was furthest from the vents.
As we perused the menu this drink caught our collective eye: Whiskey Sour! In a mason jar.
It was as delicious as that mis-placed* exclamation point suggests. (I'm not being sarcastic, it actually was a really good drink)
* I would think the exclamation would be after the "mason jar" because, isn't that what the kids these days get excited about?
The menu was filled with all the Italian classics you'd expect and so for an appetizer we ordered a dish that I've never seen on a menu before, farinata bread. According to Wikipedia, farinata is a unleavened bread made from chickpea flour. According to my taste buds, it was delicious. It came with a small bean and pepper salad and what I think is Muenster and Provolone cheeses. The bread was a little dry by itself. However, the peppers, beans and cheese balanced out the moisture very well.
It was time to order our entrees and this is where I started to make mistakes. I started to let nostalgia guide my decisions. Let me explain - when I was a kid in Bangalore, India, we used to occasionally eat at this place called La Casa, the local Italian joint. My favorite dish to order from there was the spaghetti Bolognese. So when I saw a bolognese on the menu at La Fuorno, I wanted to re-live this memory.
To no fault of La Fuorno's, this was not successful. The inherent flaw in my plan is that when India gets it's hands on a cuisine, be it Chinese, Italian or McDonald's, we "indian-ify" it. This usually involves adding a lot more spices and flavour to it.
I'm sure what is pictured above is a perfectly satisfying plate of Bolognese but unfortunately for me, it seemed a little bland. I do know that everyone else absolutely loved their entree. I definitely should've based my order on what Italian food I'd like not what Indian memory I wanted to experience again.
After that disappointment, it was time for dessert, which quickly changed my disappointment to contentment. I ordered the self titled La Fuorno! (pictured below).
It was a puff pastry filled with fruits and hazelnut and chocolate cream. In other words, yummy. I even had leftovers.
I followed that up with a cappuccino.
Also great, with a nice strong coffee flavor.
So all in all, my exerperience here was good and could have been better if I came in with different expectations. The company was awesome so than you Sam, Erin and Sen for putting up with my grumpiness about the Christmas songs being played. So, I reached home to settle into a food coma feeling very satisfied, my contentment quickly changed back to disappointment when I realized I'd forgotten my delicious dessert leftovers back at the restaurant. Oh Sandy.
La Fuorno
636 South Street
Philadelphia PA 19147
215-627-9000
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