Il Foro - December 15, 2015
I’ve mentioned it before, but 2015, especially the latter half, has been a great one for me and forging new friendships. From social media to social settings, I’ve formed friendships from interactions on Twitter, Instagram, and at the occasional dinner. A lot of them seem to be from the long chain of dominos, but some of my favorite ones now stand solid in their own right.
Some friends are a couple years older, most a few years younger, some a decade younger; but when you’re like minded and passionate about a lot of the same things, the years become arbitrary. You’re just people interacting in mediums where age or socioeconomic status aren’t dictums of acceptable company. I think it’s a beautiful thing.
One of these new formed friends, Andrea, messaged me one day saying she wanted to hang out and get some food. We checked the schedules and ended up settling on this night at Il Foro. One of the many recently opened Italian restaurants in town under the cheffing of Joe Rolle, formerly of Borough and its sister bar Parlour. Joe brought his burger making mad science to Il Foro and makes a mean double cheeseburger that stands up proud in our current landscape of doubles with cheese. Sadly the burger isn’t available at night, but we managed.
Charred Broccoli Bruschetta with white cheddar, pumpkin seed, and Honeycrisp apple: I’ve mentioned my affinity for charred members of the broccoli family, so this was right up my alley. I see what they were doing with the cheddar and apple, but I could have gone with a touch more pungency in the cheese. That wouldn’t stop me from ordering again.
Carbonara with cresta di gallo (rooster crest) pasta, pancetta, brussels sprouts, and egg yolk: Not my favorite carbonara in town. The yolk suspended in the caramelized onion made mixing the yolk in cumbersome; what do you do with the onion? I think the brussels could have used some more caramelization. I’m not sure I’d order this again.
Rainbow Trout with horseradish, green bean, brown butter, and pancetta: Really good, with the caveat that the single piece of bacon/pancetta just sort of hangs out, there’s not really a good way to incorporate it’s flavor and it seems almost like a garnish. I wonder if a bacon/pancetta jam as another saucing would work? Because the bacon/pancetta presentation in this left us flummoxed.
Polenta with mascarpone and parmesan: This was packed with cheese, like a ridiculous amount. It made me think of some of the great cheese grits I’ve had. It was Andrea’s first time trying soft polenta and I think she enjoyed it.
Panna Cotta with caramelized bananas, dates, honey, and almonds: Good. The panna cotta was a vanilla bean and buttermilk version I believe. It had a nice silky texture. The brûléed bananas were a nice addition.
Caramelized Apple Budino with mascarpone, salted caramel, honeycrisp apples, and a polenta cookie: Good. Like a mashup between caramel apples and caramel corn. This could be overpowering if you don’t get a scoop that contains the full depths of the dessert.
The food was alright, I want to go back to try some more of the menu, but he conversation was the best part of the night.