There has been a ton of buzz about the new pizza place Forcella. So my fellow foodie partner in crime and I decided it was time to check it this restaurant out and cross it off of my list. The decor at Forcella is the first thing that tips you off that Forcella isn't the average pizza joint. The dining room is scattered with small chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, while the tables and chairs have a silver sheen. Some of the walls are painted white, while others feature exposed brick. Forcella's decor consists of a sheik look that I have never experienced before at a pizza restaurant.
Also novel was the fact that both the hostess and our server were actually Italian, a rare find in NYC these days. The service was perfect from the moment I walked in. I was allowed to be seated without my guest. My request for a table towards the back and away from the door was honored. And the server was attentive throughout our entire meal.
On a cold spring night, we were happy to escape into Forcella's warm pizza scented dining room and indulge in a few glasses of red wine. Forcella offers a short wine list featuring only Italian wine. My original selection was unavailable so I settled on a glass of red from Umbria. This medium bodied wine was the perfect way to warm up and decompress after a stressful work day (no not for me ;) for my fellow foodie.
I was surprised that Forcella was half empty on a Wednesday night. Forcella is the perfect restaurant for a week night dinner with friends (whether impromptu or planned).
What to Eat:
Start with the Burrata appetizer. The burrata is made at Forcella daily and is surrounded by a plate of tomatoes and basil leaves. The balsamic vinegar drizzled on the plate was incredible and a fantastic condiment for the doughy Italian bread that appeared around the same time as the Burrata. My only complaint about this appetizer is that the tomatoes were very average. I know it is not always easy to find top notch produce in NYC but I thought Forcella should have found better quality vine ripe tomatoes (I know I do in the Eataly produce section). The creamy burrata, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar, however, made up for the lackluster tomatoes.
You HAVE to order the Montanara pizza. The owners of Forcella have brought Neapolitan pizza from Italy to NYC, and luckily for its patrons, nothing has been lost in translation. The pizza dough is flash fried for a few seconds to ensure that the dough retains its light and puffy texture. Then, the dough is covered in home made tomato sauce, home made mozzarella and basil leaves. Finally, the pizza is placed in the wood burning oven to finish cooking. This is by far the best pizza in NYC. I loved the texture and slightly sweetened flavor of the puffy dough crust.
For dessert, we ordered the Pizzza ala Nutella. If I had not recently had Gemma's Nutella Calzone, this would have blown me away. But this definitely plays second fiddle to Gemma's dessert calzone down the street. I enjoyed the crunch of the almond slices mixed in with the nutella. But parts of the bottom of the pizza were charred, which I am not a fan of (some people enjoy light charring so if you are, then you will really enjoy this dessert). Next time I dine at Forcella, I will try the Angioletti alla Nutella. The dough strips will still be fried but not placed in the oven so this would avoid any charring issues.
In the mood for pizza but not looking to eat at a dive? Check out Forcella, my new favorite pizza restaurant,
Your foodie friend
Insider tip: I would recommend going to Forcella with at least two other people in order to try a few different types of pizza. Forcella is so easy on the piggy bank, though, that if there are only two diners, you could easily afford to try a few different pizzas.
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