Cost: $20/pizza (during special promotion)
Fornino’s margherita pizza is a NY style pizza masquerading as a Neapolitan pie, and it does not do justice to either style.
The photo says it all. It was taken no more than a minute after the pizza came out of the oven, and already the sauce near the crust’s handle is dried out and thin. It also stops far short of the handle, leading to a dry finish to the slice. The sauce itself was underseasoned slightly, but otherwise had a nice, fresh flavor. There simply wasn’t enough of it to hold the flavor experience together, though.
The mozzarella also fell short of expectations - it was tough and rubbery despite being freshly baked. The flavor was good, but as I have said in the past, cheese is primarily a textural component of a pizza. As such, Fornino shot far wide of the mark.
In my Salsa Pizzeria review I described what I see as the major differences between NY and Neapolitan style crusts, and in the case of Fornino’s pizza the crust far more closely resembles the NY style. It had much more crispiness and structure than I would expect, as well as far less chewiness and softness, especially in the handle. There was some nice blistering, but on the whole the crust felt dried out and unexciting.
Although the pizza was disappointing, the folks at Fornino were friendly and relaxed, and the space is warm and inviting. The brick pizza oven is centrally located in the space and creates a cozy environment, especially in the winter. Additionally, I happened to order this pizza on a Monday, which Fornino dubs, “Margherita Monday.” They only recently started opening on Mondays, so they are running a promotion in which you can get a large margherita for $20. I can forgive a lot for that kind of value these days, so if you’re looking for a decent pizza in a lovely space, consider stopping by Fornino on a Monday.
2.5/5, (3/5 on a Monday).