594607 Mon Feb 09 06:48:43 -0800 2009 24 12 Boston Area 0 4400155 I guess I expected a little more from an Italian Restaurant in the North End. I had envisioned something close to what someone would experience if making a trip to Europe (and yes I have). It was not at all what it was cracked up to be in reviews I have read all over this board. It started like this. Friday I made reservations with open table just to make sure I would get seated when my wife and I got there for Sunday at 5PM. I have heard that sometimes this place can pack em in and we were going to be headed there after the Celtics Game on Sunday. When we arrived we found that the outsides of the building was nothing close to what was pictured on their website, looking for an awning, found nothing but a bunch of yellow sheets of paper stuck to the windows announcing a new entrance, had there not been menu boards on the sidewalk I think we would have walked right past it. After browsing the menu a few times before getting there, we were sold on what we would order even before we got there. When we arrived it was a little early and seemed like there was no need to have a reservation since maybe 5 tables were filled. The freindly Maitre D said us down. Our waiter although not very friendly was very courteous. My wife had asked for a Cafe Mocciatto which is a specialty where she is from (Germany), the waiter said he could accomodate her, I settled for a beer. When he cam back to the table the Mocciatto was nothing more than an expresso with whipped milk, strong, but not too bad. We stuck with our plan and ordered what we had planned. We started with the Antipasto Traditionale, for $18.00 it was over-rated. For a main course my wife had the FUSILLI AL TEGAMINO, which arrived very hot, but no flavor whatsoever. I settled on the Pizzaria Vesuvio. I had expected my pizza to arrive with large blackened air pockets in the crust, what on would think he would get from a wood fired oven, and flash cooked. The Ricotta Cheese had little to no flavor and watered down the rest of the pizza. The Proscuitto on the top was still cold and not even closed to being heated. Maybe I was expecting what I had recieved in Germany when I was there. A nice hot bubby crust and cheese this is still bubbling, Proscuitto cooked until it has a slight char to the edges and curls up, and a pizza that isn't cut at all, but still whole. That is what I call a pizzeria. So for those who haven't been, I wouldnt go rushing around for it, it was good, but nothing to write home about. Overall a high priced, the atmosphere was ok, but again, I expected more. This was not meant to blast the place just to forewarn the ones who haven't been, maybe it was just a bad luck experience but I am sure Gordon Ramsey would side with me. Mon Feb 09 06:48:43 -0800 2009 51489 Jimbosox04 1 4400354 Antico Forno is an affordable neighborhood spot; there are hits and misses on the menu. Nobody in their right mind would suggest it is an "authentic European experience." Their oven baked pasta dishes are nice, filling, and relatively inexpensive for the neighborhood...I'm fond of the gnocchi. I've had great pizzas and not so great: but a simple margherita pizza they do very well, with a crisp crust and bubbly top Sorry you didn't have a great experience; I think Antico Forno fills a need in a crappy, overpriced neighborhood like the North End, where 90 percent of the restaurants are too expensive and no better than mediocre. Mon Feb 09 08:04:45 -0800 2009 4400155 14271 tamerlanenj 2 4400537 Thank You for your reply, that better explains my experience. I guess from what I have read here people would say it is some of the best pizza in Boston, if thats the case then I really need to get my pizza elsewhere, and in all honesty, I think I can recreate a better one myself. It does make some sense to me that as you say it is relatively inexpensive for the area, but not really. $15.50 for a small pizza and $16.00 for a lousy pasta, maybe I better not check out the other places. The Sam Adams was good anyways, but the draft system was broken down so all they had was bottle, I guess I should expect broken draft systems from an inexpensive italian place, my bad again. Mon Feb 09 09:03:39 -0800 2009 4400354 51489 Jimbosox04 2 4400695 I am not a big fan of many of the North End restaurants, Antico Forno being one of them. You comment referring to the to the area as "a crappy neighborhood like the North End" is a bit offensive to any who might live there. Mon Feb 09 09:58:08 -0800 2009 4400354 249485 stradacouple 3 4400977 haha, I would hope they understand that I am referring to the dining scene, NOT the people or the neighborhood in general. For what it's worth, I was a Back Bayer, and the Back Bay was a terrible restaurant neighborhood. Mon Feb 09 11:04:43 -0800 2009 4400695 14271 tamerlanenj 1 4400564 Generally, if you order a pizza with prosciutto, it is not cooked - added to the top after cooking. Mon Feb 09 09:13:08 -0800 2009 4400155 57005 harryharry 1 4400653 My last visit to Antico Forno which was 2 weeks ago was truly disappointing - all 3 pastas entrees were marred by over salting. Mon Feb 09 09:42:10 -0800 2009 4400155 106428 nasilemak 2 4400777 I have never been to Antico Forno by I find it odd that you would expect the pizza not to be cut. I can't ever remember getting a pizza anywhere that wasn't cut. Why would cutting it be a bad thing? Mon Feb 09 10:19:52 -0800 2009 4400653 56815 pemma 3 4400836 > I can't ever remember getting a pizza anywhere that wasn't cut. Why would cutting it be a bad thing? I'm guessing Jimbosox04 is using it as a yardstick of authenticity; in Italy, they don't cut their pizza before serving. When Stone Hearth first opened, they tried this, but enough of their demographic was slightly weirded out that they started slicing a few months later. I've said it before, but although I don't consider AF to be a bold-letter dining destination, it does strike me as a reasonably-priced compromise when dining out with chow-phobic friends, out-of-towners, and/or groups with small children. My wife and I wouldn't choose to go here just the two of us, but it beats the hell out of the Cheesecake Factory or the Olive Garden. Re: $15 for a pizza -- this ain't Italy, fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce are costly premium ingredients here, to say nothing of North End rent. Question for Jimbosox04 -- have you tried Gran Gusto in Cambridge? A pizza margherita is still not the three euros you'd find in Napoli, and they slice it unless you ask them not to, but twelve bucks gets you real mozzarella di bufala and quite possibly the best crust I've had state-side. Mon Feb 09 10:33:46 -0800 2009 4400777 11344 finlero 4 4401037 Oh, I see. I've had pizza in Italy and can't remember if it was cut or not. But, in Italy and I think in Europe in general, people eat pizza with a knife and fork, so I can see why self-serve cutting would make sense there. Mon Feb 09 11:22:23 -0800 2009 4400836 56815 pemma 3 4404328 go to Italy or Europe anywhere, they dont cut it, you cut it off piece by piece yourself. Tue Feb 10 10:58:26 -0800 2009 4400777 51489 Jimbosox04 4 4404657 Yes, but... typically in Italy and the rest of Europe a pizza that you would be served in a sit-down restaurant is no larger than about dinner-plate-sized. Larger versions are sold by the piece (often by weight) as street food in Rome and elsewhere. Tue Feb 10 12:19:13 -0800 2009 4404328 14386 BobB 4 4405058 FWIW .......Al Forno in Providence does not cut their grilled pizzas. Tue Feb 10 14:18:33 -0800 2009 4404328 223248 T.Clark 1 4400793 I always thought a macchiato was just an espresso with a splash of milk, anyway..... Mon Feb 09 10:22:50 -0800 2009 4400155 11108 galleygirl 2 4401702 that's correct, it is just espresso, "marked" with steamed milk. Mon Feb 09 14:02:26 -0800 2009 4400793 12603 ScubaSteve 1 4401106 "My wife had asked for a Cafe Mocciatto which is a specialty where she is from (Germany)," "Maybe I was expecting what I had recieved in Germany when I was there. " strange that the op is using items ordered in germany as a measuring stick for an american italian restauarant. ricotta cheese is a very mild cheese -- it shouldn't taste strong, and most people would agree that cooking prosciutto, especially at the temp in a wood oven, would ruin it. the food is decent, and the prices moderate. when i've ordered old-school style favorites there, they have been very good. we all need to set our expectations accordingly. gordon ramsey? Mon Feb 09 11:38:38 -0800 2009 4400155 30273 hotoynoodle 2 4402861 With regard to ricotta, mildness is to be expected, but not a lack of flavor...ideally there'll be a low-key natural sweetness, and the richness of the milk should come through. For what it's worth, when I went, I was similarly unimpressed with the goat cheese AF uses on their salads. Mon Feb 09 20:58:04 -0800 2009 4401106 23850 zach272 1 4402569 I always get the linguine with clam sauce - it's great. Much better than the other seafood pasta (don't remember what it's called). I think the pizza is decent, but I would not compare it to Italy. Re an earlier post, I have sometimes had issues with oversalting. I like salt, and I think the food is always bordering on too salty, so people who are sensitive to salt should be forewarned. Mon Feb 09 18:39:23 -0800 2009 4400155 28323 MrsCheese 1 4402851 Leaving Gordon Ramsey aside, I thought AF was pretty disappointing too. Best to stay out of the North End if you're looking for an Italian meal that's a) moderately priced and b) decent...except Pizzeria Regina, of course... Mon Feb 09 20:53:26 -0800 2009 4400155 23850 zach272 2 4409115 Rough crowd here! Antico Forno was a big disappointment to me as well but I would go easy on the North End. Daily Catch, Neptune Oyster, Prezza and Pizzeria Regina are all places that we love, and all fill a different niche at a different price point. Wed Feb 11 18:55:36 -0800 2009 4402851 50795 greenstate 3 4411210 And I think many people would add Taranta, Lucca, Mama Maria, Carmen. Everyone's so negative. Thu Feb 12 11:25:49 -0800 2009 4409115 14253 Joanie 4 4411595 Meh, I may just have a different notion of "moderately priced." In my experience, you can usually do better at a given price point outside the North End than within. Don't get me wrong though, I love Neptune Oyster and Regina's...but for the same money that you pay at Antico Forno &c., you can get much better Italian food elsewhere. Thu Feb 12 13:00:11 -0800 2009 4411210 23850 zach272 1 4519867 Another disappointed diner. We went there for lunch today and it seemed a fairly standard American red sauce restaurant. It has a spartan dining room but plenty of light. At seating, we were served olives swimming in olive oil (the oil was poor but the olives were a nice touch) and the cold end of a loaf bread (the doughly type that is typically served warm). My SO ordered fromthe RW menu (we didn't know that it had been extended by the restaurant) and I from the menu. The eggplant rolitini app was inoffensive - the red sauce was fine, the eggplant cooked well and the cheese not overwhelming as in some other similar places. His veal bolonaese was oversauced although the noodles were fresh - again inoffensive. My baked fusilli was just odd - the goat cheese fought with the vegetables and the tomato sauce. The pasta had been fresh but the dish seemed pre-made. Dessert of tiamasu was fine but not worth the calories. Service was prompt the waiter seemed disinterested (I wondered if hewanted to be in Sicily rather than in a cold, rainly Boston). Although it was RW, the place was just a quarter full - so that can't account for the lackadazical food and service. It wasn't a bad place, it just wasn't great given other CH reviews. And dispite it's low price for the area, there are better places to spend money for a great meal. Thu Mar 19 12:49:53 -0700 2009 4400155 155034 alwayscooking 2 4521658 Hint; it's common practice to put olives in inferior olive oil to improve the taste.... Fri Mar 20 05:08:14 -0700 2009 4519867 11108 galleygirl 3 4521717 Yep - the olive oil sucked but I ate the olives - they were good. Fri Mar 20 05:40:21 -0700 2009 4521658 155034 alwayscooking