36 SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 5, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
FRIDAY • NOVEMBER 17
You Asked and We Answered: New Date and More Time
November 17th, 2017
9:30am-12:30pm
DINING OUT
Big city in Bay Ridge: Little
Forno impresses with highend,
low-price cuisine
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
MMCGOLDRICK@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Meaghan McGoldrick
Little Forno’s Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken.
It’s a little bit of big city in Bay Ridge.
Little Forno – translating to
“Little Oven” – opened late this
summer at 276 Bay Ridge Avenue,
where the beloved “Petit Oven” once
stood. Hoping to pay homage to what
was once there – while also honing
in on the high-end French cuisine its
owners have worked to perfect since
being professionally trained in the Big
Apple – Little Forno has already been
on the receiving end of much fanfare.
For owners Chris Salmonese and
Stephen Gonzalez, the restaurant’s
concept was a no-brainer.
“Our goal is to bring what we’ve
learned in the city to Bay Ridge, and
make it more approachable and more
affordable,” said Salmonese, adding
that since opening in late August, the
response has been “incredible.”
“We want to stick out,” he said, stressing
that, though he and Gonzalez come
from Italian families, “We didn’t want
to be your average Brooklyn spaghetti
and-meatball restaurant. Sure, we
love spaghetti and meatballs, but we
want to do something different.”
And different they are. Delicious, too.
To start, this paper sampled some of
Little Forno’s most popular appetizers
– the Naked Scallop Sausage ($12) and
the Foie Gras Torchon ($18). The scallop
sausages – topped with crème fraiche,
cucumbers, prosciutto and gastrique
(sweet and sour sauce) – were as delectable
as they were beautiful.
Similarly, the Foie Gras Torchon – a
well-known delicacy in French cuisine
made of rich, buttery, delicate duck or
goose liver – was as good to look at as it
was to eat. Paired with strawberry sherry
jam, (perfectly crisped) ciabatta and
a little balsamic, this dish was to die for.
All in all, the two made for a perfect
pre-game for one of Forno’s many
captivating main courses, of which
we tried four.
First came the Ricotta Agnolotti (a
personal favorite of ours that goes for
just $18). A more Italian delicacy, this
pasta dish – made with small pieces of
flattened pasta dough, folded over a
filling that melted in our mouths – was
topped with spinach and spring onion,
making each bite better than the last.
We chased that with a sampling of
Little Forno’s Orecchiette ($18). Topped
with English peas, uni (sea urchin)
and Grana Padano, this plate was as
surprisingly sweet as it was savory.
Pasta aside, we sampled the chef's
highly recommended Monk Fish
($25) -- cooked to perfection, topped
with maitake mushrooms, sunchokes,
squid ink and onion puree.
Finally, we were treated to a tasting
of the eatery’s Prosciutto Wrapped
Chicken Torchon ($26). Noticeably
fresh and cooked-to-perfection, this
entrée (paired with polenta, Tuscan
kale and baby carrots) was soft, savory
and meaty all at once – a feat we
wouldn’t dare to execute at home.
When all was said and done, we had
no room for dessert – though Little
Forno, of course, offers a sweets menu
as unique and appetizing as its lunch
and dinner pickings. It goes without
saying that we’ll be back.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2ND, 2017
12 NOON - 6:00 PM
9733 4th Ave.
(hours 9 am to 5 pm)