Trattoria al Forno, on Disney’s BoardWalk, officially opened on December 18, 2014. Linda and I had dinner reservations to check out the new place.
Please keep in mind this review is from opening night. Items are still being tweaked, chefs and servers still learning, and the place needs to “shake out” so to speak and find its rhythm. We plan to return in a few weeks. Overall we had a very fun dining experience. Special thanks to our server, Lynne, who provided great service and answered or found the answer to all our questions!
The restaurant has made an amazing transformation in just a few months. There is much to share about the theme and story of the Trattoria, but in this blog, we will focus on the food. Speaking of food, Chef Dee is back, much to our delight!
We began by looking at the menu, 99 percent identical to the pre-opening menu that had been announced. We perused the wine list and checked out the appetizers. We were tempted to order several appetizers, but after looking at the pizza, pasta and entree offerings, thought we should start slow. Plus, we hadn’t seen the dessert menu yet!
There are several designated Gluten-Free items and approximately 80 percent of the menu is or can easily be made Gluten-Free.
BREAD AND OLIVE OIL
The bread had a crunchy crust. Be sure to use the wonderful olive oil!
ANTIPASTI (appetizers)
Thin-sliced Italian Cured Meats (serves 2) – with house-pickled peppers, olives and caponata served with a toasted slice of house-made ciabatta $15.99
The four meats served are sliced on the brand new, super-duper paper-thin slicer. We received Bresaola (air-dried beef); Sopressata (traditional cured meet — think of it as a version of salami); Coppa (salted, seasoned and dry-cured cut of pork shoulder or neck); Prosciutto (dry-cured ham).
We loved the Bresaola (some of the best we’ve had in the US) and Sopressata. The Coppa was good but not our thing. The only disappointment was the Prosciutto. We saved that taste until last and the meat was not as thinly sliced as we expected. In fact, we’ve had thinner sliced at the local grocery store.
The meats are accompanied by a small bowl of house-pickled peppers and olives and caponata. Linda liked the caponata and said it had lots of tomato flavors. She also enjoyed the olives and peppers.
This was a great way to begin our meal and we would recommend you give it a try.
Grilled Treviso — with gorgonzola dolce and pistachio gremolata $7.99
When I read about the grilled treviso, I thought it was fish so, I’ll be honest, I Googled it. Turns out to be radicchio. You can sometimes find radicchio in your local grocery — it has the deep red leaves with white veins. You may find in it a ball or more elongated. The Treviso was grilled and topped with a mixture of gorgonzola, dolce and pistachio gremolata. It was topped by two different types of endive, also with the topping. The combination of grilling and topping took away the bitterness sometimes found in radicchio. It was OUTSTANDING. It’s the hidden gem on the menu and we will certainly order it again. In addition, two people can easily share it.
WINES
Italian Wines are best enjoyed with Italian food! The Trattoria boasts an all-Italian wine menu with around 70 wines encompassing the 20 Italian wine regions; 30 wines by the glass or quartino. The quartino is a small carafe containing approximately a glass and a half of the wine. Linda and I found the quartino a great way for us both to sample several different wines.
PIZZA AL FORNO A LEGNA
There are six pizzas to choose from with an array of tastes, from a traditional Margherita (mozzarella, tomato and basil), to one with Fennel Sausage, Salame Piccante, and House-Pickled Peppers. Pizzas are prepared Neapolitan style.
We chose the Smoked Prosciutto, Potato, Rosemary and Mozzarella $16.99 (which also had tomato sauce). The pizza was a blend of flavors with the rosemary being the predominant one. The pizza was tasty, but not great. It was too doughy for me — the Neapolitan style is more chewy. One person could have made it their appetizer. If you are sharing, two people will be happy with the size. Quite frankly, we’ve been spoiled by other full- service dining pizzas nearby from the likes of Via Napoli (Epcot), Il Mulino (Swan), and La Luce (Hilton Bonnet Creek).
PASTA E RISO AND CARNI E PESCI
It was difficult to choose from the Pasta e Riso and Carni e Pesci selections, so we ordered three entrees to share (we left with enough food for tonight’s dinner!).
Polpetta Gigante – giant meatball with ricotta cannelloni and marinara $19.99
Indeed, as the menu describes, this is a giant meatball. What the menu doesn’t tell you, however, is that it has lots of spinach and red pepper flakes, giving it a bit of heat. We were both disappointed. Too much heat and spinach for me, and Linda, who likes food with heat, said it was too much for her as well. The Ricotta Cannelloni was tender and flavorful. We both like the marinara sauce! It should also be noted the cannelloni was made with rice flour.
Semolina Tagliatelle alla Carbonara – with Guanciale $19.99
For both of us this dish was the winner of the evening! It is made with an egg sauce, not a cream sauce, making it a lighter pasta dish. Pasta served al dente. The bits of guanciale (Italian cured meat from pork cheeks) added just enough contrast. We highly recommend this dish and will order it again.
Eggplant Rollatini – with shaved fennel-arugula salad $17.99
This dish was recommended by our server and since Linda enjoys eggplant she ordered it. The eggplant was lightly grilled and Linda found it chewy and bland. When we spoke to the chef later, he said they are still tweaking the preparation. The shaved fennel-arugula salad is, however, a nice surprise. This salad needs to be an appetizer. It is served with several of the entrees.
DOLCI
Just about everything on the dessert menu sounded wonderful and again it was difficult to choose.
Tiramisu – ladyfinger-soaked espresso and layered with Italian mascarpone cream $6.99
Our server told us this would be the best tiramisu we ever had. Indeed it was so delicious and is in our top three ever. The cream is so creamy, there is no filling so to speak, just the basics. Yummmm.
Signature Dessert Highlight Item – Bomboloni with dark chocolate, served with vanilla gelato $6.49
This wasn’t the signature dessert in our minds, although it is very Italian. It’s basically fried dough with a tiny bit of chocolate. The gelato, however, was awesome!
Lemon Panna Cotta – with almond crunch and macerated berries (no sugar added and gluten-free) $6.49
Another great choice — light, creamy, loved the almond crunch, although I could do without the berry foam (too sweet) on top.
COST
We used Tables in Wonderland, which gave us a 20 percent discount on food and beverages (alcohol included) and added an 18 percent gratuity.
We ordered four different wine quartinos and shared them. The cost came to $56.
Subtracting the wine from the bill, our dinner with tip and tax was $119 for two. Remember we ordered a LOT of food.
An appetizer, entree and dessert will run you about $33 each before tax/tip.
CONCLUSION and RECOMMENDATIONS
This is going to be a popular restaurant and I’m certain once word gets out it may be difficult to just walk up without a reservation. Even reservations may be hard to come by.
Our RECOMMENDATIONS:
Appetizer: Thinly Sliced Meats OR Grilled Treviso
Entree: Semolina Tagliatelle alla Carbonara
Dessert: Tiramisu OR Gelato
We will return sometime in January to see how things have evolved. We have some favorites on the menu and there are many items to try, such as: the Regional Italian Soup, Fried Calamari, Baked Lasagna, Port Chop alla Milanese, and Braised Beef Bolognese, Cannoli Pizzelle, Hazelnut Chocolate Cake.
RELATED LINKS:
Dinner Menu: /dining/menu/trattoria-al-forno/dinner
Child’s Dinner Menu: /dining/menu/trattoria-al-forno/child-dinner
Review Trattoria al Forno: /reviewpost/showproduct.php?product=689
Mangia, Mangia (eat, eat).
“a mixture of gorgonzola, dolce and pistachio gremolata”
This comma makes it seem that the gorgonzola is one thing and the dolce another. It’s actually gorgonzola dolce, “sweet gorgonzola.”
Two of us were there on opening night, didn’t know it was opening night – we had not been able to get into Flying Fish. Sat way, way, way back in the last room, against the last wall of the place, but it turned out to be a blessing as it was a nice quiet place to eat. We enjoyed the bread, and shared the pizza with the potato on it – not a fan of potato on pizza. This was the first time for it and probably the last. We split the whole fish and were mildly disappointed. The seasoning outside the fish was quite good, but the flesh itself was bland and mealy. When we spoke with on of the managers he told us that is is the nature of the fish they used. Would not order again, but we are going back to try many of the other offerings. As a whole much quieter than Kozzina’s. Like the new decor and menu.
$119.00 for two. WOW, what a ripoff!
That entire meal didn’t cost the restaurant more than $22.00 in product.
Italian food is one of the biggest ripoffs when it comes to dining out.
I made that Semolina Tagliatelle alla Carbonara at home for $5.00 for two.
We ate here tonight. It was good, but I’m sure will improve. The bread and olive oil were super. My wife ordered the lamb shank, which was spectacular and the polenta made a perfect pairing. I had the Braised Beef “Bolognese.” I was disappointed in this as it was on the dry side and the sauce was more a barbeque sauce than a traditional red gravy I was expecting. The house made cavatelli was the highlight of the dish. Our kids both had the Campanelli Pasta Marinara with Turkey Meatballs and it was superb. The pasta was perfectly al dente and tasty, the meatball juicy and flavorful, and the gravy had a deep tomato taste with perfect seasoning. For desert, my daughter had the vanilla gelato while my son had the strawberry basil. Both were exceptional, but my son’s choice was incredibly tasty, with the basil adding just the right amount of peppery herbaceousness to counter the sweetness of the strawberries. My wife had the Bomboloni, which my kids both said were okay donuts. I had the tiramisu, which was the best I’ve ever had.
We will be back for our next visit to see how things have been improved.
Thanks for the review, Deb. Sounds like a winner. Looking forward to visiting on a future trip.
I was there thursday on opening day. I agree with the statements regarding bread and olive oil, absolutely delicious. I had the seasonal risotto, which was excellent, generous portion. I decided to treat myself to dessert and had the Bomboloni, which was disappointing.
We were there last night, too. The place looks and feels great, and the food was good. We loved the calamari! Bread and oil were excellent. My main dish was OK (eggplant rolls). We did not have a dessert because our one year old started having tantrums :(. We’ll definitely be going back!
Sounds great- not at all like “just another italian restaurant”. Can’t wait to give it a try. Lot’s of choices not available elsewhere!