A crackling fire giving off wisps of wood smoke on a cold night. A vaulted dining room painted with a convincing illusion of the outdoors. Wine bottles on small tables. A friendly waiter. And yet . . .
The wood-fired oven is more for show than cooking, it turns out, and its warmth never penetrates beyond the bar area into the chilly dining room, where what heat there is immediately heads for the far-off ceiling.
To be fair, in a cold snap there’s probably no good way to heat a dining room whose north wall consists of French windows. In summer, the place could be delightful.
Cheap Eaters also should note that the best bargains are to be found on the takeout menu, which has a roster of sturdy Italian sandwiches and pizzas, rather than on the more highfalutin dinner menu that we encountered on our visit. But when eating in you can take advantage of Fornello’s full bar and friendly, attentive staff.
When your feet are cold, the food had better be good. Two appetizers were encouraging: crostini al Gorgonzola ($3.95) and grilled baby eggplant ($4.95). The crostini, four rounds of crisp-crusted Italian bread toasted until their blue cheese topping melts, provided comforting mouthfuls, and the thinly sliced, slightly smoky eggplant brought a breath of summer to its parsley-flecked garnish of chopped tomatoes in olive oil.
Ready for pizza? You might be happier asking for it to be cooked in the pizza oven that powers the restaurant’s delivery business rather than in the wood-fired showpiece, which only sees about four pizzas a day, we found out afterward from our waiter. Ours, the house speciality of smoked salmon and pesto ($9.95), was one of those four. The thin, matzolike crust arrived gummy and tough, not crisp or flaky, and the generous paving of salmon slices was fishy and heavy on the salt; the pesto tasted mostly of parsley.
Fortunately, the artichoke-stuffed ravioli ($9.95) revived spirits. Tender, thin pasta held a flavorful filling, and the cheesy, tomato-vodka sauce made fine dipping territory for bread from the basket.
On the side, a salad salted with house-marinated artichoke hearts ($5.95) consisted mostly of chopped romaine brightened with shreds of raddichio and chewy bits of dried tomato. The artichokes were tarter and less slippery than the bottled grocery store versions.
Other dishes, not sampled on our visit, range from a simple spaghetti with marinara sauce to dinners such as veal with capers or a Marsala sauce. These dinners include a salad and bread but top out around $13. Pumpkin ravioli in a cream sauce ($8.95) sounds like a good bet for a later visit.
Cappuccino ($2.50) at meal’s end was a hot, foamy cupful, but the cannoli ($2.75) disappointed: The whipped ricotta filling was light and not too sweet, but the pastry had the texture of a canned chow mein noodle and the traditional garnish of chopped pistachios was replaced here with peanuts that had been dyed Kelly green. A tastier option was a chocolate tartufo ($4.95), a frozen dessert made in Milan by Bindi. Despite the ice crystals, it retained a rich, true chocolate flavor.
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Fornello
(2 forks)
1011 W. Irving Park Rd.
773-404-2210
Hours: 4-11:30 p.m.
Mon.-Thurs., 4 p.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat., 4-10:30 p.m. Sunday.
Credit cards: A, D, DC, M, V
Noise rating: Conversation-friendly
Wheelchair accessible
Ratings key:
4 forks: Don’t miss it
3 forks: One of the best
2 forks: Very good
1 fork: Good
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid for by the Tribune.
