Forno Siciliano
“The delivery took less than an hour, and was a freakishly large amount of food.”
“Their pasta is very al dente with a solid marinara.”
“Their food is by far the best in Queens, and quite possibly the best in NY.”
Forno Siciliano
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I haven't been to Forno's in a while, but I still crave the lobster ravioli special I had on Valentines day!
The place itself is very warm and inviting. Each and every employee were beyond kind and accommodating. The lobster ravioli I had a while back was so memorable, I find myself craving it! It was served with a creamy sauce that complimented the pasta and fresh lobster so well. I cant wait to come back and try out some more things, but I am afraid I will be craving them a year later! Forno is located directly across the street from the mini mall that porta bello is in – but I truly love them both. Forno's to me, has more of a "home made with love cooking" feeling VS. Porta Bello.
I really liked this place a lot. It's East of Steinway on Ditmars so it's on the residential side of Ditmars, but it is a must visit. I was really happy with both items my friend and I ordered. The place is more upscale than I expected it to be, it's kind of a power lunch/date spot. There is a brick oven right when you walk in on the left, then there is the dining area in the other room.
The food:
Rigatoni Alla Corte D'Assise- prosciutto and mushroom in a bolognese cream sauce. I really liked this dish, it kinda seemed like a Rigatoni vodka sauce with meat. The pasta had a nice chew but the sauce was really the star of the show. This is a must get. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Pizza Alla Modena- light tomato sauce, arugula, homemade mozzarella, prosciutto and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The pie was a nice pie, I wish the bottom was a little crustier but that's probably my only complaint. The toppings were great, the sauce was nice, I think the arugula and prosciutto pair really well. The Parmigiano adds a great nutty, salty note. yelp.com/user_local_phot…
Table side Bread- I don't write about free stuff or drinks, but the bread is worth the mention. It's kinda like a garlic flatbread, enough said… lol
I really enjoyed this spot. The hostess/ owner is a sweetheart. And the service was great.
The bread that comes out is delicious, it is similar to a flat bread pizza.
I had some delicious meatball soup and a salad. My fellow diners had the salmon and some pasta dishes. Everything was great. Considering how good the bread was I definitely want to try their pizzas. Will be back!
I have been coming here since it was still under its previous name. The food is still good, the service is still great. For our appetizer, we decided to go with something we had not had before. I forget the exact name but it was some sort of seafood platter. The octopus I grabbed from the plate were delicious and perfectly tender. The calamari was also very good and tender, as well. For my entree I had the penne ala vodka, which was yummy. As always, they give huge portions so you might end up taking some home.
This place definitely has some of the best wood fired pizza in the area. They have a great crust and the bottom is never soggy, and their foccacia bread is divine. Their menu is classic Italian, no surprises, but it is all well made and the serving sizes are very generous.
From what I've overheard they also do great seafood. We've gone a few times and have never been disappointed. I think we will certainly be regulars as it's just across the street!
I order pick-up from here a lot and it's not bad. I enjoy the bread that comes with every order, but the entrees and pasta dishes are hit or miss.
They initially charged $2 for using credit cards, but they thankfully seem to have abandoned that policy now and accept Visa without penalty.
When they delivered, they included some really, really delicious foccacia, which was very much appreciated.
I think they should also purchase those packets of grated parmigiana cheese like pizza stores used to have and put a few in the delivery bag.
Antipasti – Caldi
=============
Clams Oreganata: B+
Very tasty. Flavorful bread crumbs and nicely baked.
Rollatini de Melanzane: A-
Sometimes this dish can be bitter at other restaurants, but this was very good. The sauce was nice and strong (I wish they had used it on our spaghetti!) and the eggplant was delicious.
Pasta
=====
Fettuccine Alfredo: B
Could've been more creamy and buttery, but perhaps that's a good thing from a calorie point of view. It was still very good. There was a very good alfredo to fettuccine ratio… I was impressed. Usually restaurants don't give you enough alfredo sauce.
Lasagna Alla Bolognese: A
A truly excellent lasagna, and so far, the very best thing on the menu. It hits all the high points a lasagna should hit. Only a stronger, more garlicky, more tomatoey sauce and a nearly burned crust of cheese prevents this lasagna from being an A+ (and I RARELY give out A+). I liked the meat / sauce ratio. I liked the meat / ricotta ratio. Neither was overpowered by the other. Overall a well balanced lasagna.
Spaghetti con Filetto di Pomodoro (with meatballs parmigiana): C+
My wife and I agree that there wasn't enough meatballs. The 3 meatballs were fairly large… perhaps I would've been happy with 5 smaller meatballs instead of 3 large meatballs. The meatballs could've been softer as well as smaller and more numerous. They tasted delicious, though. The sauce was MUCH too thin… almost watery, and there wasn't a whole lot of it. I think the dish required at least *double* the amount of (much thicker) sauce than we were given.
Ziti Al Forno: D
The worst baked ziti I've ever had. First, the pasta was al dente, which does NOT work for a baked ziti. Second, the impotent sauce consisted of tasteless ricotta cheese which gets completely overpowered by the under-cooked ziti. Serious… the ricotta was tasteless. Third, the baked ziti had a layer of browned mozzarella, indicating they put it in the oven, but the mozzarella itself was completely devoid of any flavor. I'm not expert enough to know if it's cheap mozzarella or the wrong type of mozzarella for topping pasta dishes, but it was horrible. I gave this dish a D because this dish was inedible.
Pollo
====
Chicken Cacciatore: B
Not stereotypical cacciatore, which is often thick stew-like with chicken parts… a hearty dish that strongly says "I'm southern Italian". A good dish to soak up with bread. This cacciatore was light and there wasn't enough stew for me. It kind of hinted northern Italian. Don't get me wrong… it was delicious (hence the B rating) but it's not the cacciatore I'm used to.
Vegetables
=========
Broccoli Di Rabe: B
Very good, but uninspired. Broccoli rabe, garlic, oil. Tasty ingredients, tasty dish. I would've liked to have seen more sliced garlic, more garlic, and more olive oi. Maybe capers would've made the dish more interesting.
I don't tend to like Italian food. I never crave it. And randomly tonight, I just really wanted some whole wheat pasta. I doubted that any Astoria restaurant would carry it. Then, I found Forno Siciliano. I called to find out the soup of the day. Enter: second impressive moment. They make their soups from scratch daily, and BOTH options were vegetarian.
I ordered lentil soup and a whole wheat penne with tomatoes and garlic with fresh mozzarella.
Holy deliciousness.
The delivery took less than an hour, and was a freakishly large amount of food. I finished the pasta (judge me, why don't you!), and was so pleased that they followed the "light oil" instructions I left in the teeny tiny comment box on Seamless. The soup was great, but waaay too much, so that'll be dinner tomorrow.
Added surprise? They gave fresh, brick oven bread. Enough to feed a small village, though. So, yet another thing to save.
Not cheap, but it's worth it, because you're paying for food that is clearly made with love.