Fall Pasta at Il Fornaio

[Nana_Kat]

That's it I can't resist not talking about it.

I just had to talk about some amaaaaazing pasta that I had at Il Fornaio at Pacific Place about a month ago. Yes it was a month but it was so good I still can't stop thinking about it.

My sister and I stopped there for lunch on a weekend and I decided on having the Cappellacci di Zucca: fresh ravioli filled with butternut squash and walnuts, a creamy tomato sauce and here's the kicker: crispy fried sage leaves encrusted with parmesan--something that I've been seeing a few other restaurants do but Il Fornaio I think has done exceptionally well.

The butternut squash was velvety smooth and flavorful and I think a great item if anyones looking for any good fall flavors to eat. My sister also had a great melt-in-your mouth smoked salmon and gnocchi dish. I think the only thing to complement our meals even more would have been a good glass of wine but my sister and I thought it too early in the day.

Also not to be missed was their beautiful dessert cart! We ended up sharing the Rosina al Cioccolato, chocolate mouse over a small layer of sponge cake covered in shaved chocolate with a few raspberries underneath and a raspberry with cream sauce. They also had tiramisu, gelato, a fresh fruit tart, and some sort of chocolate creme brulee among others desserts.

A very decadent lunch I'd say. The down side I think to lunch is it's the same price as dinner so no savings really for lunch but in hindsight I have no regrets :) ! I think Il Fornaio gets a little underrated sometimes since they are a chain but even my 100% Italian classmate in college said it was one of her favorite places to eat.

All in all a terrific meal!

[ExtraMSG]

Il Fornaio can be a little inconsistent and boring, but they do offer a good alternative to an Olive Garden at a price that's reasonably close. And they do try to offer some regional dishes and some specials. I think I got a thing in the mail from them or email advertising Piemonte until mid November. They use "White Truffle Region" in the description, but then looking through the menu I only saw one item using white truffle oil.

[tighe]

I've never been to Il Fornaio, but what you describe sounds good.

If you like squash ravioli, you should defnitely make an effort to get to Osteria La Spiga. They have it regularly, also with the fried sage leaves. I don't generally care for squash, and I like theirs.

[Nana_Kat]

Hmmm Extra MSG...while I can take note that Il Fornaio can be inconsistent at times but I wouldn't really compare it to Olive Garden--who doesn't make fresh housemade pasta everyday, use fresh speciality mushrooms (funghi ;) ), make their own bread every morning, or get national awards for their wine list every year. But all tastes can differ, I guess--to each their own! Hope people can get to sample some of their stuff if they haven't tried it yet :).

[ExtraMSG]

I wasn't saying they were like Olive Garden, I was saying that their prices aren't that much more expensive and so they offer a nice alternative to one when you're with people who want Italian and you don't want crap. However, I find them rarely as good as the better Italian restaurants around town here in Portland. The best thing about them here in Portland, imo, is that they offer some decent breads and free valet parking in a part of town that can be tough to park in.

[fyfas]

Gotta take exception, too, to speaking of Il Fornaio in the same sentence with Olive Garden !

My experience with Il Fornaio is in Southern California and they are uniformly very good even if they might be a bit "below" a few other single-restaurant operations or the four or five places around Los Angeles fathered by Celestino Drago and operated by his brothers.

I've personally always liked Il Fornaio's seafood pasta dishes and often think of a fall lobster ravioli they make for days afterwards as Nan_Kat has been with her squash past dish. Imagine how good it would have been with some wine !

Edited November 9, 2003 by fyfas (log)

[Alberts]

In my humble opinion, the quality of Il Fornaio has been good on the two times I have been there (Denver and Portland). The problem I have with them is that I'm sure they would do just fine without me. I can't help but think that the $50 or so spent on dinner there would have been better spent trying to support the independent restaurant struggling to make a go of it, by doing something unique. Osteria La Spiga in Seattle, Il Piatto and Piazza Italia in Portland are good examples.

[ExtraMSG]

The problem in Portland is that walking distance away you have several places as good or better: Bastas, Tuscany Grill, Cafe Mingo, and Serrato.

[Alberts]

Agreed.

The quality and variety of Italian places in our town is amazing...

which is not to take anything away from the Nana Kat's experience.

[Coop]

It surprises me that these chains do so well, although there food is consistently mediocre and thier service variable people keep going in droves. My parents spend the winter in Palm Dessert and they rotate between, PF Chang's, Macaroni Grill, California Pizza Kitchen and The Yardhouse. The Coachella valley is a mecca for these type places. They are packed everynight while the independent places are going broke.

Even though the food is never bad, it seems created in a lab.

[ExtraMSG]

I had a conference in Palm Desert before and I can understand why those places are filled. It was before I knew about Chowhound or Egullet (actually, it was before egullet), but most people don't know about those. It was hard to know which places were good and which weren't and the prices at many of the independent places were quite high.

I'm not saying there's an excuse for locals, but for people just in out of town, it's a benefit knowing that you'll get something edible that won't empty your pocketbook.

These type of places normally go out in the burbs where pickings are generally slim and chains are among the better restaurants, and there are families who need a place that's appropriate and has a child's menu. (People often forget -- and I don't even have a kid -- that the average Italian place, French bistro, or whatever, is a terrible place for a family to go; they require babysitters.)

We just got our first PF Changs here in Portland. I've never been to one. When I've driven by, it seems to be slammed even though it's not catering to the suburbian community but the "enlightened" Pearl masses who supposedly should "know better".

[Ye-Ye Girl]

I've had the ravioli Nana_Kat describes at Il Fornaio, and agree that it is very tasty. I'm not sure if it's a seasonal (i.e. fall) or year-round item on their menu, but I do know that almost every time I've been to Il Fornaio (not a lot - maybe 5 times in 4 years, between Seattle and San Francisco), that's the dish I've gotten. I'm a sucker for butternut squash ravioli - especially with sage and brown butter - and will order it almost everytime I get a chance. That said, I had a lovely butternut squash ravioli at La Spiga a month or so ago, and it, too, was divine. The best I had - anywhere - was at Brie & Bordeaux (at Greenlake) before it closed. It was simply unbelievable - they had the whole sage and brown butter thing perfected, and boy was I sorry when they closed.

[Schielke]

Il Fornaio is by far one of the best chain restaurants in the country.