Dining in Noho: A Night at Forcella

You know those nights where you just want to be alone to self-reflect and process the week? It was one of those nights for me so I made my way down to Forcella in Noho. The restaurant opened in the spring across the street from my old apartment but I never managed to make it there. Quite funnily, I find that I skip the restaurants in my immediate area and then frequent them when I move out of the neighborhood. When I lived in Soho, I never went to the restaurants around me. But then I moved out and started to go to quite a few of them (and it comes as a kick in the face when you savour over the delicious food only to look out the window and see your old building).



The restaurant was packed and I was offered a table in the far back (and dark) corner but I passed it up to the next party on the queue and waited outside for the next time. Within five minutes, I was sitting at a lovely table with an open window overlooking the Bowery. The options were endless, but I settled on a crocchetta as an appetizer and a Diet Coke. The pizza menu is well-regarded – especially their fried pizza – but I refrained from the deep fryer and ordered their quartieri spagnoli: tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, olives, artichokes, and ham.

Holy mother! The pizza was outstanding. The ingredients were so fresh and the flavors were so delicious. The crust was perfectly fluffy and light. It was truly a great pizza.

The table of three next to me kept giving me weird and dirty looks as I took out my camera and was sitting alone. I kept a firm ear on their conversation, only to laugh when one disclosed that she “just got laid for the first time in a year” and another who was in shock that the Guggenheim was actually a famous museum, claiming to have never heard of it and working in the art industry. Their conversation gave me some solace, even if it is weird of me to eat alone or take photos of my food.

Though, I’m disappointed in my photos of the place as the staff did an impeccable job designing and decorating it. The lighting was absolutely stunning (and I love the hanging lamps pictured above). I definitely have to come back to devour another pie and serve the restaurant justice with better photos.