Forno Antico

683 Bronson Ave. – 234-1377
Date of visit: April 26th, 2005
Cost: ~$68.00 + tip (for five)

    The end of the school year is always a happy time. With the final exams of the year behind us, we had set our minds on celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to eat pizza at a restaurant at which you’d never eaten before? Forno Antico first came to our attention in the summer of 2004, when we saw a boarded up building with a sign saying that a new pizza place was coming soon. By the time the establishment opened for business, we were no longer in the area all the time, and our thoughts and efforts had become more concentrated on school. After eight months of relative inactivity, though not eight months without pizza, we were finally free to set our sights on reviewing more pizza in Ottawa. First stop: Forno Antico, a restaurant that presents a more traditional wood-burned, Neapolitan pizza.

    We walked down Bronson Ave. on a mild but grey late-April evening. We walked in and were greeted with a simple decor; plain tables and chairs surrounded on three sides with murals depicting the old country. The restaurant itself was not large, though it could comfortably seat at least twenty or twenty-five people at any one time. The eating area is directly beside the cooking area, so the sights and smells do wonders for your appetite as you await your meal. The menu contains several gourmet pizzas with toppings such as olives, artichokes, and bruschetta tomatoes, as well as sausage, pepperoni, peppers and mushrooms. The prices are higher than a typical fast food pizza place, but that’s to be expected. Our party decided to order two and a half pizzas, with the Pizza Ottawa reviewers sharing one, a Margherita pizza, which had bocconcini cheese, sauce and red peppers. Our friends had the 'Grand Texan', topped with pepperoni, ground beef, bacon and Italian sausage, and the 'Frankies' with artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, and basil with mozzarella and feta cheese. The food was prepared quickly and was hot when it arrived at our table.

    Forno Antico’s pizza is not the kind of stuff that we usually review here at Pizza Ottawa. Following a more traditional Neapolitan style, there were quite a few things that were different than the pizza we usually have. There was much less cheese than we are used to. The crust was rectangular and a perfect thickness; not too thin that it’s hard to eat and not too thick that the crust overpowers the pie.

    That said, the most important factor for pizza is flavour, which this delivered in spades. The thin crust was absolutely delicious, especially the slightly burned outer crust. The corner pieces were the best because they had two sides of crust as opposed to just one for the middle slices. The crust was also soft and chewy in the centre, though a little crunchy on the bottom. The sauce was pleasant and tasted fine. Because it was thin and soaked into the crust, it did not drip anywhere, which was also good. The cheese was fresh and delicious, and though it wasn’t in the copious quantities that we’re usually used to a little does go a long way.

    Forno Antico is all about delivering a delicious traditional pizza that isn't what most pizza places offer these days. They definitely have their place in the pizza market in Ottawa and it's nice to see some variety in the city.

Posted by Jim at April 27, 2005 07:48 PM