Al Forno

Loved it. I have read some reviews of Al Forno, and I wonder how a few diners can report such negative experiences at the restaurant we ate at just last night and enjoyed so thoroughly! First of all, our party of 4 made it a point to not visit Al Forno at a peak hour, thereby avoiding the long wait I had been told to expect. We arrived at 6:15 on a Thursday and first impression was - wow a whole parking lot (free!) just for Al Forno customers. (Eating in other city-based restaurants its often an ordeal just finding a place for the car!).

We were greeted warmly and seated next to a window in the first floor dining room. We thought the ambiance was nice, with the dusk light coming in and the river-view just below. OK, yes, its a great view of the cars in the lot too, but what the heck. Also, as it grew darker, the view of the lit bridge crossing the river made a pleasant backdrop.

We liked the white-washed walls and exposed brick of this old mill building and the sparkling old-glass windows which viewed outside on one wall and served as a separator from the open kitchen on the opposite wall. The tables were spaced far enough apart so that conversations didn't overpower. It got busy quickly, by the way, and within 20 minutes the room was full.

Our server approached us immediately and wasted no time getting drinks to us and we ordered 2 appetizers to share: calamari and bruschetta. Unlike at some restaurants where the drinks are done by the time the appetizers finally arrive, these came promptly and, as was the case all evening, served by a "team" who managed table space for us so that our clean white tablecloth setting was neat and not cluttered by used plates and utensils. Our servers were cheerful, efficient and very attentive to us throughout the meal.

2 of us ordered a kind of deconstructed lasagna served with rib-eye meatballs in a red sauce. It was delicious.

Another ordered linguine with egg and duck bacon in a white sauce which was also very good. I ordered Rotini with veal bolognese sauce which I like a lot. We stuck with the pasta menu - all about $20 and avoided the entree's which looked very appetizing too but priced at least $10-$15 more were not in our budget. We opted for a second cocktail instead!!

And yes, desserts are ordered along with the dinner right up front. We split 2 desserts, both of the chocolate variety. It's probable that we might have passed on the desserts if we had waited until after the meal to consider, so I think AF may be onto something here. Commit early and enjoy anyway! My double chocolate cake was very good - dense and rich and served with home-made whipped cream.

Our total bill was reasonable and we felt as though we had delicious, unusually-prepared Italian food and great drinks at a good price. We were out by 8 and never felt rushed.

We took a look upstairs as we left - a different atmosphere - maybe more casual and definitely more crowded and noisy. Darker, with a fireplace which is probably lit as the season changes. There's a nice large bar on each floor which also has tables and serves from the menu.

As we left we agreed it was well worth the trip down from MA - quicker for us that going to Boston - and would do so again soon!…

What's all the fuss about?. When you walk up the entranceway to Al Forno you really think you are in for something special. The arbor of white lights leading the path to the front door is quite beautiful as is the building with large elegant mill-style windows where you get a glimpse of many patrons enjoying what you expect to be a great meal. But the magic sadly ends there. Once you walk into the building you have no idea where to go—through the door to your right or up to second the floor. My husband and I decided to go through the door to the right. After walking down a tight hallway, we thought we made the wrong decision. There was no station to greet diners and take the details of their reservations. Instead we stood between a wall and a bar deciding where to go. Not long after standing there aimlessly, a waiter came by to see if we needed help. After a short wait, he was able to get us to our seats. The seats and table were miniature. My husband, who is over 6 feet tall, couldn’t get his legs under the table. The dining tables, while covered in white tablecloths, looked like furniture from my grandmother’s basement. The chairs, made of rattan, were covered in very worn animal print patterns. While sitting there reviewing the menu, which looked delicious, I couldn’t help but take in the décor—commercial grade, fast food kitchen tiles on the walls, dirty tiled floors, and corn garland draped from the ceilings (guess they forgot that it’s not autumn anymore). Even, the little lamp on our table was low-end—a window candle that had a little lamp shade squeezed on top of it. Our waiter then came over and I had to do everything I could not to laugh at his overly stuffy presentation of the night’s specials. And, upon delivering our drinks, he worked with such precision making sure he placed the glasses just so, making sure that the knife, fork and plate were in perfect harmony. I thought maybe it was just him, but when I observed the other waiters I began to think they were all trained by a lead Nazi waiter. Each waiter worked so precisely making sure they were exactly a foot away from the table when opening a bottle of wine, making sure they folded the napkins in threes and never ever cracked a smile—was that out of fear? Was someone watching them? I began to wonder. But, the service was also very spotty—our drinks didn’t get refilled when we needed and I observed the same thing with the tables around me. The food was delicious, but not the best I ever had and not really worth the hefty price tag. Will I go again? Probably not. Providence has so many excellent restaurants and this one wasn’t worth the hype. I’m still wondering what all the fuss is about.…

Can't recommend this place anymore. I have recommended Al Forno to so many people over the years, and always go out of my way to go there...BUT NOT ANYMORE. The past 4 times I've gone, while the food has been good, the service has not. And it's not a question of 'casual'...it's a question of 'unprofessional.'

Here's one small example: last time I went, party of 4, a pizza we ordered for the table arrived with one of the appetizers...the other three came later. Then all four mains arrived at different times: mine about 5 mins. before the second and third, and about 15 mins. before the fourth...which we only got because we flagged down a server who was carrying what looked like might be our dish like a lost lamb in the dining room. Of course by then mine was cold. I suppose I could've sent it back, but then everyone else's would've gotten cold while we waited for it to refire. So it was hardly a pleasant dining experience for the four of us. C'mon, this is restaurant 101! And there are many other recent examples which I won't go into here for the sake of brevity. Suffice to say, I am now embarrassed to send people here. No restaurant should have service that bad, especially one that charges $30+ for a main course…

Best Italian Restaurant in Providence ?. We had guests coming in from South Carolina, and on the plane they sat next to a former chef of Al Forno, who highly recommended it. So we went Saturday and as we were told they did not take reservations we came early, only to discover that due to graduation parties they did reservations and everything was booked. But after begging a little bit, we managed to get a table in an hour.

Meanwhile we enjoyed a good glass of wine from their extensive winelist, while we were browsing the menu.

It was really hard to decide what to get as they had so many courses that sounded good.

When we got our table our waitress was SO good in going over the specials, and answering questions. The way she explained the dishes was very visual, and she really knew what she was talking about.

We shared an appetitzer, which was a simple spinach salad with bacon and parmesan cheese. And it really showed how simplecity makes perfect.

When our entrees arrived they all looked terrific. I had a Meatball cheater lasagne, with the best meatballs. The lasagne part was good, but not over the top. But then i tasted my wifes Pasta, which was heavenly. Also I tasted my sister-in-laws gnocchi with hot sausage sauce and it was really good too.

The atmosfear at the restaurant was very nice, the service was knowledgeable and service minded and the price was reasonable for the quality of the food. A list plus was there were no loud music playing or no televisions, which I appreciate coming from Europe.

Thanks Al Forno - I will be back…