My wife and I have been just itching to make it over to this newest location of Buona Forchetta . . because their food is sensational and our friend Marco ( manager from Buona Forchetta Encinitas ) is running the show. On Friday we did it ! After leaving our wheels in the multi level public parking garage ( 90 minutes free ) nearby we walked over here just before 1pm. The restaurant looks really great with a huge covered outdoor patio and a similar space for indoor dining.
We ran into our friend Marco almost immediately who was so happy to see us ( when we found out many months ago that Marco would be the manager of this new location we said we would come by to support him ). I had a quick walk around inside and thought dining on the patio would be the right choice on a fairly hot day. We sat on cute bar stools at a high rise community table. Within seconds a friendly server named Reilly brought us menus, a large carafe of iced water and filled glasses of iced water. There was a cooling fan directly overhead which made things more comfortable. In case you don’t know this site used to be Prep Kitchen who mysteriously went down the gurgler overnight pre-covid.
We were enjoying the relaxed atmosphere on the new patio which I believe was added by Buona Forchetta. I checked out the beer list and eventually decided on a 1 pint can of Protector Hazy IPA 6% abv ( it is a sub brand of Modern Times ). My ice cold can of Protector Hazy IPA and a tall chilled glass arrived courtesy of Reilly . . it tasted very good ! Britney the server for our table arrived to take our lunch order. We like to share lunch most of the time so my wife ordered her fav Alessandro Gourmet ( white ) Pizza ( Provola, sausage, prosciutto cotto, porcini ). So that meant I got to choose the pasta dish which I did . . Pappardelle Amatriciana ( Organic tomatoes, guanciale, onions, pecorino cheese ).
I explained to our helpful server Britnee that we like to share our lunch orders together so can both meals come out together. We seldom get to San Marcos..in fact we dropped our Trek eBikes off at the Trek Bicycle North County a few minutes earlier and planned to have lunch here while our bikes were serviced. While sitting at our table enjoying my ice cold hazy IPA I was literally amazed at the volume of customers rolling in here for lunch . . it is a bit out of the way !
That’s says a lot about the excellent food quality, top service and Marco the Manager to us ! And indeed our fabulous looking lunch orders arrived together courtesy of food runner Garrett. We asked for some fresh grated Parmigiano and Marco the manager took care of that. We hit the Alessandro Gourmet Pizza first and let me tell you . . it was cooked to absolute perfection by Pizza Chef Antonio. THE BEST PIZZA WE HAVE HAD THIS YEAR ! It was GONE IN 60 SECONDS !
Not to be outdone the pasta dish I chose . . Pappardelle Amatriciana tasted beyond sensational . . perfect texture and rich flavor all over ( thank you Pasta Chef Marco ). In the meantime I had finished my very satisfying Protector Hazy IPA and was now enjoying a tall glass of chilled Prosecco. Now my wife and I know they have nice stuff like house made Gelato, Panna Cotta, Tiramisu, Cannoli, Chocolate Mousse & more for DESSERT but we are always looking for something new to try.
To our incredible surprise Marco the Manager brought us out a dessert unlike any dessert we have ever seen . . it looked amazingly beautiful ! And what was it you might ask . . a classic Italian delight called Millefoglie ( delicate puff pastry layered with Chantilly Cream & Blackberries ). My wife and I actually thought we were eating the wings of Angels . . t tasted HEAVENLY ! Thank you Pastry Chef Norma. We hung around a bit and chatted with the staff who made us feel like royalty with their wonderful service !
