Fornos of Spain — Restaurant in Newark

Good People, this is a fond memory mingled with a review. We're going back to Mother's Day 2012. My family had decided to celebrate Mother's Day by having a family dinner at Fornos of Spain. There were 10 of us in all. Fornos offered valet parking which was a nice option. I remember we were greeted warmly and professionally. We made reservations so our table was waiting for us. The dining room setting was upscale yet still comfortable and inviting. Since we were a large group we were assigned several servers. They were all courteous and attentive enough to ensure everyone's orders were correct before they were put in. The appetizers arrived fairly quickly. I recall my brother actually ordered 2 appetizers for himself. He ordered oysters on the half shell. I learned right there when some folks know they're being treated to a free meal, they'll fall into the expensive end of the menu like Alice In Wonderland fell 🤸🏾‍♂️ through the looking glass. Over the years Fornos has earned a vaunted reputation for delivering the highest quality of appetizers, entrees and desserts of any restaurant on the eastern seaboard of the United States. And they did not disappoint us. The food was superb!!! I could tell everyone's meal was incredible because we were all so busy eating there were no table conversations. I just remembered how good it felt in my heart and spirit watching our surviving family elders, my mother, aunt and uncle gathered together to reminisce about the "good ole days" and we all shared funny family stories. We ate good! We laughed even better! The hours flew by entirely too quickly that evening. Before I knew it our time together was coming to an end. I remember talking with my uncle before we arrived and I warned him about how high the bill might be because our group had 10 hungry people in it. I said, "Listen uncle Eddie, the bill could be breathtaking. I'll have $800.00 on me so when the bill comes if you need help with it just say, "Alto, how're The Yankees doing?", and I'll slide you some dollars under the table." And my uncle burst out into a robust laugh as he said, "Alto you're too much!! I've been out on the town before. Put your money away. It costs to be The Boss and I got it." I knew I couldn't talk him out of it so I brought my money just in case. When the bill came the toothpick he had in the corner of his mouth almost fell out! He took a long stare at it and he didn't move. It was like he was petrified!!! So finally I said smiling, "Hey uncle Eddie, how're The Yankees doing?" My uncle smiled back at me and said, "Their having a fine season. Nothing to worry about." I had to see what the bill looked like so I walked around the table and looked over my uncle's shoulder. My eyes 👀 rolled out of my head and down my arm like in a Tom & Jerry cartoon as they focused on the total cost. It was a mortgage payment for some and pocket change for others. $1,387.00. My heart dropped down to stomach!!! Looking over his shoulder at me my uncle nudged me back to reality with a broad smile on his face as he pointed to the items on the bill and their cost that my sister, her husband and their kids had ordered without offering to help pay for bill. Then he pointed at them from behind the bill's folder then back to what they ordered. I said, "Oh I see!" And we both laughed way too hard! Then he reached into the inner pocket of his black pinstriped suit jacket, pulled out a bank envelope, casually counted out $1,600.00 dollars like only a Boss could, handed it to the waitress and told her, "Keep the change, you all deserve it." The waitress, smiling from ear to ear, thanked my uncle as she hurried to settle the payment and share with the other servers who waited on our family. Now that I look back, for a group of 10 people that price was actually very reasonable. About a $140.00 per plate average plus gratuity. A year later my uncle was called Home. Two years after that my aunt was called Home. A couple of years ago my brother was gone too. Passing is inevitable. But that night at Fornos, we laughed...

The food might smell good, but the taste isn’t there at all. I would’ve expected better tasting food for such an upscale looking restaurant.

The food: The salad was nice, except I think all the salt tossed into it was unnecessary. The Spanish omelette (tortilla) was too expensive ($25) to be so small, sad & flat looking. Google it (or for tortilla espanola), it should be thick and fluffy looking.

The paella de pollo, I don’t know what region of Spain this recipe is from (Andalusia? If I had to go off photos to compare), but this paella ain’t it. The chicken was clearly cooked separately from the rice and beforehand (same day, day before, who knows). For all the salt they tossed into the salad, this chicken was bland, dry and overcooked.

Don’t know what kind of rice they used for the paella (minute rice, Goya rice) but it didn’t remind me of bomba rice. It was also very greasy and we got sick the same night. Tried to give it the benefit of the doubt and ate a little more the next day but I still became queasy. So they dumped too much oil into it.

The churro was also overcooked, dry and tasted of the oil they used. The dark chocolate dip was the only nice part of it.

Maybe we would’ve had a better time if we tried their seafood or steak dishes.

Atmosphere: The restaurant itself is beautiful. Lovely decor and all. But my god, everyone was so serious. Didn’t even see a neutral facial expression. Not asking for a permanent smile to be plastered on the face of the staff. But there was serious looks all around and clearly a keep it tight and tip top shape attitude. From the owner(?) to the manager to the waiter/waitresses and bussers. Could assume it’s because it was very busy & everyone took their job seriously. But I highly doubt that and more than likely that’s just how the place is ran (even during non rush hours).

The noise level is also high in the main part of the place, it’s not one of those low tones upscale restaurants. But I did notice a quieter, calmer seating area in the back.

Really wanted to like it and enjoy the food. But no thanks. Highly disappointed. Have had better Spanish food (one being mi espana in robbinsville&princeton, which looks like a hole in the wall...

What a gem! The night I dined there it was dark and rainy, but the cheery front patio looks so inviting I plan to come back on a warm spring day. Inside, the vibrant, scenic frescos adorned the walls creating a festive atmosphere. Let me tell you, I'm quite glad I arrived hungry. Not only is there complimentary bread, but salad, olives, house-made fresh potato chips, and grilled vegetables are provided to nosh on while awaiting the entrees. The wait for the food was a bit long in my opinion, but to be fair, there were several large parties that night, and the tasty red sangria kept me distracted from the passing of the time. When the food did arrive, boy was it plentiful. They do not play about the portion sizes here. Each entrée was really 2-3 servings! The Filet Mignon Rio Tinto was juicy, tender and flavorful, and the mashed potatoes were fabulous! Perfect consistency and had some-what of a truffle and cheese flavor to them. The Veal Fornos was excellent! The succulent meat with sautéed spinach was smothered under a huge pile of melted mozzarella, enough to even make my cheese-addicted heart happy. But let's talk about the Paella Del Mar! I've had paella everywhere from California to Spain. This rice was pure perfection! Actually tender and not over-cooked or dry. This is how saffron rice is supposed to be cooked! The bountiful seafood - shirmp, fish, clams, mussels, calamari and scallops were perfectly seasoned and combined with the saffron rice to create a seafood fiesta in my mouth. So good! On to dessert! The churros with chocolate sauce were fine. No complaints, but nothing to write home about. The tartufos, on the other hand, were magnificent! Of course we had to order every flavor - regular, chocolate peanut butter, pistachio and hazelnut. They were ALL delicious, but the top two were definitely the hazelnut and the pistachio. Did I have any room left for this glorious dessert? No, I did not...but it was so good I kept eating anyway and thankfully my stretchy pants were up to the task. Overall, great food, generous portions and wallet friendly with a fun vibe. ...