La Forketta — Restaurant in Pompano Beach

Dear reader. This is a long review/explanation, but it explains a lot about the restaurant and its issues. Thank you in advance.

So, I ordered Chicken Parm through the GrubHub app and waited for over two hours for my meal to arrive. I decided to call the restaurant to find out what exactly was going on. A young adult-sounding woman picked up, "I dunno...let me check." She came back on the line a few munutes later, "Yeah, we dropped the food and we're making you a new order."

These things happen.

In the meantime, the GrubHub menu description for the chicken parm entree clearly states the the order comes with spaghetti and also allows you to order extra sides at additional cost (with which I have no problem). Liking pasta, I ordered an extra side of pasta along with a side salad. Feeling a little suspicious as to why no one from the restaurant called to let me know about the delay I asked the young lady to verify my order. She told me that the bag had the chicken parm and a salad. I then asked her about my extra side of pasta. "Yeah, it's there."

Me, "I know, but the menu description states that the chicken parm already comes with pasta. I just want to verify that the side of pasta I ordered is in that bag as well."

Young Woman, "I dunno. Let me check."

She comes back on the line a few minutes later asking if wanted to order two sides of pasta. I told her "no" carefully explaining that I already ordered a side of pasta to go along with the pasta which, according to the menu description, already comes with the meal.

Young woman, "I dunno."

Me, "What do you mean you DUNNO? Don't you know what you serve?"

Young Woman, "I dunno. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Me, "Yeah, I dunno. Can you get me some one who does know?"

Young Woman, "Tsk....I'll get the owner. Hold on."

Another woman with a thick Italian accent picks up...."This is Laura. I gave you a free side of tiramisu, OK?"

Me, "No, not OK. I need you to verify that my order is correct."

Laura, "Huh? I gave you free tiramisu. Goodbye."

Call disconnects.

GrubHub driver finally arrives with my food. My first question is if the restaurant knows what they're doing. She laughed and was as flabbergasted as myself. Apparently, she waited at the restaurant for close to an hour all the while watching people come and go while the staff clearly forgot about my order. Getting frustrated, she told me that she took them to task and made sure that my order was hot and properly prepared. At least someone looked out for me.

Upon opening the bag it was very apparent that the restaurant took A SPOONFUL of pasta that was in the entree and placed it into a separate container in an attempt to pretend that they got the order correct. WOW! Too funny!

Bottom line.... The food was actually pretty good, but the staff and owner's B.S. isn't worth it. If I could only rate them ZERO stars.

Oh, and "Laura"....I know that your command of English may be somewhat shaky, but if you are reading this here's a word you may...

I have had dinner here a number of times and have NEVER been disappointed. It's a simple place with an interesting menu that departs from the expected standard Italian fare by offering daily specialties that are not to be missed. It's family owned and operated. The food is excellent, even their simple Bruschetta appetizers are prepared quite differently from the standard fare, using soft baked bread and I could have eaten them all night. Another appetizer I particularly liked was their thin sliced pork tenderloin with a honey mustard sauce. Again, I could have consumed order after order. As mentioned previously, a great selection of specials is always offered and differs on a daily basis.

There's bound to be something that will pique your interest. Most recently I had their lobster ravioli with shrimp in a divine cream sauce. Another night, they had a wonderful dish of boneless short ribs with brown sauce on a bed of tagliatelle. It is so tender that it melts in your mouth and it's perfectly seasoned. Their desserts are equally wonderful. It's a small quaint place; not at all pretentious. It's clean, fresh, up to date and tastefully appointed. There is a good selection of wine and imported beer to round out your experience. There's more than ample parking. They are not nearly as well known as they should be, which, for NOW, is good for me since I never wait for a table, BUT, words gets around eventually. This is one of those hidden gems, but it won't be hidden much longer.

I almost forgot.... We ordered their Lamb Shank "to go" for another person that was unable to join us. I was given a taste when he finally got home to eat it.. The aroma was pretty awesome... It was very nice. Extremely tender and could have used a bit more garlic for my taste, but that's just me. It would be far from torture to consume an entire order. 😂

So, YES, I recommend this place, even though it may mean waiting for a table in the future, because it'll be worth it.

Update: 09/22/24 ANOTHER excellent meal. The usual excellent service and wonderful food. I had their Bruschetta au gratin which I love that is freshly baked bread with generous amounts of mozzarella and topped with tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar... Scrumptious. This was followed by a Monday night special of homemade lobster ravioli in a shrimp alfredo sauce. OMG.... So good...

If you haven't been...

John Bourassa A nice and cozy little neighborhood Italian bistro in Palm-Aire called La Forketta is a great place to unwind, relax, and indulge in Northern Italian cuisine. It is a husband and wife operation with a few servers (husband is from Northern Italy and is also the cook/chef, so I was told by our server). The service is prompt and attentive, and you can tell that it is frequented by regular locals because they are greeted with hugs and kisses.

They serve all the typical Italian food that you’ll find on every Italian menu everywhere, but very good. On their website, they pride themselves to have the best pizza in Pompano Beach. I have eaten there a few times over the years: twice for pizza lunches and 5-6 times for regular dinner. I humbly disagree about their claim of serving the best pizza in pompano Beach, or even placing among the top best around. Their pizza is only average-good and very skimpy on toppings. However, their non-pizza meals are something that will make you want to go back.

They do not serve their self-proclaimed “best pizza” at dinner on weekends, only for lunch or take-out. Also on weekend nights, they have live entertainment - a young crooner who knows not to compete with the patrons’ conversations. Moderate prices for today’s standard, but...