Buona Forchetta

So most of the random followers of this blog who don't actually know me, might be surprised to know that I'm not actually 300lbs.  I just eat like someone who is 300lbs.  I keep off the couple extra pounds by playing a lot of tennis.  I don't mean the recreational crap the housewives at the country club play.  I've played tennis since I was kid, took a huge break during my time severely overworked and underfed, and now am back at it recreationally competitive.  I went to San Diego to play tennis with my ladies doubles league.  After our first day of play where we swept, beating all the tall ass Amazonian chicks (some could possibly have been men in skirts with long hair), we happily celebrated with dinner at Buona Forchetta.

Mama Cracks-that-Whip said to make reservations for TWENTY-SIX people.  You should have seen the horror on my face *insert horrified emoji here.*  My personal preference for group dinners is no more than 6 diners.  So I pretty much tried to find a place 1) that took reservations that large and 2) served simple but delicious food.  It's hard to go wrong with Italian and Buona Forchetta happily accommodated the large group even at the very last minute.  Usually they don't even take reservations.  You should have seen the beehive of hungry patrons swarming outside this place for a table.

I didn't even want to think about the nightmare of splitting the bill among 26 people at the end of the meal, so I just focused on the 5 people sitting around me: Personal Assistant, Potty Pie, Pink LuLu, JoJo, and Shorty Mak Daddy.  We ordered and shared a bunch of things.  While Buona Forchetta is actually known for its pizzas, there were only 2 pizzas ordered among the 26 that night.  Nobody cared to carbo load for our match the next morning.  There's not a lot of running in doubles I guess.

Calamari

The appetizers came out in like a second compared to our entrees.  Not overbattered, not too chewy, just right.

Seafood Risotto

This was the best dish of the night.  Runny enough with each rice granule al dente.  Seafood was plenty.  Mama Cracks-that-Whip made it pretty clear this was her favorite dish.  My ding would be that it was a tad underseasoned.

Nicola mozzarella, mushroom, prosciutto de parma, truffle oil

The pizzas are true Italian style, with a nice doughy crust and a very thin center.  They were a bit skimpy on the truffle oil, but overall it was a good pizza considering I'm not much for pizzas.

Cocoa Fettuccine shrimp, asparagus, cherry tomato
The pasta was al dente.  I'm not sure I picked up any cocoa notes.  Overall, the dish was light on flavor and could have used more salt.  The dish was a stark contrast to the next dish.

Gnocchi scallops, arugola, cherry tomato, saffron
It's a good thing we shared the gnocchi because it was the heaviest offering of the night.  This is not uncommon for gnocchi of course.  The saffron sauce was quite subtle, and again the whole dish was underseasoned.  The little bay scallops were fine, but I preferred the big juicy shrimp in the previous dishes.

Lamb Shank mushroom risotto
Many people ordered the osso bucco, which was tender yet dry.  A strange yet common food oxymoron.  I shuddered to think how many little lambs had to give their legs to feed our hungry party of carnivores.  I gravitated toward the side of risotta since again, the shank was underseasoned.  JoJo could not finish his portion, while Background Guy did his best.  

While I didn't get to pow wow with the other 20 people at dinner, I think everyone was generally happy with the food.  Obviously I thought the food was generally underseasoned, but better under than over right?  Our waiter, a true Italian with his thick ass accent and enthusiastic hand gesturing, managed our large party quite well.  Even though, he technically kept lying to us by saying our food was coming out "very soon, very soon," "it's coming next" and then apologizing saying it's not his fault, it's the kitchen's fault and there's nothing he can do about it.  Honestly, I didn't mind the wait too much, but some other people were getting antsy, hangry, and coping by making cheap appetizers out of the complimentary bread.  A strange concoction of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, raw garlic, and salt was created by some fellow diners to eat with the crusty Italian bread.  You didn't want these diners to breathe on you after that.  If you're in the mood for simple no fuss Italian fare that is pizza focused be sure to check out Buona Forchetta.  Since I'm not a huge pizza person, I am unlikely to return especially seeing how nasty that wait can be, but it obviously means they are doing something right.

10 - You NEED to eat here 

9 - Awesome! 

8 - Very good
7 - Good 

6 - OK

5 - Average
4 - Not bad

3 - Not good

2 - Terrible

1 - Do NOT go here