Fortina – Delicious Food Chronicles from a New Yorker

Roma Restaurant in Tackahoe, NY- Best Regular Pie in Westchester County?

This is a simple post. A friend believes Roma Restaurant has the best pizza in the Westchester County. I was there to validate or disapprove the theory. Roma restaurant is an old style restaurant – literally it has decor from the 70/80s with wood paneling and balloon valences. The waiters all looked like they have been eating pizzas day in and day out and can rest the pizza tray on top of their bellies; the clientele looked the same.

Needless to say, I fit right in with my workout clothing and updated 2014 sunglasses and handbag. 🙂

The pizza was awesome. For a regular pie, this was awesome. I am almost willing to say it’s the best regular pie in the entire Westchester county.

However, if you are looking for a gourmet pizza, read this post on Fortina. Their Luigi Bianco is mouth-watering come-again good. Sorry, buddy, I am too much of an elitist.

This experience took place at

Roma Restaurant
29 Columbus Ave.
Tuckahoe, NY 10707
914-961-3175

Fortina in Rye Brook, NY – Wood Fired Oven Pizza and An Impromptu Octopus Dish Ranking

I found myself in the Rye Brook location of Fortina three weeks ago during a freezing night in February. It was past nine and the restaurant was empty. The Rye Brook location, in comparison to that of Armonk, is much more open and has better parking options. Fortina is known for the wood-fired oven pizza and its simple Italian cooking. Click here for my previous post. A friend I went with apparently taught the Fortina owner Social Studies in a Bronx high school! Look at that – our inner City education system can actually churn out entrepreneurs!

Spicy Olives – Simple? Yes. Spicy? Yes. Need to spit out the pits? Yes. Good snacks for in between dishes? Yes.

There was also supposed to be Wood-Fired Polpo with white beans, olives, and salumi vinaigrette but I forgot to take a photo. Usually, this only happens when I am too excited about the food or the situation! The octopus dish was excellent, too little to share in fact. We ate it very quickly. I am a big fan of the octopus in every which way. Of all the octopus dishes I have eaten that are shared on this blog, here is the ranking: #Octopus

Salt and Fat in Sunnyside, NY (in squid ink. Yum.)
Osteria Laguna Bar and Restaurant in Manhattan, NY (with white bean paste)
Zero Otto Nove in Armonk, NY / Roberto’s in the Bronx (grilled and a bit charred)
Fortina in Rye, NY (with white bean paste). This post here.
Buena Vista Bistro, Miami, FL (grilled with butter)
Casa Mono in NYC (tapas and too greasy)
Kalbi House in White Plains, NY (wok-fried with noodles)

This is the Spicy Meatball Pizza with Fortina, pickled cherry peppers. Do you see a theme here? We like spicy food.

A virgin mojito that is entirely way too syrupy and soda like. But it does wash out the meatball and the octopus taste from your mouth.

Would I return? Absolutely. We should always support entrepreneurs in this economy.

This experience took place at

Fortina

136 South Ridge Street
Rye Ridge Shopping Center
Rye Brook, NY
914-937-0900

Fortina in Armonk, NY – Straight Forward Italian Food, Cooked in Wood-Fired Ovens

Fortina is an Italian food and pizza restaurant and a relative newcomer to the Armonk restaurant scene. It opened in May 2014. As an Armonk resident, I watched people flood to the restaurant and I heard my friends’ reviews after they went there. I did not go to Fortina until December last year and was very pleasantly surprised by how good the food is and how vibrant the bar scene is.

I was there during a weeknight after 8pm. The place was packed with couples, families, and friends. First thing I noticed when I entered the restaurant was how many good-looking men were at the bar. That is not typical of Armonk. 🙂 I also noticed many good-looking women with their friends at the tables; now, that’s Armonk!

The wait staff was friendly and quick to respond. The music played was the 80s with large screen TVs on the wall. The atmosphere was very lively and loud. It’s not so great if you want an intimate conversation but it is great for large party socialization.

Classic Margherita – tomato, basil, mozzarella. Since this was my first time, I wanted something simple and classic just in case they screw it up. I went for the margherita pizza. It was so much better than expected. Wood-fired oven is KING. The pizza was very yummy and was shared happily.

Tortelloni – sweet potato, brown butter, pecans, parmesan. This was lovely. The sweet potato inside the tortelloni was just sweet enough to satisfy and left a desire to eat a second mouth full. Well done, Fortina.

Fortina really lived up to their slogan – Straight Forward Italian Food, Cooked in Wood-Fired Ovens. It was good. I would recommend it for simple eating and for meeting new people at the bar. 🙂

This experience took place at

Fortina Pizza
17 Maple Ave
Armonk, NY 10504
914 273 0900
FortinaPizza@Gmail.com

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