Review: Al Forno

 My boyfriend, my brother and I went to Al Forno on Saturday to
 celebrate my birthday. We've been there three or four times before,
 and have always had great experiences. This one was no exception.

 We decided after our last visit that while everything at Al Forno is
 good, the grilled pizza appetizer and the desserts are truly,
 consistently, outstanding, and that the dinner entrees are just
 good. So we made a meal of pizza and dessert. I highly recommend it.

 We arrived around 5:30 -- they opened at 4:00 (which seems earlier
 than last year). One hour wait for dinner. So we put our names in and
 went outside the the courtyard for drinks and pizza.

 Side note: the courtyard is currently operating at a very basic level
 -- only drinks and pizza, and only cash (or gift certificates). They
 said they'll be opening it up to a broader menu (and credit, I think)
 in a few weeks.

 The weather was great -- one of the first days where it was nice
 enough to be outside in the early evening. We ordered three grilled
 pizzas with spicy oil -- one for each of us. As usual, they were
 outstanding. (The other pizza option was the pizza marinara.) In
 particular, on one of the pizzas the crust was more thin than usual,
 which made it wonderfully crunchy.

 Service was excellent. When we went out to the courtyard, there was no
 one else there, and by the time we were done with pizzas, the
 courtyard was overfull. Pizzas abounded. :)

 We went inside about 10 minutes before they'd told us our table would
 be ready (around 6:15-6:20). It ended up taking about another 20-25
 minutes to get seated. (We'd told them we'd only be having dessert
 inside, but I don't think that had any effect on how long it took to
 get seated.)

 After much deliberation, we ordered desserts. (Actually, we ordered
 enough desserts for 6 people. *blush* Each one was "for two".) And
 coffee, for the approx. 45 minute wait for dessert. (They make all but
 one dessert fresh for you, including ice cream.)

 My brother ordered the apple crisp tart, which was good but not nearly
 as good as the apple tarte tartin, which has always been on their menu
 but disappeared for some reason. What I love about Al Forno's desserts
 is the freshness and the fruit -- very little extra sweetening, and
 the fruit flavor is always the main plyaer. The apple tart was a
 little too focused -- cranberries or rhubarb might have added a little
 excitement. Still great, but we ranked it third.

 I ordered the lemon meringue tart, which was wonderful. Very thin
 slices of lemon and filling with a huge mound of meringue. Very little
 sweetening in the body of the tart, since the meringue took care of
 the sugar. Excellent dessert.

 My boyfriend ordered the cherry and almond dessert. Incredible. Easily
 the best dessert I have ever had. And I'm not big on cherries on
 almonds. It would be a great winter dessert, very warm and sweet and
 nutty. Comfort food. Just to die for. I was making happy faces all
 while eating it while my brother laughed at me. Wow.

 It worked out to about $100 for the three of us. Price to quality
 ratio is excellent. Price to amount is good, but it was definitely a
 light meal (but we pigged out on dessert). We plan on going down to
 Providence on a regular basis during the summer for early dinners. And
 when the courtyard is open, we can eat the whole meal outside (albeit
 with a limited dessert menu).

 I'm not a coffee person, but coffee was very good as well.

 My only complaint with Al Forno is the wait. When we were inside
 waiting for our dessert table, there was a 2.5 hour wait for a table
 of 2. But no one said "no." Definitely best to get there when they
 open, or to plan an activity between putting your name in and sitting
 down.

 I give Al Forno my highest recommendations. Definitely get the grilled
 pizza as an appetizer (or as your meal). And you can't make a mistake
 with the desserts.

 Yum.

 -Crystal