Lucy K.
Yelp
This review will highlight 3 items in the "Fork Forty" food hall in downtown Salem. I have been in Salem for approximately 6 months. I am 4th generation Italian born and raised in Chicago. I grew up with favorites like homemade everything, and the local Italian store for pantry staples was a normal thing for me. For foodies that live in the middle of nowhere in hopes of a culinary treat, you will know exactly what I'm about to say. My husband and I have been scouring the landscape for 6 months here. He is a native Oregonian. If you've never had authentic Italian, you would never know what you're missing.
Fork 40's first item [and the primary reason we went in tonight] was for La Lucciola. Hubby read the owner was from Wisconsin. And I thought to myself "a real cheesehead? ..no really.. a REAL cheesehead?'. I am a proud FIB. Our neighboring state rivalries are legend. They have the best cheese and beer, but we have the best Italian/pizza in the Midwest. We have the Bears, they have the Packers.. I could go on and on. So we went in, placed our order, got 1 caprese salad [there is real truth in fresh herbs versus the jarred crap and I wanted to taste more than just the pizza], and 1 meat lovers, and 1 four cheese. We watched him take fresh dough out of his containers and make it in a real brick pizza oven. And while it looked fancy, I was not impressed. Until I started noticing how he was making the pizza, the fact he used fresh mozzarella instead of shredded, and he was looking at the bottom of the crust like a mechanic checks under the hood. A spark of excitement went through me! I got up and said to him "so.. I hear you're a cheesehead". He said..yes, yes I am. I then replied I'm a FIB, he laughed and said "I have no idea what that is" with a grin.. we know what it is, we don't talk about it. I then said.. do you know how hard it is to find REAL pizza here.. He laughed again and said "I hope you like it". We gathered our goodies and headed home. We got home, we sat down.. we opened our boxes and we took a bite. Is it the BEST pizza nationwide? No. Is it the BEST PIZZA IN SALEM.. HELL to the yes it is. I DARE you to find something better, because you won't. Fresh ingredients, fresh basil, fresh mozz, salty cured meats that flashed me back to walking into the mom and pop Italian store where I grew up as a little girl. WELL DONE LA LUCCIOLA!!!!
The second and third review was for the steak bao sandwich at the chubby panda? We ordered the crab ragoons [only 3 to an order] but it came with this jalapeno infused sweet jam? I can't take heat, I'm a total whimp but this was not about heat folks, this was about flavor. Think of elevated sweet and sour sauce without burning your mouth. Man.. was it good. The sandwich? I'd never had one. At first glance, it's a meh.. it looks like some meat, on some weird white bread..with some condiments. Wrong again..its salty, its light, there is a crunch, there is a slight sweetness, and its just enough to keep you coming back for more.
What a great environment. So much more fun than the local sit down restaurants of days gone by. This place is YUMMY. So get out and support those locals!!!