Forte at Symphony Center

I love this restaurant, the space is roomy, the staff is friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the food they are serving. Now the food, when it arrives at your table and you first see it it will look amazing. Your food will be plated to look fantastic. I had the roasted lamb, it was outstanding. Everyone had something different and we all sampled each other's food, from lamb, tuna, shrimp and pork, it was all delicious. Lastly, was the after dinner cocktails. I had an espresso martini, others had the same or chocolate martinis and they were perfect. The price point is understandable because of location, but even so, I will be coming back for some great service and fantastic food.

My husband and I came in for brunch on Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Everything we tried was delicious and well priced for a brunch in the heart of the city. Chef Leo has created a menu that has a nice balance of sweet and savory options with a little something for everyone. Highly recommend the Shakshouka and adding on the donut!

Overall, fairly well done for a newly opened spot in the loop attached to Symphony Center! The atmosphere is more fine dining than hip, which will likely resonate with the symphony crowd, but not sure about days when the symphony isn't in residence. There were a few misses, however. First, there were missing ingredients on one of my dishes. Second, the kitchen was out of some items (cauliflower steak and espresso). Third, the kitchen added chicken to my salad, which I didn't request (extra ingredients?!). Fourth, there are very few plant friendly items on the menu - Vegans and Vegetarians beware. Finally, the cocktails were watered down and took too long to arrive. This is Chicago!! Speed up delivery of the cocktails/wine. The food I received was well paced (mezze style). While the service may have been a bit too casual for some patrons, I enjoyed the more personal interaction. Oh! One last item: the dessert I ordered - candied orange and dark chocolate torte - was NOT (and I mean NOT!) dark chocolate. If you're looking for something rich, dark, and not overly sweet, skip it.

Been coming to CSO for many years but first time visiting Forte. The amesphere was terrific and the food was awesome too. The wait staff was wonderful. Will for sure to make this a pre- or post- concert stop😋 Back in Chicago for another Hilary Hahn concert. Had dinner after the concert and just liked the last time... food and service were good 😋

It was amazing to experience the first Brunch. I was amazed for the menu. Very tasty and worth to try it. We will definitely come back.

One of the most amazing experiences and fine dining we've had! The food was delectable and the service was exceptional, fun and refreshing! Both are craveable to say the least and we will definitely be back!! Mayra was one of the best servers we've ever had!! She was real, and fun and still perfectly professional!! (I hope her shirt held up all night!! ;) ) The filet was perfectly medium rare but some how they got a wonderful grilled crust on it!! And the herb pistou is to DIE for! I still don't understand how they cooked the green beans perfectly, crunchy and delish and they were still hot!! The Rigatoni is hands down one of the best dishes ever! We took the leftover sauce home to spread on bread or anything we could think of, yes, it's that good!!! Forte is the PERFECT title for this dining experience!! 😊😊😊

The restaurant is convenient to Orchestra Hall, which is why we chose it. But it was by far the worst meal we’ve had in Chicago. The prix fixe menu was limited, and expensive. Bread and olives were brought, the bread had a yellow “blob” on top of each piece - which turned out to be a warm cherry tomato? The olive oil wasn’t good quality, and tasted a little old. I ordered a fig and spinach salad, which was served in a small flat bowl that made cutting the spinach difficult. The salmon was good, though somewhat undercooked. The couscous was as dry as a bone - and kind of crunchy, which was weird, and the green beans were raw - not even warm. I had raspberry sorbet for dessert and it tasted like it had been pre-scooped and frozen in the serving dish so its flavor was diminished. All in all, I can’t recommend this restaurant.

Amazing Mediterranean restaurant in the loop, they serve very authentic dishes😍 In love with their dining menu and mezze-style starters, chef Leo is so creative 💕 everything was perfect ☺️ I tried the following: Cocktails: Xyz The apprentice Espresso martini Appetizers: SAGANAKI HALLOUMI MUHAMMARA ROASTED WALNUT & RED PEPPER DIP Courses: TAGLIATELLE Miso Butter Baked Halibut Dessert CREMe de CATALANA Lemon tart

Amazing Mediterranean restaurant in the loop, they serve very authentic dishes In love with their dining menu and mezze-style starters, chef Leo is so creative everything was perfect I tried the following: Cocktails: Xyz The apprentice Espresso martini Appetizers: SAGANAKI HALLOUMI MUHAMMARA ROASTED WALNUT & RED PEPPER DIP Courses: TAGLIATELLE Miso Butter Baked Halibut Dessert CREMe de CATALANA Lemon tart

Finally, another restaurant has opened at Symphony Center, as it had been a pretty long time between the previous iteration (Opus, which was previously Tesori) and this current one. While it is nice to have a dining option at Symphony Center, making it a convenient choice for concert evenings, the food still isn't that great, while being pretty pricey as well. The menu features Mediterranean cuisine and while it wasn't horrible (the pita/mezze were ok), I think I could still get much better food elsewhere for much lower costs. Hopefully for the new orchestra season, the menu/cooking will be revamped and improved.

Regrettably, I must rescind my previous provisional 4* rating for Forte based on a couple more visits. Their new prix fixe format is not an improvement. The recent issues for me were service and food. SERVICE: We were greeted cordially by our server as soon as we were seated, and she brought the complementary focaccia and olives very quickly. When she returned to take our order, we stressed that we wanted the entrees delivered AFTER the starters; she assured us that that would be the case, and I ordered a glass of wine. The starters arrived, but the wine did not. By this time, the dining room was filling up, and our server disappeared. Before we had finished our starters, the entrees showed up. Sigh. We flagged down another staff member to inquire about the wine. Our server then showed up, graciously apologized about the wine and the failed coursing. We ate our lukewarm entrees. FOOD: The meals were not worth the $55 we paid for each. My salad was delicious, to be sure, but was crammed into a smallish bowl, overflowing so that it was impossible to eat gracefully. My companion's lentil soup was delicious, all two ounces of it. My pulled lamb entrée contained a smallish portion of OK lamb on a large pile of under-cooked couscous with a side of meh pitas. My companion's baked cod was delicious, but tiny. Quite a mixed bag, all told. I appreciate the convenience of Forte to Symphony Center. I also understand the challenge of serving a large seating of diners who are mostly all going to leave at the same time to attend a concert. However, Forte needs to solve its portioning, pacing and service problems if it hopes to regain my business. I'm not inclined to return.

I've dithered for a while about what I think of Forte. First, it's in Symphony Center. Which is super convenient if you're going to a concert at Symphony Center. Especially when it is ungodly cold out. Which, of course, it often is. Lots of points for the location. Second, the room is great. It's the kind of restaurant environment you see in movies and think, Why don't I go to restaurants that look like that? It's understated and clean and sophisticated. More points there. Servers were friendly and attentive. That's nice. I really wish the server had not, in the course of explaining why we probably shouldn't expect the food to come out in a normal order, told us that the foods were meant to be shared. If your server tells you that, scoff at him. Because that is simply not true. As a result of believing our server, we ended up awkwardly handing around a modest portion of pappardelle among four of us. Like a bunch of suckers. In fact, after splitting a few appetizers, most of which were not substantial enough to split meaningfully among four people, we asked our server about which entrees were good for sharing, and he effectively said, "Uh, none of them..." But we we were in too deep by then and had a concert to get to. The food itself also kind of lies. Some of it is just not all that Mediterranean. Which-- okay, fine. Some of it is not what it claims to be. The fig and gorgonzola focaccia is tasty, but that bread is really not focaccia. Calling a dessert "Bach-lava" might make you think it's baklava, but it's more like a trifle with a heap of shredded phyllo for the top layer. Another layer is a thick, creamy substance unmentioned on the menu. The "Bee-thoven" cocktail got mixed reviews from us. We asked the server if it was medicinal, and he said no. But you know what? You can't mix chamomile, lemon, and honey and not end up with something that tastes like a popular herbal cough drop. Our bad. We half-guessed and ordered it anyway. And I'm not saying the Grand Marnier cream promised with the chocolate orange tart was Cool Whip. I'm just saying it tasted like Cool Whip. Don't order it if you're looking forward to Grand Marnier cream and would not be happy to have something very much like Cool Whip. The Dirty Forte cocktail was delicious for real martini lovers. But days later, I still lie awake at night, haunted by the question of why something that tasted that much like olives wouldn't have an olive in it. Just put an olive in it, guys. Here's the thing: The food is good at Forte. They are, however, really screwing themselves with stupid little things. Admit your chamomile-lemon-honey cocktail tastes like liquid Ricola. Stop calling the bread focaccia. Stop implying the trifle is baklava. Stop promising me Grand Marnier cream. And for the love of all that is holy, stop saying the food is meant for sharing when it mostly, really is not. It is not asking too much to expect appetizers to arrive before entrees. Restaurants from time immemorial have been doing it, and you can do it too. I fully expect to return to Forte because it's crazy convenient, the food is good, and surely they will pull themselves together and sort out their kitchen timing. I will not, however, give them infinite chances to get it together. It's a great space, but it's not the only restaurant in the Loop.

What a convenient and delightful place to eat for or after a symphony. It's attached to Symphony Hall so you can walk inside to eat. It's open every day, not just when the symphony is doing a concert. The menu had nice choices and the dining room is open and airy. The service was excellent too. The 2 of us stopped after a rehearsal for a light dinner. I had the Fattoush salad with perfectly cooked salmon. I had to look up the salad type since I had never heard of it. It's a Lebanese salad that was delicious! The other was the Salad Nicoise which was also delicious. We both had a refreshing Rose to top of our meal.

Highly recommend this spot for a pre-orchestra or pre‐theatre dinner. Grab a reservation for sure, I have a feeling this place is going to be busy once word gets out. It was relatively quiet on a Thursday at 5:30 which surprised me. Food comes out fast! Our server was delightful, flexible and very knowledgeable. Everything we had was delicious. Recommend the dolmas and rigatoni pasta!

I sure hope the symphony gets a good cut of the take at this place. The quality of the food would be disappointing at half the price. Friendly staff does not make up for overcooked pasta or undercooked rice. Luckily the place is inside the symphony building and provides an easy way to get to your seats. So one star for that. But next time we'll bring sandwiches to eat in the lobby.

Had an *incredible meal* at Forte last night thanks to Chef Stephanie and the team, all of whom are just so awesome and super hospitable. The food, service, ambiance, location are on point and Forte is going to be one of my standbys heading into the new year. Highlights of my meal: Gorgeous Fattoush Salad Whipped Feta and Hummus w/ fresh Pita Amazing Italy-Made Focaccia (Omg could have finished entire plate by myself) Chickpea Cakes - My FAVORITE chickpea fry / cake ever Brick Oven PEI Mussels were next level Spanish Octopus was on point, smoky and tender Rigatoni was a hug for the belly Lamb Shank was rich and smoky Cod was fresh and flavorful The dessert omg. What little room I had after the meal was used to sample divine molten chocolate cake, a lighter pistachio / strawberry mousse and a sophisticated orange and coffee cake. Can't wait to go back!

We have dined a few times since the reopening. Very convenient to CSO. Pre fixe menu works well for timing and has good options. You can have a three course meal with cocktails in 1:00. Good,although small sized cocktails. Meals are portioned for comfort while sitting for 2:00 after (meaning not large). Service was very friendly. Our only complaint is the food being brought by a delivery person means no chance to order a wine with the entree. Please either come back to the table and check before or at least during delivery so we can enjoy wine with the meal. Forte is missing out on another drink order per table.

I visited this restaurant on Thursday September 21st at 6:00pm. I noticed right away, that the restaurant was clean and nicely appointed. My checkin at the reception desk was less than stellar. The host couldn't find my reservation and i had to give them my name at least three times. They seemed to be surprised that I was dining alone. Then they seated me. I waited at my table for about 5 minutes before the water steward filled the water glasses. Again, I noted that I was dining alone and she just said oh and walked away. About 10 minutes after seating the server came by and asked who I was waiting for, and again, I had to explain that I was dining alone (again another surprised look) she put the menus down and started to walk away. I said I knew what I was going to order already. She took the food and drink order. Then they came back and took the extra glass of water and refilled mine. The server returned about 20 minutes after seating to bring the focaccia bread and to let me know the bar was backed up and my drink would be up soon. I finished the bread and they brought the salad portion of the meal. Someone from the front desk returned to ask what my name on the reservation was (I'm beyond done with answering that question), 25 minutes after being seated. I finally got my drink a half hour after being seated and my salmon entre arrived shortly there after. There was a table of three women across from me and they ended up leaving before i was done eating because they hadn't gotten any food and of course didn't want to miss the concert (the were there before me). I actually ate fast so I could finish and make my way over to the concert. The fastest they were was in handling the bill and taking payment. I didn't expect a dinner for 1 taking over an hour but it did. For $90 including tip, i expected much more from what's supposed to be fine dining. The food was good but definitely on the pricey side for what you get (Prix fixe menu for $55 a person). The cocktail was $10 which i guess isn't bad for a non-alcoholic drink. All in all it was just ok. perhaps service will get better but there are way too many disconnects there for me to make a return visit. Good thing there are other options in the area.

I am so happy that there is a hip, elegant space right inside Symphony Center! The service has been really great the several times I've popped in, and they make a textbook Negroni. I find the menu very attractive and the food surprisingly good, including many vegetarian options which I appreciate it. I just wish they could stay open past the end of concerts, but I realize it might not be economically feasible.

Sorry to give this 2 stars. I've gone three times, each time hoping it would be better than the last. It's so convenient to be dine here before a concert, but two out of three times we have almost been late to the show despite dining an hour and a half earlier. The restaurant seems understaffed. Servers not in hurry to notice diners and everything - I mean everything - takes an extremely long time. Food is hit or miss and very expensive. We were excited to try the steak on the pre fixe menu, but they only had 6 steaks in the restaurant that Saturday night and they were all gone by 6pm. All staff are very kind. For the price, the food, service and ambiance are not worth it. For the location, you can't beat it.

Easy way to dine before CSO. Nice fresh menu with light options so you don't fall asleep at the concert!

If I could give Forte more than 5 stars I would! Went there on a Saturday night with some friends and we can't stop talking about this place! The food was phenomenal and the all around atmosphere was simply perfect for us. Starting with the appetizers, you are missing out if you don't order the lamb meatballs. They are to die for and an absolute game changer! We also got the Katafi shrimp, hummus, and eggplant caponata - all so delicious, my friend was scraping the bowl of the caponata getting every last bite :) For the mains, we ordered the pappardelle, rigatoni, braised lamb, and hanger steak. Like the appetizers, all perfect. Just perfect. The portion sizes were great and all had so much flavor. Lastly the dessert! We had the Bach-lava (love the name choice!), olive oil cake, warm double chocolate cake, and strawberry and pistachio mousse. Literally the best dessert I've had in a long time! I would 1000% come back for any of these

We've had bad luck dining at the Symphony Center. The latest restaurant iteration describes itself as Mediterranean but is anything but. Mary's roasted chicken was much closer to stewed and was accompanied by gloppy vegetables swimming in liquid. My $40+ lamb was supposed to be accompanied by Eggplant Caponata, Corn Pudding and Lamb Jus; there was no eggplant, no Jus, and just a large portion of sloppy Joe-like lamb over a bed of a very white and tasteless mashed substance. The fried feta with honey appetizer was tasty but that was it; $150! more or less for a very forgettable (hopefully) experience. This is not part of any Mediterranean I want to visit again.

The kitchen is not well organized, and the hostess forgot to ask us if we would be going to the concert. Our order came to the table incomplete, and we could notice waiters walking around the place with hot plates looking for who ordered them. Then we were given the check even with one person left to be served and only half of our items at the table we started laughing because was similar to the one on Fraiser's when he is giving the check before ordering! S2.E.23 The place feels crowded, and the tables are too close to each other The front of the house was trying its best, but I could tell it was the kitchen problem getting the food scattered. The quality of the food was average fast food, with no flavor and no consistency; the chicken was seared wrong, letting all the juices escape, thus getting it all dry to the table. The experience was like eating from an average catering company, and when we got the check, we realized why; the restaurant is managed by Levy, which Compass owns. I would never know why the Chicago Symphony Orchestra insists on giving the restaurant and The Club to catering companies to administrate them. It has been a fiasco every single time because of the off-premise catering business model. Why not offer the restaurant to a chef; I think Ramsey, Rick Baleys, or other chefs would be interested in using such a prime location in Chicago. And eating before the concert? I would prefer to eat afterward and go over the concert. So, if you are team, "eat before the concert", go to another place and calculate your times, if you insist on the convenience of eating in a place close to the symphony hall, well there is the Russian Tea right there.

Drinks came quickly but we waited a long time for our dinners. One entree that should. have been hot was barely tepid. When it was heated and returned to the table, the vegetable side was missing. We requested a side never appeared. Food was mediocre and paltry, and wait staff were unavailable. Seems both kitchen and floor are very short-staffed, which could explain why there weren't many diners, despite the concert at Symphony Hall last night. Won't be back any time soon, despite being regular concert goers.

Everything was amazing I loved the service it was just so pleasant great work most definitely going back

just now NEW I made a reservation at 5:30 p.m. so we could attend a 7:30 p.m. performance. Our food never arrived. Our family had saved room with a light lunch so that we could enjoy this special occasion. It was difficult to enjoy the performance when everyone was hungry and irritable. We were billed $75 for our soft drinks and wine. The manager said our food was served to the wrong table. (we had been poliyely inquiring throughout and promised it would be "right up".). The server said they would like to "pay for our entrees" which was laughable, since it had never arrived. No apologies. And, no Happy Birthday.

Went for a special dinner occasion. Everything was perfect. The food was delicious. Entire crew of staff and hostess were attentive. Highly recommended for celebrating special events.

Very unsatisfactory meal. Nice service to get our order but abandoned us after that (even hard to get our check in a timely manner). And the food - just not well executed and served cool-cold (people at next table also complained and got a replacement meal, sadly also cold. The rice in the veg kabob was raw and crunchy. The vegetables under my cool halibut were also underdone. Too bad location is so convenient to symphony center, but we won't be returning to Forte. And final straw is that price is expensive for what you get!

Wonderful! The service was attentive and the food was awesome. We had the fennel and arugula salad, chickpea cakes, squid and cauliflower steak. All was cooked and seasoned well! I love that this gem is at Symphony Center and we will definitely be back when we go see CSO!

This place is unconscionably overpriced Especially considering what it is. Yes they gave us complimentary focaccia and olives but in the large scheme of things that made no difference. Because we were seated in the regular dining room we were stuck with a $55 per person 2 course meal. I had made the reservation on Rezy but that site did not offer the explanatory information about price fixed nor did it specify that had we sat in the front part of the restaurant we could have ordered from the identical menu ala crate and actually chosen some of the "bar snacks" options that sounded yummy-- like artichokes. I am a vegetarian and other vegetarian options on the menu are limited. (Our server did not understand that fish is NOT vegetarian which is odd.) . We ordered the lentil soup which , while absolutely delicious, came in a tiny coffee cup sized bowl that couldn't have been more than 3 ounces. So that was course #1 of the $55 dollar odyssey. I then ordered halloumi vegetable kabob. OMG---too much halloumi and barely any vegetables! What is that about?. Don't put vegetables in the name if there's just a slice of zucchini and a cherry tomato. That's just wrong! It also was not very appetizing in appearance (very off white color) and came on a bed of WAY undercooked rice. Caveat: the soup, entrees and coffees were served lukewarm. Alas, most underwhelming for $55. My companion had the butter cod and did not enjoy it. What a bust! While it's a convenient spot for concert goers, it's really not a place to which I'd return. And I REALLY wanted to love it...or at least like it. Oh well.

What lousy service at a restaurant in this prime location! We have had the same experience on two separate occasions before CSO concerts. The first, we thought, was an outlier. But the second unfortunately and unbelievably mirrored the first. The staff and kitchen seem to be not equipped to deal with the concert rush. On each occasion, the two managers were running around trying to make order out of chaos. We arrived at 6pm at left when our entrees were not on our table by 7:10pm. (the concert began at 7:30pm) It was clear that the tables around us had the same experience. Incorrect meals were returned and not replaced. Managers were 'comping" meals at other tables. If the CSO management has any involvement in this shoddy operation, they need to make immediate changes, as their patrons' evenings are begun on a sour note,

My husband and I were at Forte yesterday, 5/6/23, and the first thing my husband said on walking in, was "This place is not going to last long." I second the motion. There's no ambience to the place. Looks sterile and mediocre. Service staff are not trained. Servers looked unprofessional despite their aprons. When my husband asked for a single malt, the server did not know what that was. We had to explain as she said she would have to check in the back. Then she came back and recited names of what was served, reading from her restaurant device, so my husband just looked at it and told her what he wanted from the list. She asked if he wanted ice, and he said just a little. And guess what, we were charged $2.00 for the "little" ice in his drink. We should have known something was off when they served water without ice and left a carafe with just water without ice at our table. Even fast food joints offer ice with a drink!! Where are these people from???? Not to forget: My husband wanted a Malbec with his entree, and she said she didn't know if they had it as they had changed the menu. Well, my husband having had a look at the menu earlier on her device assured her it was still on the menu, and she was indeed able to serve him one. Perhaps, she didn't know what a Malbec was? She didn't even try to find out if indeed they carried any?? Next, she told us about the food arriving as it was prepared, so an appetizer may arrive after the entrée. Really?? So, we asked that we be served the appetizer first, which was an option mentioned by her. But we had to request it. Why bother, if indeed one could have an appetizer before the entrée. "Appetizer" denotes something to eat to work up an appetite BEFORE the main coarse. (Symphony Centre, please take note: language matters for clarity, and also imparts some refinement and education.) To carry on: the waitress asked my husband how he wanted the fish cooked, "well done, medium or rare." My husband with a laugh: "Just right." Make what you will of this. Then to be kind, he clarified he wanted it cooked well. It turned out alright and the mint sauce with it did add some flavor. My Bolognese pasta seemed like it came from a can. First time I've been served Bolognese with pea sized preformed nuggets of ground meat, a few here and there to be spied among the noodles. When the entrees were served, we weren't brought any flatware, and had to ask the waitress to get us some, and be hold! She handed the napkin wrapped pieces, over my husband's shoulder from behind the corner "booth" like seat from the aisle that accesses the main dining room in the back of the restaurant. Thinking of doing her a kindness, I asked at an opportune moment, how long she had been working as a waitress. She said 4 or 5 years. Really? When she asked what she had done wrong, I told her with a smile that I wanted to help her, and only with that in mind, she should not hand over flatware from behind a person from the aisle but come around to the table. To which she said, "Oh, I didn't want to keep you waiting." Right around when we were finishing, the waitress, came over with our bill and placed it on the table, and said there was only half hour to go before the symphony, (she had "assumed", rightly, that we were going to the concert) but no offer of bringing the dessert menu to be considered? A loss of revenue for the restaurant! Horror of horrors! (My husband told me subsequently, that a waiter had come to the table next to ours' and had attempted to take away a patron's plate even while he was still eating and had to be stopped!) The tiramisu was very nice indeed. The only plus point of the evening. On leaving the restaurant, I commented to my husband that it felt like we had eaten at a Denny's, that too a failing Denny's. He told me it was worse. We had been charged for the ice at the bottom of his drink to the tune of $2.00! On a warm 70 degree Saturday evening, at such a prime location, the front of the store was completely empty for the entire time we were there. It seemed the crowd at the back of the restaurant were concert goers as they all left when it was about 15 mins. to the show. Forte may indeed not survive. But it is an embarrassment to the Chicago Symphony for being associated with such low standard all around for a such an honored establishment.

My new favorite restaurant. Small plates were all excellent. For our mains we had the cod, cauliflower steaks, pasta, chicken and a salad. We all loved our dishes. Service was excellent.

Has a long way to go. Made a dinner reservation after a Sunday afternoon concert at CSO. Completely charmless hostess, dressed for a quick trip to 7-11, led us to a table and plopped the menus (ink-jet printed on one side of colored construction paper) on the table. Tables are widely-spaced but without table cloths or placemats - more diner than $30 - $50 restaurant. There are no condiments. Nick, our very personable server, did his best to take care of us. My vodka martini was well-made but presented in the smallest of sherry glasses. They were out of 40% of the red wine-by-the-glass offerings - 'manager on vacation'. The shared flatbread was nicely presented but had only a couple of small smears of some sort of jamb and one or two fig-lets. Cracker crust was slightly over done and mostly crumbled on the plate. Fresh silverware was not provided for the main course. Both branzino orders provided one half-fillet with a plop of miscellaneous steamed leaves of some sort along with some fingerling potatoes. The color and variety of the two orders' presentation made each look as though they were different menu selections. The scampi with pappardelle was watery but otherwise fine -- but did not quite live up to Nick's high regard. The only white wine ordered arrived in a normal wine glass filled to about 1/3 and was probably 3 oz at best -- for $15! The room was never more than 2/3 full and the empty section was darkened to minimize the appearance of emptiness. By the time we left at about 6:30, the room was nearly totally empty despite the fact that the concert had been near capacity (for a nice change!). The room is a brighter incarnation of the previous restaurant although the lack of budget shows. It lacks follow-through in its concept (Mediterranean?), staff training, beverage department, and menu execution. We hope someone can take charge and make it a good downtown dining option again.

Absolutely loved Forte! The food and cocktails were amazing! We went there for happy hour and had the grapefruit daiquiri and margarita - well balanced, refreshing drink that'll brighten up anyone's day. We also had the mezze platter, katafi shrimp, crispy goat cheese, Bach-lava and strawberry and pistachio mousse. Hard to pick a favorite with everything we tried. The atmosphere was also very relaxed and service was amazing. Can't wait to come back!

I was so happy to have the restaurant open on a cold winter evening after Sunday concert. Seemed pretty empty, first warning of things to come. The food, when we got it after several complaints, was quite good. The service was terrible . Our waiter was friendly, offered me a taste of a wine, which never materialized. We'd ordered salads and entrees. To do the restaurant week menu, both people had to do it. Salads came Ok, but a bit confusingly. We'd expected to get wine first. One glass of wine came, without mention of which it was, nor of my possible taste. When I inquired, I received a totally different full glass of wine. It seemed to be a problem of which service person did what, and serious lack of coordination or information...some new, uninformed staff. the entrees came much much later, after several requests. Before it materialized, we were giving a hefty "discount", but not an appearance of either waiter or manager to explain or apologize. It was all odd, and unpleasant. I do hope they get their act together, and if they are experiencing problems, they could better explain. It was not clear where the delays occurred. I appreciated the discount, but without any personal explanation, it did not improve the experience. This is an important location, and I am hoping they'll get their act together. On a later visit, I walked in after a Sunday afternoon concert, ate in the bar area, for a light meal. I inquired about the kitchen, and was able to get decent service, without long delays. I avoided the dining room.

We went on a Thu night before the Symphony. The atmosphere was very pleasant as were the various servers that visited our table. I enjoyed everything that we had to eat - the focaccia, chickpea cakes, pappardelle (though should have been served warmer), and cod. My dining partner however felt that the chickpea cakes and the cod were too bland. Most unfortunately, we both felt that the timing of the food delivery was far from ideal. The staff told us (to paraphrase), "the food is meant for sharing and will come up as it is ready from kitchen. this helps people to get to the Symphony on time". However, in our case, this meant that the pappardelle (one main entree) came out way before the cod (other entree) and the chickpea appetizer came last and some time later. This is particularly problematic if one or more members of your party has to sit waiting while others are eating (while the food is still warm). We'll probably give this another try but if the food delivery "problem" is still there, then that'll be it for us.