Scott D.
Yelp
We've been looking for a new (to us) little Italian spot for those times when we're craving authentic Italian food but don't want all the fuss, crowds, cost, and parking hassles of a Federal Hill place. Il Fornello fits the bill nicely.
Hidden away in a modest working class neighborhood, the place is relatively small with questionable décor choices featuring rails all over the place made of gas pipe fittings... Kinda tacky but whatever. The dimmed lighting comes off as dingy rather than intimate, but once you get situated and start looking at your menu and dinner companions, it hardly matters.
A lot of the appetizers sounded appealing but they promptly brought out their incredibly fresh focaccia bread with EVOO and family-style salad, so we opted to just order entrees. Probably smart but I'm now craving snail salad!
We settled on a Scrod Francaise, Chicken Parm, and a Chicken Princess (artichoke/red pepper/olives/cheese).
The fish was noticeably fresh and the egg batter coating was pretty as a picture. The Chicken Parm came with 2 flawlessly breaded breasts that were moist and delicious. Our son loved the Chicken Princess and raved about how well the side vegetables were cooked.
My wife and I intentionally ordered simple dishes out of an abundance of caution, but looking around everything looked good. The chef's "love" showed in all of our dishes and every other one we saw go by. Next time we'll be more adventurous.
Service was casual but attentive. Other patrons (mostly younger folks out on affordable dates) all seemed happy and most took home leftovers. Overall, just what we were looking for.