Forza! - Edmonton, AB

I rarely make the trip out to Sherwood Park, but I will follow my stomach anywhere for the promise of good Italian food. Forza! Pasta Bar is a relative newcomer, having opened in July 2012. I had never heard of it until it popped up on Groupon, but with a number of positive reviews on Urbanspoon we decided to give Forza! a try. Per Google maps, it was supposed to be only a 25 minute drive, but construction at every turn led us onto unpaved roads and out of Edmonton city boundaries. By the time we reached Forza!, we were all exhausted and hoping the food would be good enough to make up for the trip. From the outside, I wasn't sure what to expect as Forza! is located in the middle of an unremarkable strip mall.   

Inside, Forza! is very simply decorated, with a few sparse pictures and plainly set tables. There is a chalkboard menu along one wall where you can order at the counter, but we opted to take a seat at one of the tables where a waitress brought us paper menus and greeted us pleasantly. The menu was simple and short: a daily soup, some salad options, four pre-assembled options such as lasagna, and a pick-and-choose of pasta type and sauce. There were a number of tomato-based sauces, but I was disappointed to see that the only choices for white sauces were alfredo, primavera (vegetables), or tuna, none of which appealed to me. I settled on the Gigi with pappardelle: prosciutto & mushrooms in a rose sauce. Other choices at the table included gnocchi with pesto (basil & garlic sauce) and pappardelle ragu d'Agnello (lamb in a tomato sauce). For only $3 more there was the option of adding a side soup or salad, so we decided to try out both the soup of the day and Caprese salad. 

After we ordered, the waitress brought a basket of bread. It came with the individually packaged butters you might find at a cafeteria, which seemed a little odd. Our sides came fairly quickly, and we were impressed by the size of both the soup and salad - I'd be curious to see just how large an entree size would be! The stracciatella (a clear soup with egg, spinach, zucchini, and Parmesan) was light and nicely seasoned. I always love the combination of rich mozzarella and fresh tomato, but I thought the Caprese salad had too much balsamic vinegar. I ended up dipping my bread in the bowl to soak some of it up, which is actually how I prefer my bread in any case. 

Our pastas were soon brought to the table. I really enjoyed the Gigi sauce, which was rich and tasty without being too filling. I did find my pappardelle noodles a little overcooked, however, as they were quite soft. Another friend had ordered the Gigi with linguine, and his noodles were cooked to a perfect al dente texture. If you can see from the picture below, the serving of linguine was also much larger than the serving of pappardelle. It seems Forza! could stand to improve its consistency.


The gnocchi had a light pillowy texture, and  paired well with the pesto, which was seasoned nicely. The lamb ragu sauce had a very strong lamb flavor, which I didn't particularly care for, but my friend seemed to think it was just right. His pappardelle, much like mine, was a little too soft.

Overall, I think Forza! is a good option for anyone in the area, although I am not sure I would go that far out of my way to return. The food is cheap and tasty, with pastas ranging from $9 - $12.50, although I would have appreciated the option of adding a meat or seafood to my dish. The sauces had meats incorporated into them, but I almost felt that I needed something more substantial to bite into than just pasta. Nonetheless, the sauces were full of flavor and we all enjoyed our meals. Over time, as Forza! finds its footing and expands its menu, it would also be nice to see some dessert options offered as they currently only carry ice cream.

*If you're interested in trying Forza for yourself, Groupon currently has a $10 for $20 deal here

Top Pick of the Night: Linguine with Gigi Sauce

Rating:

3/5 Erics