Philadelphia PA: Cucina Forte

When I went online to look for an interesting little Italian place for dinner, the consensus pick seemed to be Cucina Forte. It's in northern South Philly with a simple but inviting interior. The restaurant is family run, with Maria in the back cooking.

All the reviews stressed the gnocchi, so I ordered the sampler plate. Gnocchi can be hard to find, so I always consider it fun, but these were truly outstanding. My sampler had both kinds of gnocchi---one with spinach and the other with Parmesan---as well as both sauces---cream and red. The gnocchi were pillowy soft and very absorbent; I could see air bubbles in the gnocchi when I cut into them. I would love to know how she makes them so light and fluffy.

For my main course I ordered veal saltimbocca. It was quite good, with a great sauce that I sopped up with everything at my disposal.

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