Back during the holidays, on a Saturday night when the shoppers were out in full force, we made the BIG mistake of not making a dinner reservation. Turned away at several places, we finally took our chances at Il Fornaio’s Risotteria (the smaller downstairs location, not the more formal upstairs–and what we refer to as “baby” Fornaio).

Noticing two seats at the counter overlooking the sous chefs and busy line, we asked if they were available. And, very luckily for us, they were!

Above is the always-dependable Insalata di Spinaci–Fresh organic baby spinach, along with walnuts, mushrooms, applewood-smoked bacon, tomatoes, onions, and aged ricotta, tossed with balsamic vinaigrette.

And here’s the Minestrone Soup that comes from “big” Fornaio that our server was nice enough to go up and fetch for us.

Spaghetti al Frutti di Mare–Long, thin pasta with clams, mussels, scallops, squid, shrimp, tomato, garlic,
chili flakes, marinara, and white wine was my main. While not loaded with seafood, the tomato sauce was rich and satisfying, and I took home half the pasta for the next night’s seafood soup.

Pollo allo Spiedo–rotisserie chicken served with a plume of rosemary–was a large portion and perfectly cooked. Sautéed kale and roasted potatoes were ample sides.

A bottle of Ripasso (sometimes considered a sister wine to Amarone) went down far too easily and soon we found ourselves making our way through the madding crowds and back into the cold wintery night.