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17 Maple Avenue Armonk, NY 10504(Map) (914) 273-0900 http://www.fortinapizza.com/
Attendees: Sylvia, Jeffrey
Sylvia
Fortina has been around for a little over a year now. They have been serving brunch for about 10 months. How did it take us so long to visit?
Tucked off the main drag in Armonk, Fortina is a lovely space complete with a long bar, dining room and patio space. The rustic barn look and large open windows along with the ample use of dark toned woods gave it a homey warm feeling.
Online, their brunch menu doesn’t seem much different than their lunch menu. That’s mainly the reason why I’ve been so slow to pay them a proper visit. However, the menus presented had many delightful options that were more on the side of breakfast than lunch.
I was torn between many different choices. Should I go with the eggs in purgatory (fresh eggs, tomato sauce, spicy oil, parm, garlic) or the grilled mortadella pancake (fried eggs, spicy mayo, maple syrup, provolone). The bacon, egg and cheese pizza, which was made with burrata and grape jelly looked intriguing as well! However, with only me and Jeff, there were only two choices that could be made. I opted for the grilled mortadella pancake, while Jeff went for the bacon egg and cheese pizza.
I honestly had no idea what to expect. Jeff’s pizza, I kind of had an idea, although the addition of grape jelly kind of threw me off. We were assured it works and would be delicious.
When the food came out, I was a little blown away. On top of a pizza round, was a thick slice of mortadella. Layered on top were a couple of pancakes and two eggs perfectly fried and runny. On top of everything was some arugula and spicy mayo. It was real life food porn.
And let me tell you, it tasted as great as it looked. The mortadella was well spiced, and the pancakes, while not the most traditional, gave the dish a sweetness (from the maple syrup), and were small enough to complement. The spicy mayo was the star. It was perfectly spicy to counter the sweet and made everything work. I cleaned my plate.
Jeff’s pizza was also really good. The crust was well made and the grape jelly made it amazing. I had my doubts, but they were quickly dispelled with that first bite.
As we were waiting for our food, Jeff and I commented to each other how this place had a hipster-y vibe to it. Like it was plucked from Williamsburg, made bigger and plopped down in the middle of Westchester. It was my kind of vibe. But to prove that point, soon after our food came, we started our usual picture taking. Jeff mentioned the westchester breakfast club, and before we knew it, we were chatting with the owners (who were really cool) and gained a huge instagram following from the rest of the staff. How awesome!
After we finished our food, I let myself get talked into an affogato for dessert. Why not. It was so deliciously bitter, creamy, sweet and nutty. Just like life.
As we were paying the bill, our server graciously brought us some bread pudding topped with mascarpone and served with maple syrup, on the house (and not on the menu). I never say no to a second dessert! It was incredibly delicious. The mascarpone on top cut that sweetness and added a nice creamy component without the sogginess that comes with whipped creams. So. Good.
The czar says: Not an everyday brunch kind of place. With hipster places come hipster prices. Great for something special and unique when the usual brunch choices just won’t do. I would love to go back for brunch, lunch or even dinner with some friends. It has a vibe that fits with me. Edgy and adventurous without the fussy fine dining label. A vibe that is very hard to find here in Westchester. I’m keeping this place in my back pocket for future visits for sure.