[What You Should Order At...] Pino's La Forchetta

WHAT YOU SHOULD ORDER AT...is a recurring column designed in kind for your opinionated asses and our lazy asses. When the mood strikes, we pick one Park Slope resto and recommend our favorite dish. Are we right? Are we wrong? YOU KNOW YOU WANNA WEIGH IN. 

Summer 2008. The East Village. Hot nights, cold beer, Artichoke Pizza. I sneered at the suckers in line at Magnolia, but queued up at Artichoke time and time again. However long it took, however many cool kids clogged the sidewalk, however dismissive (flirty?) the greasy cashier, I stood and waited for my artichoke slice. Part cream of spinach soup, part artichoke dip, part saltlick, and part pizza, it was the kind of experience that made you feel alive.

Six years later, and Manhattan’s little more than a glittering mirage (I used to live where? How glamorous!). For us Park Slopers, what with our kids and our YMCAs and our alternate side parking arrangements, a trip to East 14^th Street is like a trip to the moon. Is there any hope?

Well…sort of. I’ve discovered an off-the-beaten-path menu item at Pino’s that will more or less satisfy those youthful pangs. They call it the Creamy Spinach Pie, and you won’t see it behind the counter. No, this specialty item is by order only. It doesn’t have any artichokes, but it does have that cream soup thing going on—a sort of oozy white Alfredo sauce with lots of garlic and salt. The crust takes a backseat but holds up well. Of course, there’s spinach there too, but let’s not kid ourselves. 

I like to order my pies half Creamy Spinach, half plain. Oozy white cream sauce tends to be a little heavy, so if you eat a bunch of slices in a row, you might start to feel it. Alternating slices of Creamy Spinach and plain prevents the potential bellyache. Also, a bit of advice: heat up your leftovers. The cream sauce is kind of grainy when cold.

All in all, it’s no Artichoke, but it is a valiant effort and a solid Friday night treat. A large will run you $22. Delivery is free, but nostalgia for the big city will cost you.

Pino’s La Forchetta is located at 181 7^th Avenue between 1^st and 2^nd Streets.