{"id":85376,"date":"2025-12-16T15:38:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T15:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/85376\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T15:38:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T15:38:07","slug":"la-forchetta-dishes-out-authentic-italian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/85376\/","title":{"rendered":"La Forchetta Dishes Out Authentic Italian"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TheThe Chicken Luca and the Burrata with Beans are two of the delicious dishes at La Forchetta. Photo by Jennifer Sampson<\/p>\n

You might not expect to find truly authentic Italian food at a spot nestled between a Wendy\u2019s and a Dunkin\u2019 Donuts. But La Forchetta<\/a> has been doing things the Old World way for 16 years\u2014and they don\u2019t need a fancy location to do it from.<\/p>\n

Owner Francesca Di Fede says the spot was the brainchild of her dad, Dominic Di Fede. After moving to South Florida from New Jersey in 2000, Dominic did what he knew best\u2014opened pizzerias. But he also had a knack for finding locations that he felt had been overlooked. \u201cEven the locations he had in New Jersey were always hidden, like in the middle of a neighborhood,\u201d Francesca says. When he picked the spot for La Forchetta in 2009, the Di Fede family had its doubts. \u201cWe were like, \u2018Dad, this is tough spot,\u2019\u201d Francesca recalls. But Dominic was adamant. \u201cHe told us: \u2018It\u2019s right off I-95. People are going to find us. People know who we are and what we do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cozy,Cozy, trattoria-inspired interiors welcome diners. Photo by Jennifer Sampson<\/p>\n

Dominic wasn\u2019t wrong\u2014the food at the fabulously unfussy La Forchetta is worth the drive from practically anywhere. For starters, order a beautifully built charcuterie board to nosh on over a glass of imported Italian wine. But the standout appetizer here is the Buratta and Beans. Warm butter beans and roasted cherry tomatoes encircle a generous dollop of creamy mozzarella, finished with olive oil, balsamic glaze, and Florida orange blossom honey. (Pro tip: ask for a second helping of bread to soak up every last delicious morsel.) <\/p>\n

\"OwnerOwner Francesca Di Fede. Photo by Jennifer Sampson<\/p>\n

Main courses are divided into Primi (primarily pastas) and Secondi (mainly meats). Bring a friend and dive into a plate from each section so you can sample. From the Primi fare, the Wild Mushroom Ravioli offers perfect pillows of earthy goodness topped with a rich slow-braised short rib port wine sauce and a tomato ragu. Francesca\u2019s favorite is the Penne di Pappa, prepared with saut\u00e9ed shiitake mushrooms and a homemade Bolognese sauce, finished with a creamy pink vodka sauce and shaved Parmesan cheese. \u201cThat was my dad\u2019s dish, and it will always stay on the menu,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was served at the banquet on my mom and dad\u2019s wedding day.\u201d On the Secondi menu, go for a tangy twist with the Veal Al Limone in a creamy lemon and butter sauce, topped with artichokes, capers, and cherry tomatoes. Francesca advises diners not to skip the Chicken Luca\u2014saut\u00e9ed with shiitake mushrooms and asparagus, topped with mozzarella cheese, and finished with a light plum tomato\u2013wine sauce. \u201cEvery time a new customer comes in and they\u2019re like, \u2018I\u2019m going to order the chicken parm just to get a taste of what you\u2019re all about,\u2019 I\u2019m like: \u2018No, no, no. The taste of what we\u2019re all about is the Chicken Luca,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

If you still have room left after all of the savory goodness, there are several tempting sweet treats to choose from\u2014but the Pistachio Cream Cake is a clear winner\u2014made with layers of sponge cake interspersed with pistachio and ricotta cream, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.<\/p>\n

Dominic passed away in 2020, and Francesca (who grew up among her dad\u2019s pizza boxes and says \u201csauce runs in her veins\u201d) is at the helm. If the food at La Forchetta is any indication, Dominic is somewhere smiling from ear to ear. \u201cI always say he lives in these walls,\u201d she says. \u201cHe gives me the strength every day to continue on and keep moving to make La Forchetta what he always wanted it to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Chicken Luca and the Burrata with Beans are two of the delicious dishes at La Forchetta. Photo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":85377,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":{"0":"post-85376","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-port-st-lucie","8":"tag-port-st-lucie","9":"tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","10":"tag-port-st-lucie-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}