Michael Ayoub has done the impossible — again — by creating a truly fancy restaurant that is truly family friendly.
It’s no surprise that Ayoub has once again reinvented high-end cuisine at his five-month-old eatery, Fornino, on Park Slope’s new restaurant gold coast of Fifth Avenue. His original location on the same site, the beloved Cucina, was a borough trend-setter, opening in 1989 on what was then the least likely place for one of the city’s best Northern Italian place.
Cucina closed in 2000 after a good run, and Ayoub got out of the business for a while. But this summer, he returned with a retooled restaurant featuring some of the same spirit (and all of the excellence) of Cucina, but a less-stuffy, more inviting, clubhouse feel that easily accommodates young couples on a date and families with kids.
“I love being back in the kitchen,” Ayoub said. “And now, there’s no one I can’t feed. I have everything from wagon wheel pasta to white anchovies and Tuscan chicken liver.”
He was also quick to mention the ultimate family friendly item: his signature grilled pizza. For $12, the kids can split a buffalo mozzarella pie while the adults exercise their sophisticated palates with such pies as the “Pizza Vinny Scotto, which features spicy sausage, three cheeses and roasted pepper aioli ($15).
Standout appetizers include roasted cauliflower with pine nuts and raisins ($6); an onion, goat cheese and olive tart ($6) and a plate of that mozzarella that was so fresh that the cow has separation anxiety ($9).
But Ayoub really blows you away with his pasta entrees. Despite the name, the short rib ravioli ($19) is not a thin pocket, but a big pouch of savory meat that warms the autumnal stomach. The candele and cauliflower ($15) covers those thick pasta tubes with a cheesy cauliflower puree plus big chunks of the vegetable. Olives provide an inspired kick. And Ayoub’s take on a classic sausage and broccoli rabe pasta ($16) is also impressive, substituting spicy chicken sausage for the traditional pork.
Chickpea fries and roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta (both $8) are ideal side dishes.
After parting ways during the main course, adults and the kids can reunite for dessert, thanks to a classic Ayoub touch: a perfect chocolate layer cake ($5). No fancy creme anglais, no swirls of caramel, white chocolate and ganach on the plate, no adornment is need for this straightforward, but perfect, finishing touch.
Fornino [256 Fifth Ave. at Carroll Street in Park Slope, (718) 399-8800]. Open every night for dinner, 5–11 pm; Sat-Sun brunch, noon–3:30 pm; Sat–Sun pizzas, 3:30 pm-5 pm. All major credit cards accepted.