Fortina Announces Menu Changes, New Direction for its Rooftop

Paul Failla (left) and Jared Falco are spearheading some of Fortina’s newness

Inquiring minds want to know…What’s the deal with Fortina after the departure of its founder, Christian Petroni? What’s new? What’s sticking around? What changes are coming?

We’ve got all that.

Oh, but before you freak out, those Fortina staples you know, and love aren’t going anywhere. You can take a deep breath.

Sure, there’s a wood-fired cheese lasagna, but for the meat lovers out there, here’s another version with bolognese cooked with foie gras for some added rich, fatty, decadent flavor.

“If we got rid of stuff like the pastasciutto, paccheri, or The LB (Luigi Bianco), people would burn the buildings down,” jokes co-food director Paul Failla.

Failla, along with his cohort in culinary creativity, Jared Falco, say that the sky’s the limit for what you might see show up on what they’re calling a bit of a menu refresh.

One pop-up Fortina change fans might have already noticed on social media are regular burger events at the Harbor Point location. The limited burgers are seemingly no frills from the outside looking in, but frills there are. Each is a chuck and short rib blend patty griddled in duck fat on a cast iron flat top for a crusty sear, then enveloped in good ol’ American cheese. It’s placed on a toasted Martin’s Potato Roll with homemade burger sauce, diced onion, and served with a house-brined pickle spear. The first burger event sold out in just over 30 minutes, so stay tuned for their burger announcements, and if you want one or several, be punctual.

The rest of the menu update will obviously progress with the seasons. Failla says they want to take a fresh approach and keep it local, citing Sport Hill Farm in Easton as a place they frequently get their produce from. When peas are at their springtime peak, expect to see fresh cavatelli with peas and sugar snaps, chunks of pancetta, black pepper, and parmesan. And while it’s still cool out, they’ve added two classic Italian soups, pasta e fagioli (actually pronounced PASTA FAZOOL!) and Italian wedding soup that doesn’t skimp on the meatballs.

And there has to be a new pizza, doesn’t there?

This particular pie is a tribute to New Haven’s famed white clam—albeit with the addition of Calabrian chilis for heat—a pizza that Failla has fond memories of growing up. “My dad used to bring me white clam pies from Pepe’s when I was a kid, so I felt we had to have one on the menu here,” he says. “We’re adding food here that we like to eat, food that we like to cook.”

Falco reintroduced his porcini mushroom arancini appetizer but with more restraint. It’s now without truffle. The pungent punch comes in the form of a thick, creamy fontina fondue (fonduta).

Oh, and we’ll leave you with one last tidbit…

Remember Fortina’s Pizza Surf Club on the rooftop? It’ll be making a return this April, rebranded as Fortina Yacht Club, an idea inspired by the Gowanus Yacht Club in Brooklyn.

“It’s going to be over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek; gaudy nautical décor, buoys, fish nets, and lobster traps,” says Falco. “We’re going to serve boozy Italian ices, frozen slushy drinks, 24-ounce tap beers, Norm Bloom lobster & spicy Old Bay sausage rolls (yes, together, on a roll), and square Sicilian style pizza slices cooked in a cast iron pan for a crunchy bottom.”

https://fortinapizza.com/