Forte di Asprinio THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Forte di Asprinio

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Forte di Asprinio Awards

Stephen Asprinio ignites the Palm Beach scene with his ultra-modern Italian restaurant.
Openings: Dinner Tues.-Sat.

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THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Forte di Asprinio, West Palm Beach, FL


THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Forte di Asprinio Restaurant Review:


Fueling the Palm Beach scene is Stephen Asprinio's minimalist entry. Even from the street, the neon fuchsia glow commands interest, the restaurant design fuses the future with elements of the past, apparent in details like saddle seats and arching space-like lamps. You might think you walked into the MoMA; there are original 1950's and early '60s pieces by Eero Saarinen and Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. Asprinio does something notable: he capitalizes on filling an American void---the ultra-modern Italian restaurant. There is nothing warm or rustic about Forté di Asprinio, rather, welcome to the world of stylistic Italian, prepared with an aesthetic that toys every now and then (more not than often) with Ferran Adrià-like textures. Perhaps a fairer parity: Massimiliano Alajmo's style at Le Calandre in Padova, Italy. Like Alajmo, Asprinio keeps his dishes clean, with only three or four elements starring on the plate. Preparations may be free-form, but the ingredients are in no way lost. On the Menu Degustazione, risotto comes with toasted farro, Oregon porcinis and sweet corn. Elysian Fields lamb works with potato gnocchi, mint and Sicilian pistachios. For dessert, "carmello" becomes butterscotch pudding, vanilla bean cream with salted peanuts. Asprinio not only holds an impressive food résumé, including Nobu, New York, but wine is an important part of his background. The chef served as wine director for Michael Mina's NobHill. Six hundred selections of wine range in price from $30 to $20,000, there's a wine-by-the-glass Cruvinet system and a flashy mixology program.