Al Forno Ferruzza is unmistakable. In a purple trailer on the corner of Southwest Fourth and College avenues, the Italian food cart sticks out from the usual Mediterranean, Thai and Indian vendors found around campus.
Al Forno is good, but it has some serious flaws. However, even when the food and service from Al Forno are at their shakiest, one thing remains constant: the high quality of its bread. It sounds strange, but that’s one of the main reasons to sample this relatively new cart.
The cart serves what its owners, Steven Ferruzza and Alexis Torres, call “traditional Sicilian street cuisine.” I’m not sure how traditional it is, but when the food is done right, it’s quite tasty. Unfortunately, in my two recent visits, both the food and service have been a bit hit-or-miss.
Ferruzza and Torres moved to Portland from New York last October, and within a month had purchased their Spartan cart and began selling food that fits more within Portland’s foodie scene than most typical street cuisine.
The menu doesn’t offer much in the way of choices, but that’s not a bad thing. There are pizza, calzones and paninos, and a rotating baked special such as lasagna or eggplant Parmesan. Rustic bread is sold for $3 a loaf, and desserts include cookies, cakes, cannoli and pies. That’s about it. Nothing tops $6, except for a whole pizza, which costs $14.
But back to the bread, which is what this cart does so well. The dough is made fresh each night from scratch in a hand-cranked mixer from 1905. It’s soft and chewy-but never undercooked-and perfectly balances sugar with salt. Even used in the somewhat bland calzone, the bread shines.
The calzone, served with a side of made-from-scratch marinara sauce, did fall flat in a number of ways. I ordered it with pepperoni and found it had only a few slices and way too much ricotta cheese. It had a great texture (no kidding), but without the sauce it would have had almost no discernable taste. After paying, I was given the wrong change.
I found better success ordering the panino, which Torres said was a cart specialty. It was much, much better. The ricotta was toned down, and basil, olives and roasted red peppers gave it a fresh, zesty flavor that was in stark contrast to the underachieving calzone. After scarfing it down, I wasn’t left feeling noticeably unhealthier, like I do after eating most cart food (Thai carts, I’m talking to you!).
Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the panino, the order was wrong. I didn’t notice until I sat down to eat my food, but my food was missing the pepperoni, which costs an extra dollar. Two errors in two days is not an encouraging sign for customers who are particularly picky about service.
A friend’s personal-size pizza, which costs $6, was much better. He let me have a couple of bites, and I was tempted to wolf the whole thing down. Even though the pizza had a pepperoni topping, it avoided being too greasy, and the homemade sauce was sweet and complemented the crust. Again, the bread held the starring role.
Ferruzza and Torres said they are committed to using fresh, local and organic goods, and it shows. They said they want to introduce salads to the menu, but they refuse to use out-of-state goods. Instead, they’ll wait until it gets warmer, when they can use local produce.
In addition to their prime location on campus, the couple brings their trailer to festivals and fairs, and sells bread at farmers markets. They are also finally turning a profit. Torres said that their business is now in the black and has developed a steady on-campus following.
In the future, the couple plans to upgrade the cart, which currently operates without electricity. Their food is good, and Ferruzza and Torres are genuinely nice people. However, they need and want to upgrade the consistency of their food and service before receiving a wholehearted recommendation.
Al Forno Ferruzza
Type of food: Italian*** (out of five)$3 to $6Corner of Southwest Fourth and College avenues