Good Italian Food, You've Met Your Match

La-Forcherra Ristorante is an example of rarely-discovered gold. It is the type of place that makes you happy you live in the general area—just so you can experience the food. In my third culinary trip around Florida, I drive my happy (and lost) self into this incredible Italian restaurant full of Italian flair and full of delicious food. Blink and you’ll miss the spot, but when you find it, you’ll be hooked and forever remember its location. Located in the outskirts of Kissimmee and flirting with the endtrails of Poinciana (Tree Country if you ask me), La-Forcherra Ristorante is a mom-and-pop-hole-in-the-wall gem that has lasted 26 years and has been met with a rabid and dedicated fanbase. The restaurant couldn’t fit more than 50 people, but the people that are there—boy oh boy, they have no reason to complain.

Kissimmee has established a less-than-stellar reputation amongst Central Florida in recent years; with crime rising, the place looking more and more dated, and Disney World managing to suck away at all the potential visitors and tourists. The lack of love towards Kissimmee can be traced to the constant expanding of Disney World. The Osceola Square Mall used to be a slam-bang happy prosperous place but after the Wal-Mart left and competition from the Orlando/International Drive side started heating up, Kissimmee couldn’t handle it. Old Town is another place that had seen better days before.

The variety of restaurants in Kissimmee however is astounding, as we see a mix of old-school diners meshed in with new-school franchises and even a few pubs here and there. La-Forcherra is one of those old-school examples of thriving in a weaker economy because of a fanbase that continuously comes back for more. In fact, the owner (Maria was her name? I believe it was Maria) could seemingly recognize half the people eating at the restaurant when I (finally) made it there. Our waitress was more than courteous and patient to us (me and my cameraman) as we spent far too long trying to figure out what to get.




The menu wasn’t too big, but all the options sounded spectacular. Their big hit is the veal, which is a small cow, as the meat is very soft and tender when cooked. I am still a picky eater in spite of this culinary adventure, but my cameraman decides to try it. The veal is mixed in with sauce, mushrooms, and comes with a side of pasta. I ordered a classic Italian dish: ravioli. But first, we tried the cheese garlic bread. The garlic bread is easily the best I have ever had. It was your average cheese bread, except mixed in with an incredible blend of herbs and spices---leading to a magnificent payoff.


Granted I was the only person able to drive, I did not try any of their wine, but I am going to assume they are authentic. All the cooks were speaking in Italian, as nearly every person working there was whether of Italian descent or darn-near looked like it.
The food took a while, but being no stranger to waiting for good food (Le Tub), I was willing to wait. Meanwhile, I was taking pictures and observing the scenery. They gave us fresh rolls of bread while we waited—so soft and warm, that the butter instantly melted when it came in contact with it.



About 20-25 minutes in, we received our main courses. The food. Was. Delicious. You can tell that love and effort was placed on this food, because every second, every bite, was marvelous. We heard Italy, we felt Italian, and there was Frank Sinatra, singing in the background. The music in the background here wasn’t as loud as your usual Olive Garden; the food did your temporary trip to Italy. They also serve you plenty of food, which is something not always guaranteed in the restaurant chains (coughcoughSalmonatOliveGardencoughcough).



Of course, then comes dessert. Now here I am a risktaker. My cameraman orders the cheesecake, and I ordered the other extremely popular dessert entry---which is an item whose name I have totally forgotten. Nonetheless, the dessert was even more impressive, as they were filling, rich, and full of beautiful calories. While the cheesecake was far superior, both items were delicious. Mine had a strong hintage of alcohol, which was an added (and surprising) bonus. All this glorious food and service, and the total did not add up past 50 bucks. The owner of the restaurant introduced herself while picking up her check, and me and Josh walked out with the biggest smile on our faces.




Bottom Line: Despite getting lost, despite it hitting in uncharted waters, this Italian Mom-and-Pop restaurant was fantastic from the first second to the very last. The only Italian meal that topped this one was the meal I had in New York City (Outskirts of Time Square to be exact) with Morena, a Brazilian I knew that was visiting NYC at the same time. To this day, I continue to hunt down the address of the restaurant—since it’s located somewhere in my apartment and/or car. Nonetheless, being second place (or third, with Gondoliers at Clearwater being in this Top 3 listing) in the chart of a pasta-lover is not half-bad. I highly recommend, it is very good, and it’s a great escape from your typical Italian.



Address: 321 South John Young Parkway
Kissimmee, FL 34741-5608