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| - Forte is one of our fave Eastern European dining spots. Plunk right in the middle of an unassuming Bonito/Lee's strip mall, this mostly Bulgarian staffed deli/dinnery (yes I just made up a word), is easy to miss as you drive by on Rainbow Bl.
The decor is shabby-chic with a mish-mash of furniture, wall hangings, flooring and just plain random stuff everywhere. It works.
The food: ahhhh, the food. I had "Bulgarian Easter Lamb" (pic). Braised lamb chunks pressed into a tuna-can shaped mold. Accompanied by arugula mashed potatoes, a yummy and very creative spring salad and some rich reduction au jus.
I also had hot borscht (beef based with spud cubes, carrots and of course cabbage ... very savory). Now keep in mind this is not the Russian/Jewish style borscht with sugar, raisins and that distinctive sour salt tang. But oh so hearty and quite grounding.
My consort dined on Shopska (pic), a chopped salad with rustic-cut Persian cukes, tomatoes, green onions and canned Ortega chillis ... all tossed in a subtle herb vinaigrette. She also had a thick and tasty lentil soup, and a rich filo dough roll the size of a danish filled with Russian feta cheese.
The last pic is my Russian vodke It comes in a mini Russian oil can. Quite smooth. It's called "Neft", which means motor oil
If you find yourself on the West side, please check Forte out! 5-stars all the way. Oh, and our server was bubbly and fun ... yay!
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