Early Dinner at Forma

Josephine and I left the valley early hoping to avoid the 405 rush hour so by the time we reached Santa Monica, we made the good decision to stop and have an early dinner. The restaurant we decided to go to was non-other than Forma. I told her about the best Crispy Artichoke Salad and that alone was enough to excite her.

We ordered one Crispy Artichoke Salad which consists of fried artichoke, fennel, artichoke, mache, snow peas and aged goat cheese. I was happy that Josephine loves octopus unlike my other friends (you know who you are), so we ordered the Char Grilled Spanish Octopus which sat on a bed of lentils and harissa. The octopus was tender and went very well with the lentils; the flavor was wonderful. Both appetizers are something I would never tire of.

We were almost full before our entrées arrived. Josephine had the Fettuccine Bolognese which she thought was delicious. I ordered the Chitarra Cacio e Pepe which never disappoints. Before they serve the plate, the pasta is tossed into a large cheese wheel and swirled around while they add more cheese. You really have to love cheese and pepper to enjoy this dish. Once served you have the option of asking for more cheese if you please.

Omar, our server who I had the pleasure of meeting on my last visit asked if we wanted to look at the dessert menu. Both of us being so full we could hardly move had to decline. Just then Mario, the owner, walked in and came over to our table. He asked about us ordering dessert and we told him we had to decline this time since we were too full. Before we knew it, Omar came with a dessert sent by Mario. It was a Vanilla Pot with Chia seeds and Blueberry jam on top. It was so good that we managed to finish the dessert. We didn't want Omar to think we were pigs so I told him we had to finish it so as not to hurt Mario's feelings! Aren't we considerate and courteous?

Forma is located at 1610 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica.