Kalt’s Cuisine

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Fornelletto at Borgata offers star chef Stephen Kalt's distinctive spin on Italian fare. 

By Frank Gabriel 

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Sep. 19, 2012

Since taking charge of the subterranean space known as Fornelletto in 2009, New York City native Stephen Kalt has put his own distinctive spin on its cuisine, and attitude. 

Once a bit formal, the first restaurant most visitors encounter upon arrival at the Borgata property is now decidedly casual, perhaps even more authentically Italian. 

Descending a series of stairs to enter, visitors are greeted by a combination of pleasant, wafting kitchen aromas mingling with sounds of merriment emanating from a roomy lounge. 

A pair of dining rooms, along with a private space, snake out in labyrinthine corridors surrounding that area. 

Despite being underground, literally, the space remains warm and convivial, with pleasant golden and wood tones. 

Kalt’s bill of fare is truly, fully reflective of his 30-plus year arc as a chef. 

This included stints working alongside renowned French master Daniel Boulud at La Cirque and acclaimed Ann Rosenzweig at Arcadia. 

While certainly addressing mainstream Italian tastes, Fornelletto stretches to encompass a wide range of atypical Mediterranean-style specialties. 

Both these concepts came into play with our trio of starters. 

From the familiar, polpette, five golf-sized meatballs in a light, mildly acidic tomato sauce. 

These were airy, packed with flavor and — taking an educated guess here — probably oven baked rather than pan fried. 

Virtually devoid of excess fat and oil, which often plagues that technique, these little bundles of joy were like a new and improved, 21st century take on a timeless traditional favorite. 

Next up, a sophisticated fennel and endive salad, tart and full of crunch. Wide, mandolin-cut ribbons of those two potent vegetables were blended with radish, arugula, chopped egg and pecorino. 

The dressing, fairly aggressive and anchovy-based, highlighted the startling salinity capably provided by that suddenly trendy fish. 

But our favorite of these three was easily the roasted butternut squash. Beyond being ideally seasonal, strips of that auburn gourd were treated in agro dolce fashion with balsamic vinegar. The result was an achingly tender creation with plenty of complexity provided via that sweet/sour application. 

Worth noting: all of these offerings were delivered in communal-style serving devices, portioned large enough to enable easy sharing. 

Nine Neapolitan pizzas adorn the center of Fornelletto’s — “little oven” or “stove” — menu. 

From that list we selected what our waiter described as a recent addition; Genovese with fingerling potatoes, basil pesto, pecorino and pine nuts atop a layer of sweet, soft Fontina. 

Cheese had been judiciously employed and did not compromise the crisp structural integrity of this pie.  

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