An entertainer elegantly dressed in a cufflink shirt is playing the piano and singing American ‘80s music. People are drinking wine, eating pizza and talking loudly. It’s Sunday and Forno 301 — a new pizzeria restaurant run by two Italians — is hosting its grand opening.
Forno 301, located near Roosevelt Street and Third Avenue, is an Italian pizzeria by Luca Gagliano and Roberto Dadone, both from Sanremo, the Italian city famous for its flowers and music festival.
“One day we were having a coffee at a cafe across the street and we saw that this place was open for renting,” Gagliano, the owner, said.
“There were a lot of people walking and biking all around the neighborhood. ‘What a location!’ we thought,” Dadone, the manager, added.
Forno 301’s menu provides a choice of inexpensive pizzas. A Margherita is $9 while the Diavola — a Margherita topped with spicy salami slices — is $10. There is also a selection of bruschettas made with prosciutto crudo — a type of ham — and Gorgonzola cheese, or bacon and mozzarella cheese. There are also panini and salads.
The duo plans to host singers and entertainers for special Italian music nights, and to prepare traditional Italian meals, including different kinds of pasta dishes.
“Our idea is to bring a little piece of Italy to this wonderful neighborhood,” Dadone said.
Gagliano is the pizzaiolo — the one tasked with making the pizza. He worked close to the wood-fire oven to make as many pizzas as possible for the nearly 70 customers that came for the grand opening. He looks tired and sweats while tending to the pizzas, but he makes a point to smile and wipe his hands on his apron to greet people who come in.
Meanwhile, Dadone worked the bar, making cocktails, pouring glasses of wine and entertaining with jokes and stories.
Tending bar and working side-by-side with Dadone is Sarah Parker Rotem.
“I like Italian restaurants in general,” she said. “I used to work for another Italian restaurant here in the Valley, with Roberto (Dadone).”
Parker Rotem says Forno 301 is “eclectic, modern, and still family oriented.”
The pizzeria’s ambiance is a mixture of different styles. The bar is modern, stocked with bottles of wine and spirits, surrounded by red stools. One wall of the restaurant is old-fashioned, reminiscent of an Italian cantina. Another wall, which is covered in wood, houses rows and rows of wine bottles.
Among the customers that came to the grand opening is Daniela Ferreira, an ASU post-doctoral student, who heard about the event from her friends.
“I can tell that this is a very good quality pizza,” Ferreria said. “I like the ingredients and the way this pizza is made.”
Forno 301 is a five-minute walk from the Roosevelt Street and Central Avenue light-rail station, in the middle of the Roosevelt Row arts district.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to midnight. Gagliano said he hopes for Forno 301 to become more than just a pizzeria. He plans to host customers who want to come after dinner to have a drink and listen to good music. His goal is for Forno 301 to become a point of reference for people who like to go out late at night, when all the other restaurants are already closed.
Contact the reporter at Francesco.Onorato@asu.edu.
