THE GET DOWN
Something about walking into an Italian restaurant where the host, the manager and the chef ARE Italian is super promising. Such was the case at Forma.
We have only been to Forma for lunch but the environment spells a good date night! Let’s talk pasta! Holy Moly… the house made chitarra is to die for. It’s a thicker form of spaghetti so be ready for it.
At Forma, all the pasta is cooked then tossed in a cheese wheel at the end. Though it’s quite a show, I personally avoid the last step. Not because it’s not great, but because I like my pasta piping hot and once it hits a cheese wheel and makes it to your plate, it loses steam (literally). At any rate, DO NOT LEAVE HERE WITHOUT HAVING PASTA!
There is a lot of goodness to choose from at Forma so even the fussiest eaters won’t have a problem finding something they love. Come with as many people as you can so you can try it all! The soups, salads… fish (even the burger) are all perfection. The menu is perfectly curated for all tastes.
Forma’s crowd is a bit on the conservative side (even at lunch), so if you are going with tots in tote I might suggest a late lunch here, in hopes that it will carry over to happy hour! If you have an over-active tot, then pull out the big guns (yes, the Ipad and headphones). Just do whatever you can to get a meal in at Forma. And tell the kids they can have a treat if they behave?
DETAILS
(First timer? Scroll down to check out the rating system below.)
WHERE
Santa Monica
GO FOR
Late lunch. Date night. Pasta, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.
SOCIAL SCENE
Well-Cultured, Foodies
TODDLER RATING
Not promoted, but you should take the chance
NEARBY
Douglas Park, 3rd St. Promenade
CONTACT INFO
Website: formarestaurant.com
Phone: (424) 231-2868
The Spotted Cloth
Rating System:
It’s our goal to make exploring LA either with the kids or with grown ups as easy as possible. Click through the tabs above to check out our rating system.
For those with little
runners & screamers:
Easily forgiven:
Here, you can forget the fact that it’s your rambunctious child that’s screaming and STILL enjoy most of your meal.
Not promoted, but you should take the chance:
If your toddler is at the stage when an iPad or some other colorful distraction can be used for an un-interrupted 20 minutes, then go for it.
Uh-uh, NO WAY, don’t even think about it!:
I don’t care how cute your toddler is. Pop your head in… turn around… walk away. PERIOD.
No contained area:
A place you cannot leave your toddler alone, not even for a second.
Enclosed, but space is tight:
If YOU can’t fit between the tables then you know you couldn’t catch your toddler if they tried – this isn’t Norm’s.
WHAT’S CLOSE
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