La Fortuna Restaurant: A Place To Feel At Home

Every meal is special at La Fortuna Restaurant on Route 6, Bethel, where owner and Master Chef Michael Valeri has catered to guests since 1981, but it is not necessary to save dining there for just special occasions. Families, business people, couples, and individuals are all warmly welcomed by Chef Michael, his son, Michael, Jr, and an attentive staff, whether stopping in for a quick pizza and beer in the bar, impressing a first date, or just enjoying family time together.

The discipline and appreciation of food learned in his early years, training under European chefs in New York City, has carried over into Italian-born Chef Michael’s own venture, making La Fortuna Restaurant a destination for all who appreciate a good meal.

Decorative wrought iron doors open up into a cozy foyer, with one door leading into the bar, where customers can choose between table seating or settling into a comfortable ladder-backed stool at the oak bar. The bar and lounge area is the perfect place for an after work martini with friends, to knock down a cold beer or sip a glass of fine wine.

The other foyer door leads into the spacious main dining room. There, floor to ceiling murals on three walls, hand painted by New York City artist Patricia Roth, give diners the feeling of being dropped into the Tuscan countryside. The spacious dining room seats up to 110 guests, and flows into a smaller private dining area, offset by iron gates and flowing drapery.

Outdoor dining is enjoyable on the Tuscan garden patio at the rear of the restaurant, in warmer weather, where rows of manicured evergreens mute the sounds of any traffic going by.

La Fortuna also hosts large parties, special celebrations, and weddings in the banquet rooms off of the main dining area. One large space can be subdivided into as many as four private areas with room for 25 to 200 guests. Each boasts elegantly dressed tables and accessories beneath chandeliers and natural light flowing in through the windows looking out onto the garden patio, where still more guests can be accommodated. A perimeter of tailored evergreens surrounds the lawn area of the patio and seasonal flowers bloom profusely from baskets, borders, and planters. The gazebo, set back from the restaurant, is picture perfect for special photographs.

It is the food and service that has attracted and kept clientele for 30 years. Prepared in the cavernous kitchen where Chef Michael proudly reigns, the meals are crafted to please the most discriminating palate. It is tight teamwork in the kitchen and on the floor, where Michael Jr oversees the flow, that allows him to do it right, says Chef Michael. “When you work together,” he points out, “you have a better place.”

Among the appetizers, which always include daily specials, Chef Michael offers fried calamari with cherry peppers in a balsamic reduction; or eggplant caprese, with fresh tomatoes, kitchen crafted mozzarella, and a marinara sauce. Soups are all made on site and change on a daily basis.

Salads, from a delicately dressed Caesar salad to one of simple mixed greens, or fresh vegetable sides, are ideal accompaniments to the main courses.

Those main courses can be one of any roasted, pan seared, grilled, or sautéed selections, such as veal or lamb shank osso bucco, lobster fra diavlo, or chicken or veal braciole served with gnocchi, risotto, or other specialties. Each selection is served with Chef Michael’s perfectly appointed sauces. While Chef Michael believes each dish sent to the table is prepared in the manner best suited to it, he willingly tailors orders to suit a customer’s preference. “You should cook for the customer,” says the chef, and he encourages customers to communicate with the waitstaff, so that special needs are met.

Whether rigatoni, ravioli, gnocchi, or linguini, every variety of pasta served at La Fortuna is made on site. “The rolling pin is our pasta machine,” notes Chef Michael proudly. Each variety of tender pasta is a vehicle to transport a perfectly paired sauce.

Handmade pizzas are on the menu for those who wish for a more casual dining experience. Gather the kids around The La Fortuna, topped with prosciutto, green olives, roasted red and yellow peppers, and Parmigiana reggiano cheese. Seafood lovers will be more than a little happy with a topping of grilled scallops, shrimp, and mussels in a red sauce. Marinated grilled vegetable pizza or a white sauce pizza with goat cheese and ricotta are yet other pizza options.

Customers who desire top quality meals on a budget appreciate the lunch special Monday through Friday, from noon to 3 pm, and on Sunday, from noon to 4 pm, consisting of a choice of soup or salad, and a selection from one of five pastas, or pizza, at just $9.95 for adults and $5.95 for children under the age of 12.

A prix fixe meal of soup or salad, and a choice of select entrées such as veal, fish, chicken, pasta, or a steak option is available at lunch and dinner, for $14.99 per person.

Diners should not be surprised to find Chef Michael visiting the dining room during meal time, as he finds as much pleasure in preparing the food as knowing it is fully enjoyed. Michael Jr is always on hand, as well, to ensure that the youngest to the oldest customer has a great experience.

An extensive list of wines from France, Italy, and California to accompany the meals, includes a superb collection of 1997 vintage wines from Napa Valley vineyards, including Insignia, Frog’s Leap, Opus, and Robert Mondavi Reserves. Many wines are available by the glass, and Italian and America beers, as well as a full bar, are served at La Fortuna.

Be sure to save room for Chef Michael’s own tiramisu, a slice cheesecake, a delicate zabaglione, or any of the other desserts made on premises.

“Come and enjoy,” urges Chef Michael. “Linger, and appreciate every mouthful.”

La Fortuna Restaurant, 37 Stony Hill Road (Route 6) in Bethel, is open for lunch Monday through Friday, from noon to 3 pm, and on Sunday, from noon to 4 pm. Dinner is served Monday through Saturday from 5 to 10:30 pm, and on Sunday from 4 to 8 pm. For takeout, to book parties, or to make reservations, call 203-797-0909. For more information, visit the website at lafortunarest.com.