decarli

03/07/09

Best in Beaverton

by portland_foodie at Citysearch

I ate here with my spouse and a good friend about a month ago. The dining room is beautiful, it's hard to believe you are in the same space that was previously covered with 70's style paneling while still serving decent Thai food. I know Paul was happy to find the brick hiding underneath that stuff. They did a beautiful job with their remodel.

As for the food...fantastic. We started with an order of the house fries and the oysters on the half shell. Fries were fantastic while the oysters left me a little wanting...they were fresh enough, they just didn't look that appetizing. For entrees I had the braised short ribs which were perfectly cooked and with exceptional flavor. My wife and friend both had the stuffed chicken with polenta....fantastic. Dessert, if I remember correctly it was a very rich chocolate cheesecake.

Service was very good, attentive without being annoying. And again, the atmosphere was very nice. Lit without being too bright, temp was just right.

Honestly, it's hard to find much wrong with DeCarli's. Looking forward to a return visit soon.

10/31/09

A perfect evening

by JJHollis at Citysearch

We've been to Decarli before and even written a review. But last night was perfection. Every dish was yummy (short ribs, chicken, pork chop, fish), the service personal and never made us feel rushed. The setting is just lovely with the wood and brick and sparkly lights. I love this place and love that it's in Beaverton.

• Pros: Food, service, atmosphere, location
• Cons: Small table for all that food and drink

10/17/09

Swanky and elegant restaurant in Beaverton?

by kguthrie at Citysearch

I always drove by this little place on Watson and reminded myself and husband that we should go in sometime. It looked like a neat place and somewhat unique to downtown Beaverton. After all, it's surrounded by suburban sprawl and, well, it's in Beaverton. Nothing cool ever really is in Beaverton. Or so I thought.

Last night, after having a night out in downtown. Dropping by Ron Tom's, Le Pigeon, Doug Fir, Farm and Uptown Billiards, we found nothing that we knew would be worth the $75 we would spend on dinner. Then I thought of the little place near home and we sprinted back to Beaverton, at 10:45.

We walked in and immediately I was blown away by the space, the exposed brick walls and thirty foot high ceilings. You could actually see the line from the entrance (always a good sign because everything that's done in the kitchen can be seen) and the brick oven is out in front. The dining room is a diner's dream. Tons of space between tables, huge windows in the front and again, those ceilings.

We sat up at the bar, not knowing if they were about to close (it was Beaverton after all) and I was greeted by my old co- worker Paul DeCarli. He had been the head chef at Tuscany Grill when I worked there. He is the best chef that I have known in 18 years of the business.

The last time that I had spoken to him a few years ago, he was just opening Balvo on 23rd and looking at opening a restaurant out here. Well, he did it.

My husband had a glass of the chianti (among the 14 other types of wine available by the glass). We ordered the Truffled Almonds, Olives, Meatballs, Pizzata and Mussels.

Paul took me on a tour of the place and told me about all of the remodeling they had done. After working in those hipster places in the Pearl and Northwest, Paul knew what a good eatery should look like. He also knows his food. I knew that our meal was going to be incredible before we even had it.

Everything was beyond our expectations and was everything that we had been looking for all night. It was just 1/3 the price and not downtown. The bartender, Robert, was gracious and attentive. We had actually arrived at closing (which as a former server was sometimes just annoying). I insisted on paying our tab immediately so he could get his closing done and he acted as if he had all of the time in the world for us. We didn't leave until 12:30, way beyond their closing time. Not once did we feel like we were keeping anyone there.

So, in short, if you want an incredible meal like you would find in those hip areas of downtown but you don't want to deal with the attitude or the insane prices, DeCarli's is where you want to go. I know that we'll be going there for brunch on Sunday.

Finally, there's a great pearl in the middle of suburbia.

• Pros: Owned and operated by the best chef in Portland
• Cons: No one knows about this secret in Beaverton

10/04/09

yummy

by trendydiner at Citysearch

Had another great meal at Decarli's last night. Went at the spur of the moment, no waiting for a table although it was 8:00 pm and busy. I really like that waiter with the silver hair, he is excellent. Polenta fries of course along with mixed field greens. Hubby had a perfect Ceasar salad with Risotto as an entree. I had the Gnocchi with wild mushrooms, rich, but delicious! We have'nt had a bad meal yet, but would suggest adding olive oil and balsamic vinegar along with the bread instead just butter. Also, adding another meat option. This was the hubby's suggestion. All in all, great meal!

• Pros: everything
• Cons: n/a

09/24/09

lousy service

by munchabuncha at Citysearch

Was very much looking forward to going here for brunch, however will never return due to slow poor service a rude ownership. I would rate this place zero stars if not for the one star minimum.

• Pros: nice decor/ambiance minus the staff
• Cons: staff/service

06/12/09

Great! - for the most part.

by Babycakes at Citysearch

The food at this place was very good. In fact, I'm looking forward it to go back(for the food). We had just about everything on the menu, save desert, and all of it was done well. The few exceptions would be that the strip steak was on the small side, and overcooked. We had it medium rare, and it was just a touch pink, what i would consider medium well. Also, the penne pasta was very salty. It had very salty prosciutto and large pieces of rock salt in it. But other than that, the rest was excellent. The tagliatelle pasta was far better than what I've had at Genoa. The oysters were very fresh, mussels were great. Bruscetta was very inventive and well done. Everything went great until we got the check. We were 4 adults, a 1 year old and a 1 month old at our table. When we got the bill, they ADDED 18% gratuity! The menu does say they add gratuity for parties of 6 or more, but come on! My 1 year old ate about 5 bites of pasta, and the 1 month old slept the entire time. The thing of it is, I ALWAYS tip 20% unless I get horrible service, but to add gratuity onto the table was just in bad taste in my opinion. So, if my server reads this, know that you shorted yourself by trying to nickle and dime your guests. O yea, and I also ALWAYS clean up after my 1year old, but since you grat'd my table, I let you have the honors this time.

• Pros: Excelent, sophisticated Italian food
• Cons: Added gratuity???

04/20/09

Tried this place twice, it is getting better

by westptownfoodie at Citysearch

I decided to review after I had a VERY disappointing first visit to Decarli, we tried one more time. I have learned my lesson about sitting in the bar area now. Don't do it. We had the same bartender both times and he seems overwhelmed just bringing drinks (waited 10 mins after ordering them). What?! You make the damn drinks, your bar customers should have the speediest drinks in the place! The food both times has taken a VERY long time, including the apps, (first time one HOUR!!) this time oysters on the half shell (very nice presentation when they came, very fresh and tasty). I mean we wait to the point where we are asking other servers if we got forgotten. I think maybe again, its that bartender. When he approached us and realized that over 30 mins had gone by with no app, he went to the computer, CLEARLY to check if he had even ordered it! (yes I work in the industry, I know what was up). The food came seconds after the app, but the meal was VERY good. Like VERY VERY good. But as most people know, AMAZING food with poor to terrible service means we were left feeling "meh". Also the drinks, twice now I have tried 2-3 different cocktails, as I love my foo-foo drinks. At pearl prices, $8.50+, this cocktail list has a couple of stars and a lot of "sounds good on the list" but then tastes like there's a bartender who can't execute the building of the drink. I'm sure he's very nice, but he cannot handle waiting the tables, making the drinks and delivery. The bartender should be the rockstar in the whole place. Decarli if you are going to truly shine, you need to lose, or retrain this guy. Or let him handle the bar only, give the tables to a server. I will sit in the restaurant next time and maybe edit my review if needed. Until then, spend your (no small amount!) money in the pearl, only 20 mins east!

• Pros: Tasty, though VERY limited menu
• Cons: Service in the bar BOTH times, drinks not worth HIGH price

04/08/09

Bravo for Brunch!

by djdeluxe at Citysearch

By now it's clear that I'm not the only one that finds the restaurant selection in the Beaverton area quite limiting. So when it comes to brunch, until now, my choices were to go downtown or have my husband cook. Decarli has filled the void! Not only is it convenient, but once inside I am treated to a great atmosphere, great service, and one of the best brunches the greater Portland area has to offer. Where to start... sweet risotto. If you've had this before - 'nuf said. If not, order one for the table next time you''re in and be prepared for a wonderful treat. Another one for the table and not to be missed is the potato + bacon croquettes w/ spiced maple syrup. O-M-G! Other favorites include the breakfast pizza (who knew?) and the fried egg sandwich. For the less adventurous, the buttermilk waffle will not disappoint. Top it off with a specialty Mimosa or Bloody Mary, and you'll want to start ALL of your Sundays at Decarli.

• Pros: seated quickly, great variety, great breakfast cocktails
• Cons: must come back several times to try everything you want now

03/19/09

Great Happy Hour-Can't wait for Brunch!

by jdi88 at Citysearch

A friend and I enjoyed Happy Hour here last week and were very pleased with the restaurant! it is a great little neighborhood place with great food and great drinks. While we only had wine, we were both anxious to return another time to try the mixed drinks and even more importantly, the desert and after-dinner drink menu!

The brunch menu also looks spectacular and with breakfast soon starting on Saturday too, I know this will soon become a popular hang out before hitting the Farmer's Market on the weekends.

• Pros: Happy Hour special prices on food and drinks

02/01/09

Inspired Italian food; comfortable welcoming atmosphere; great overall experience

by dukedt at Citysearch

Amazing space! Tall ceilings, exposed brick walls, creative lighting, beautiful bar and clean, open kitchen. Luckily, the food and service live up to the high expectations set by the space. I was there with my girlfriend, who is Italian by heritage and upbringing and a graduate of CIA in NYC. We were promptly greeted at the door and then at the bar where we enjoyed happy hour appetizers and then dinner.

We started with the papatas with a spicy aioli. A simple dish where execution matters, here DeCarli?s delivers. The fingerling potatoes were perfectly fried and crispy on the outside and aioli was the perfect accompaniment. We moved on to the mussels appetizer which was flavorful and aromatic. I love fresh fennel and it was complemented nicely with saffron and pernod. Very fresh mussels ... nicely opened and solid.

Next, we enjoyed the Caesar and beet salads. The Caesar was amazing with crisp whole leaves of romaine appropriately dressed with a garlic bite and suggestion of whole grain mustard. The croutons were delicate and crunchy and the shaved grana padano melted in my mouth. I also enjoyed my taste of the beet salad that had a nice citrus flavor.

For dinner, I ordered a classic bolognese over homemade linguini. The pasta was cooked perfectly and had a pleasing al-dente consistency. The bolognese was rich and meaty without being too oily or rich. I cleaned every bit of the sauce with my bread.

The wine selection was solid with good pricing and glassware. The overly energy of the space was positive. The lighting, acoustics and ambiance work for both a romantic dinner for two or a group of friends. The happy hour selections are nice, but don't overlook the dinner menu just because you're there during happy hour. We live in NE Portland, but will still make the effort to get to Beaverton for DeCarlis!

Cheers,

Duke

• Pros: Food, ambience, staff, bar
• Cons: Beaverton location