07/09/09

What Happened?

by calico50

This restaurant used to be one of my favorites, but my husband and I dined here recently and it was terrible. First, it took over an hour for the main course to be served even though there were only about 4 other tables occupied in the whole place (now I know why). My fettucine w/scallops was lukewarm, the fettucine was undercooked, the scallops overcooked (all 2 of them), and the sauce tasted like it came from a can. The roasted vegetable side was 75% onion. My husband had the sausage dish and said it tasted like a Costco hot dog. For dessert I had a chocolate hazlenut torta that was obviously a frozen food service item (if it wasn't, it sure tasted like it). My husband had ice cream which was freezer burnt. Finally, it was my birthday so when my husband called for reservations he asked if they could bring out my dessert with a candle. Didn't happen.

We're both wondering if the restaurant is under new ownership because it's nothing like the place we'd been enjoying great meals at for many years.

03/08/09

Girlfriend says, "Best birthday ever!" Thank you Fratelli!

by statusfaction

I recently took my girlfriend to Fratelli for her birthday and we couldn't have left happier. Starting in the bar, we had tasty whiskey cocktails while conversing with the animated bartender and other patrons. When we finished those, the staff brought us to our table in the dining room and transferred the tab for us. All together we had gnocchi, ravioli, sausage, and braised lamb with a recommended bottle of wine by our server who was fun, knowledgeable and there when we needed him but pleasantly not when we didn't. Deciding to have a night cap instead of desert, we retired back to the bar. The staff transferred our tab once more. Thanks! We left very full, a little tipsy and very happy; the sausage being our favorite food. If I'm forced to make a complaint, it would be that we found a very small piece of bone in the lamb dish. Regardless, the service, ambiance and quality of fare was more than expected for how little the bill was. We'll be back very soon.

• Pros: Fun, knowledgeable staff, inviting ambiance, great food/value, extensive wine list
• Cons: No French or local wines (all Italian list)

03/02/09

Best Lasagna EVER!

by mrswiggle

I go to Fratelli often, sometimes just with my husband, and sometimes to meet friends, and have found the atmosphere is conducive to both! We love sitting in the bar (Bar Due). The food is really amazing, and one of the best happy hours that I've had (and I've been to a lot!). The pizzas are creative, but still have that Italian flare. The small plates menu is my favorite...I love their lasagna. Instead of a regular tomato-sauce, they use a bechamel that is completely to die for. Last time we were there, my husband ordered the meatballs and they were so good too! The atmosphere is great too. Some places in the Pearl feel a little pretentious, and this one feels like it's my own hidden gem. We love to sit at the bar, cause their bartenders are super friendly and I've never had a drink I didn't like. It always seems to be really clean, the lights are low, and it's just a fun, laid-back (yet special) place to go. I would highly reccomend it!

• Pros: Great service, Great bar, Unique & Delicious menu, decent prices
• Cons: Parking

02/25/09

Stimulated By the Aphrodisiac Menu

by yobwoca

I agree that it was crowded on valentine's day, but isn't that expected? We thought the staff did a good job adjusting to the high expectations of the fanciful holiday. Valentine's was not our first time here, it is one of a handful we love (hence my husband taking me there for the occasion) and we thought the food and service met the high standards they have on any other night. We enjoyed the custom menu, something new and different for the holiday. As far as romance, we get that from each other, and didn't find the other diners distracting, but perhaps the chaos of trying to meet unrealistic standards of tightwad boyfriends who are already bitter for having to take out their ladies, caused some unhappy exchanges. We however were quite pleased, the only reason I score 4 not 5 is I couldn't have my favorite Panna Cotta, oh well - we will just have to go back I guess.

02/21/09

Delicious Food and Engaging Staff

by smithkaa79

I've gone to Fratelli on multiple occasions, for both happy hour and dinner. I can't say enough about the food there. Every entree I've had has been delicious, and I absolutely love their small plates menu! The bruschette and pizzas are amazing! Their dishes are inventive, but never just for the sake of being inventive...(for example, I had a pizza with green grapes on it and thought, "where have you been all my life??")

Even if it weren't for the food being terrific, the service and friendly staff would keep me coming back. The bartenders are engaging, funny, and always make me feel welcome. They make amazing drinks too! The servers are so friendly and knowledgeable. I love going to the bar after work for happy hour - it's chill and unpretentious, while still having the feeling of a special/hip place in the Pearl.

I would absolutely recommend Fratelli for dinner, drinks, snacks, or all three at once!

• Pros: Great people, exceptionally delicious drinks, awesome happy hour selection
• Cons: Can't think of one!

02/18/09

Great Portland dinning.

by abs13

We love Fratelli! We have always had a great time. The Brushetta with shaved beef is our place to start the meal. I love the salads and vegetables or Risotto. My husband goes for the meat dishes. Wonderful use of seasonal local produce too. Super wine list and of course house made gelato! Fratelli makes northern Italian cuisine a fun experience. Try it!

• Pros: great food and service
• Cons: none

02/17/09

Another unfortunate Valentine's Day experience

by kickduckace

Unfortunately I couldn't agree more with gzucker's Valentine's Day review (I even saw him get up and get the fork for his wife, unless the same thing happened to someone else). I was looking for some place really special for Valentine's Day and my wife loves Italian. I thought what better place than the #2 Romantic Date Spot for 2008. Whatever got it on that list was completely missing in our experience! There's nothing romantic about being crammed 4 rows wide in that narrow dining room and trying not to listen to the conversations on either side of you, as you were trying to have your own. Fratelli totally sold itself out to make some extra $$. And it would have been nice to be informed when I made my reservations that they would be deciding what I would be having for dinner that night. Sure I had 3 choices for my entree, but I would not have chosen any one of those if I had a full menu in front of me. I chose the lesser of 3 "evils". The same goes for my appetizers and dessert, but I didn't have a choice on those. So basically we paid over $100 for a meal we would not have picked on our own. And the beef short ribs over garlic mash was just like something I could have gotten at any American restaurant. Same goes for my wife's fish. But no complaints about our server, she was very nice. I would like to give Fratelli another chance, if I could see a full menu first, but it's going to be awhile before I do that. And I don't think we're the only ones feeling that way. As my wife said, "No one in here looks happy..."

02/14/09

Fratelli Valentines Day Review

by gzucker

Fratelli = mediocre

What a huge disappointment for a Valentines Day dinner. Here is the breakdown...

Service = D

Food = Bland as heck, are you kidding me?

Environment = packed like sardines

Basically, we were seated and fed in a manner that felt like we were part of a circuit. There was no intimacy as they must have packed xtra tables in for more $ales. Our server never engaged us for any reason beyond simple questions My 2nd glass of wine took over 10 minutes to be served as my entree sat there cooling off. I even had to retrieve a fork for my wife after they served our entrees because I could not get anyones attention who worked there. And another annoying thing, our server spent time at a close by table chatting up some regulars while blowing everyone else she was serving off. BTW, she would ask us a question and literally start to leave before we could respond.

But let me back up.... When we arrived, they were extremely unorganized and we waited 20 minutes past our reservation which is no big deal except no one asked us if we wanted a glass of wine and the bartender never as much looked our way while standing right at the bar.

I ordered the short-ribs over parmesan mashed potatoes. It was so bland I basically felt like everything i was eating was mixed down with water. My wife thought her ravioli was ok but for 100+ dollars and as we live 1.5 blocks from ROUX, let me say this, this place was a total disappointment for everything that they claim on their site which states: Valentine's Day is one of the most romantic dates on the calendar and over the years Fratelli has been honored with a long list of awards including most romantic. This is totally not true. I am so bummed out this placed turned out to be so average. Sorry guys, in a bad economy, you better step it up. I might suggest Justa Pasta for half the price and five times the flavor. If you are going to drop 100-150, try Iolio, ROUX, Porta Terra or Higgens.

• Pros: none
• Cons: absolutely below average

02/11/09

Wonderful Valentine's Day!

by or2007

My husband and I went to Fratelli on Sunday to celebrate our Valentine's Day.

We chose to order the same menu as on Saturday. I had the fish, my husband had the ribs, as well as the cake. Everything was excellent! We shared our plates. The cake was very moist and a perfect size. To complement this, a bottle of wine.

The restaurant and bar was busy but that didn't seem to make a difference with our service.

Our server did mention how they swapped out the tables for 2 seaters on Valentine's Day to accommodate the couples. She did say that overall there were less seats in the restaurant.

We had a great time! Thank you.

01/19/09

Amazing, rustic Italian

by 777jm

I was walking around the NW with my fiancee last Monday and stumbled on a dark, romantic Italian restaurant called Fratelli. We had never noticed it before (it's around the corner from the flashy Oba) but it was cold out and we were lured in by the warm atmosphere we saw through the windows. If you want a cozy, romantic dinner or even a chill spot to go with friends and family, this is it. Besides, how can you go wrong with Italian? Of course, you're not going to get a big fat bowl of spaghetti and meatballs or chicken parmesan--if you want that, you would need to head on over to Pastini--but if you want a more sophisticated and authentically Italian meal, this is the place to go. The menu includes hearty examples of northern Italian cuisine (we had a couple delicious bruschetti as appetizers and the pan-seared rockfish and a fabulous lasagna for entrees. To finish, the panna cotta was delightful!). For anyone who craves a bit of cozy, romantic dining, I highly recommend Ristorante Fratelli (Also, you may want to beat the weekend crowds and aim for Mondays or Tuesdays).

• Pros: Ambience, food
• Cons: none