The Oregonian's 2015 Restaurant of the Year: Renata
By Michael Russell "Renata is a dream," Sandra Arnerich says of the deceptively simple, deliriously ambitious Italian restaurant that she and husband Nick opened in May. That dream is what caused them to leave high-profile restaurant jobs in San Francisco, uproot their growing family and fly north to Nick's hometown of Portland. &nbs...
Casa Mia Brings Humble Italian to SE Division
Trendy restaurant concepts and Portland go together like waxed mustaches and designer flannel, but Casa Mia isn't biting. This little Italian eatery serves breakfast, lunch—yes, there are restaurants open for lunch on Division—and dinner seven days a week in the former Detour coffee shop venue at 3035 SE Division St. Opening last week, Cas...
The biggest restaurant opening this spring in Las Vegas: Lago by Julian Serrano
Las Vegas has a habit of reinventing itself time and again to toss out the old and bring in the flashy and new. For the Bellagio, that means a new Italian restaurant from Julian Serrano, the Michelin-starred chef who already serves French fare at the resort's Picasso and tapas at Aria. Serrano opens Lago, his spin on small plates with a Mi...
Eating Italian in the Old Mill
By John Gottberg Anderson Diners who love Italian food have two restaurant choices in Bend's Old Mill District. Pastini Pastaria and Flatbread Community Oven stand side-by-side next to the Deschutes River on the north side of the shopping-and-entertainment district. But I'm not a big fan of either one. Others may applaud the...
New Sicilian restaurant opening in Pearl District next week
by Michael Russell The new Sicilian restaurant coming to the former Fratelli space in Portland's Pearl District is set to open next week. Bellino Trattoria Siciliana comes from chef-owner Francesco Inguaggiato, a Sicilian native who owns two other Italian restaurants in Texas. The highlights assaggini, or Sicilian tapas, such...
Italian pastry search finds sweet finish
By Heidi Knapp Rinella Karen Ericson inquired about local Italian bakeries that sell fresh pastries, especially cannoli, and as usual, her fellow Taste of the Town readers came through. Marlene Drozd recommended Montesano's Italian Eateria at 9905 S. Eastern Ave., which she said not only sells cannoli but also fills the shells when...
Downtown Phoenix's Forno 301 Is Reminiscent of Best Italy's Best Cafes
by Robert Pela My Italian is lousy, but I know a lot of the swear words, so when I spotted cazzone as one of the specials of the day at Forno 301, my new favorite restaurant, I laughed. Cazzone means "big dick," not as in "giant penis," but more like "you're an idiot." Forno 301, on the other hand, is very smart. The menu is...
Skipolini's Italian opening at The Summit in spring
by Mike Higdon Skipolini's Italian is remodeling the interior of the former Firkin' and Wolf Pub and Restaurant in The Summit mall parking lot at 13971 S. Virginia St. The Summit announced it will open in Spring 2016. Skipolini's Italian features pizzas, pastas and Italian entrees in a sit-down setting. All of the restaurants have...
New Food Cart Specializes in Lesser-Known Italian Street Food: Panzerotti
One part calzone, one part fry bread, panzerotti are what Hot Pockets always wished they could be: a deep-fried street food meant to be wrapped in a napkin and eaten on the go. Panzerotti are traditional to Southern Italy, especially the Puglia region, and the brand-new Bari Food Cart in the SE 52nd and Foster pod specializes in an authentic versio...
Italian chef explores Alaska cuisine in Fairbanks
By Kevin Baird Chef Alberto Bessi, of Fanano, Italy, spent the past week in Fairbanks, and, after the eye-opening experience, he is planning to visit next year. When he was asked about his experience with cooking moose meat and eating it, the chef's eyes widened and a smile crossed his face. With only a small grasp of the English language, he...
Digging Into Carbone
One of the most buzzed-about restaurant openings of the next few months is Carbone, which is slated to open its doors in Aria in October. The restaurant is a spinoff of the popular Greenwich Village restaurant of the same name, which is known for its Italian-American cuisine and tableside preparations, and which was a finalist for the James Beard a...
Nora’s Italian Cuisine Passed Down to the Next Generation
By Al Mancini When Marcello Mauro and his parents broke ground on his new restaurant on January 26, it signified a passing of the torch. When Marcello was still in high school, his parents, Nora and Gino, handled the day-to-day operations of the original 12-seat Nora's Italian Cuisinewhich opened in 1991. Today, Nora and Gino are...