No matter who you are or where in the world you follow from , some things are just universal , beloved by all of humans . One thing that brings us together is a share making love of carbs ; in fact , we refuse you to obtain a culture that does n’t boast carbs in some delightful room as part of its main culinary identity . We as humankind even have abiological inclinationto true pine for them … so if you say " nah , not me , man , " you ’re dwell .
breathe in by pure hedonism and bold degeneration , I attempt out to find the good Italian joints not just for the pasta and risotto ( though that was in spades a vast part of the programme ) , but for the saki of taste that gustatory modality of home - misrepresent luxuriousness that mama used to spend all Sunday cooking up – those meal of fragrant rice and pasta . And so , without any further stir , here are the best Italian restaurants in Portland right now .
Mucca Osteria
If you ’re looking for a romantic patch to take your honey as your eyes lovingly touch over a home plate of fresh alimentary paste , this is it . The beautiful Gothic interior is arrant with cage in pendant , gilded mirrors that look like something out of Versailles , and plenty of romanticist candlelight to set the mood . outdoors of achieving perfect humour lighting , chef / possessor and Rome aboriginal Simone Savaiano manage to hit the nail on the capitulum with graceful , advanced Italian fare that forthwith ship you to Italy . Everything from the pasta to the boodle is made in - house ; all the ingredients are constituent and sourced locally , and include uber - voguish item like freshly shaved bottarga or dry out Pisces eggs , added to the pasta for extra soupiness . Good lot prove to pick out between any of the opulent saucer prepared before your heart at the chef ’s counter , though : between sea scallops cooked in a truffled Parmesan fondu , six dissimilar kinds of pasta , and pancetta - wrapped coney , you may very well just end up canoodling ( not even unaired to being good-for-nothing ) here all Nox .
Piazza Italia
ground by Italian immigrant Gino Schettini and his friend Kevin Gorretta , Piazza Italia is a little house - own section of Italy section savour - tap in the heart of the Pearl District . As if the TV emitting Italian in the niche and the ceiling lined with association football jerseys was n’t quite " reliable " enough for you , Piazza Italia is also complete with a delicatessen offering farm - to - table selections of meat , cheeses , and grow . The smell of espresso waft through the air creates an environment that ’s loggerheaded with love , a exploit that ’s also receive in the computer menu , with sure items like Linguine Squarciarella ( Gino ’s deary ) and Linguine alle vongole ( Gino ’s oldest daughter Amy ’s favourite ) marked as exceptional . Though first apprehensive to try one of the house specialties – the Pappardelle al Cinghiale , full of tender boar fake in cherry-red wine – the fear was squashed as soon as I took the first collation … which cursorily became the 2nd , then third , and eventually , an empty plate .
Nostrana
Walking in here is like specify foot in Noah ’s Ark of the Covenant … only alternatively of being greeted by voluminous amounts of animals , it ’s the smell of pizza pie mildly cooking away in wood - burn oven . Against the backdrop of vastly high ceilings in a former grocery store amidst gentle yack is the visual modality of Italy of six - time James Beard Award finalist chef Cathy Whims . Whims ’ close rendition of aged steaks , pizzas , and alimentary paste are so good that they ’re able-bodied to send anyone to a land far , far by , where you ’re suddenly sit in a gondola while stuffing your face full of profiteroles … such is their charming king . Do n’t neglect out on the rosemary - infused , dry - aged steaks ( either a seven - day aged Tagliata or 40 - day dry - aged St. Helen ’s costa steak ) , unless you ’ve been really , really naughty and insist that taking a quick misstep to heaven just really is n’t your kind of thing . You should also probably take advantage of the pizzas baked up in those woodwind instrument - cauterise oven , because they are some kind of magic . The Fungi Verde , complete with both shiitake and maitake mushrooms along with pecorino cheeseflower , is a personal favorite , but you ca n’t really go amiss with food for thought this good .
Grassa
With the ballyhoo surrounding this place ( handmade pasta ! cheap Mary Leontyne Price ! ) , I was half expecting to take the air in here and undergo some kind of spiritual pasta experience . The reality , while emphatically good – handmaking pasta definitely has its deservingness – was n’t quite the rabid " I see God " bite I ’d hoped for , though there was something deeply satisfying about seeing arrays of just - made pastas being stacked on trays near the kitchen . Grassa ’s absurdly reasonable damage point , however , definitely leans in its party favor here , with the most expensive item on the menu ( cool squid ink alimentary paste ) coming in at $ 15 . It ’s a family - well-disposed roast that you could give even on a educatee budget . add together the fact that you may get mac & cheese with a jumbo portion of caramelized pork belly for only $ 12 , and you ’re set for get down your gastronome on for much nothing .
Serratto
Chef Tony Meyers is the “ product of a Sicilian grannie who showed him around the kitchen , ” so that probably tells you all you need to know about the food here , but we ’ll go on . Serratto take delight in cooking up Italian and Mediterranean menu , and does so with flair . The eating house in itself is immense , with a near - lewdly sized bar and suitably sized wine inclination to match , and is constantly buzzing with the sound of depleted volume chatter emanating from the family unit dine within . While Serratto ’s menu showcases basic Mediterranean staples like risotto , antipasti , rigatoni , and more , one of the in force things I ’ve ever eaten in Portland – the stuffed Piquillo common pepper so often used by Bobby Flay – lays in plain stack on the menu . The sweet of the crimson peppers that emerge after roasting them geminate together with quinoa , carrots , and Indian corn top with chile oil is a raciness of thoroughgoing veg good that I still remember absolutely ( and starve constantly ) .
Ava Gene’s
Written up in just about every food mag fromWine Enthusiast Magazineto theNew York Times , it ’s easy to see why Ava Gene ’s rustic , Roman - inspired card has manic crowds wrap around the block more or less constantly . It ’s the kind of restaurant you ’d expect copious mob bosses cozying up in on their days off , queuing up for a nice glass of vino in this amply lit space with drop candles and cushiony cerise kiosk . Recently bought out by headspring chef Joshua McFadden , Ava Gene ’s is a solemnisation that merge love for Pacific Northwest feeling with classical Italian fares that Nonna would be majestic of . Pasta is cooked al dente here , which may amount as a surprisal to some ; sugar is n’t gratuitous , but rather , is thoughtful – you could snag yourself a large gash of moolah , or pane , top with everything from mushrooms to beef tongue and beyond , for around $ 10 - 12 . There ’s deal to be had , so it ’s best to get yourself a little bit of everything , admit the Gnocco Fritto , aka fried bread with prosciutto and honey , plenty of salad ( you never recognize salad could be this good ) , and lamb and pork ragu with rye tagliatelle .
Caffe Mingo
Caffe Mingo ’s focal point is on delivering wide-eyed , red-blooded Italian classics with a Pacific Northwest twist , so naturally , the menu changes out weekly to hold what ’s in season . There ’s plenty of introductory Italian staples to be had from antipasti to pizza pie and saucily made pasta ( some pricier than others , with the heirloom tomato caprese time in at a hefty $ 16 ) , but all you really want is a quick facial expression at the sign specialties to get you drooling . Get at the risotto with lamb sausage balloon , mushroom , and sheep ’s milk cheese for a bite of creaminess that ’s sure to make you groan audibly , or choose for the squawk sugo braised in Chianti and espresso if you ’re lust a immense portion of that mellifluous , sweet alimentary paste .
a Cena Ristorante
Located in Portland ’s Sellwood neighborhood , the inspiration behind the name of a Cena Ristorante is in itself an invitation , with " a cena " meaning " come to dinner party " in Italian . The menu here is simple , which – after browsing through some of the more all-inclusive computer menu throughout the city ’s Italian restaurants – is a breathing spell of fresh melodic phrase . Do n’t slip simple for unrefined , though , because it ’s ladened with plenty of luxurious recipe passed down from chef Gabriel Gabreski ’s Italian family , include lobster and mascarpone Agnolotti and Branzino al Sale , aka sea bass baked in a salt crust . If you have n’t had the pleasure of eating ocean bass this way , you dead must : it may seem in hypothesis like the salt would overpower , but in reality , it makes for the most untoughened fish you ’ll ever have . PS : the cannoli here are a masterpiece , so do n’t you dare allow for the mesa without at least one .
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Nostrana
Mucca Osteria
Nostrana
Serratto
Ava Gene’s
A Cena Ristorante
