Patrono — Restaurant in Oklahoma City

Portono

Step into Portono for a taste of Italian rustic cuisine served with a side of semi-eclectic charm. As I waltzed in, the host greeted me with a question that made me feel like a VIP: "Do you have a reservation?" Despite the low occupancy, the ambiance was buzzing with potential culinary adventures.

Perched at the bar, my trusty solo dining spot, I kicked things off with a bento negroni. A tad bitter for my liking, but hey, it did slow down my sipping pace – a rare feat! The soup of the day, minestrone, beckoned me like a siren, and I succumbed to its hearty embrace. With a flavorful punch and noodles that hugged my taste buds, it was a soup worth surrendering to. And let's not forget the bread – balsamic-infused butter with a sprinkling of sea salt and a mysterious Salsa Verde Pamatino (or something like that). While my pronunciation might need work, the butter was decent, but that salsa verde was the real MVP. Paired with a crusty sourdough roll, it was carb heaven.

For the main event, I dove into the Carbonara – a symphony of flavors with meat that danced on my palate like beef jerky (and trust me, that's a compliment). The only hitch? The plate it arrived on played a cruel trick on my eyes, making the portion seem smaller than a side salad at a pasta party. But hey, maybe it was just the plate's illusionist tendencies at play.

As for the atmosphere, it was a blend of semi-formal vibes with paper cloth tablecloths and a bar that looked like it was hosting a bottle convention. And let's not forget the curious blue dishwashing tray precariously perched above the bar – a quirky touch for a fine establishment, to say the least.

Overall, Portono delivered a solid performance, earning a respectable 4.3 out of 5 stars in my book. Cheers to good food and...

Our first visit to Patrono was on Mother's Day 2024 (May 12). Upon entering the restaurant, the ambiance was very comfortable and quiet, with perfect lighting. We were greeted by our server, Sidney, who had a million dollar smile and such a great personality. He brought some fresh sourdough bread to our table, along with some oil and some sort of compound butter, which was delicious. We ordered a bottle of Lunaria Coste di Moro and perused the menu.

For appetizers, we selected the Burrata Stuffed Prosciutto and the Caulilini Fritto appetizers. Of the two, the Caulilini was definitely my favorite. The Burrata was very good as well, I am just not a huge fan of prosciutto; it's a texture thing for me.

For an entree, I chose the Roman Carbonara, and my husband ordered the Hand-Cut Bone-In Pork Chop. Both were outstanding!!! We also ordered the Jumbo Lump Crabcake to share (because I'm a New Orleans girl and I love crab meat). Hands down, this was the biggest and best crabcake I have ever had . . . 100% lump crab meat, NO filler, NO shells, and very nicely sized compared to the tiny crab cakes served by most establishments. It was worth every penny. If you visit Patrono, get it!

After our entrees, we enjoyed cappuccino with our desserts (the Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart and the Honey Crisp Apple Streudel; neither disappointed). It really was an amazing meal, from beginning to end. Of course, we could not eat everything we ordered, so we left with several to-go containers, which we finished today. :-)

Thanks to Patrono . . . and to Sidney . . . for a wonderful Mother's Day meal! We...

I originally posted a not so kind review of this restaurant in the heat of the moment and did so under annoyance and was over zealous of my own thoughts and feelings towards a small business owner. For those that read any of what I said I apologize for such actions and words that were not deemed appropriate and the unkind things that were said. So I digress of my unkind nature. Having time to reflect of my experience here, I choose initially to harbor ill will on to the restaurant for small inconveniences that I might have seen and not to write what should have been said in the first place. My experience at Patrono was interesting , the ambiance of the restaurant was quite nice and was well decorated to suit the atmosphere of a nice Italian restaurant. The waitstaff was very kind from helping me to know where I could park safely to greeting and helping with any questions or concerns I had about the food and the many allergies that myself and my girlfriend suffer from. I applaud the chef for creating a new specialty menu of his pairing on a fairly regular basis as well as being able to maintain quality and performance of a set menu. The food that was presented to us was presented eloquently in presentation. My pallet was not displeased with the flavor or consistency of the food, I personally could have used more salt to my dish and that was easily remedied by the salt shaker not 10 inches from my reach. After reflection of my over all experience I would say that I would like to try more of what this chef has...