Brooklyn Trattoria Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Oregon

We went in on Valentine’s Day so I can’t speak to the experience and pricing on an average night. Overall, we felt scammed. Both my partner and I worked service in our early 20’s, so we understand how restaurants work, we sympathize with staff on busy nights, and we always tip well. I also NEVER write google reviews so this experience clearly left an impression. Here was our take of this place on Valentine’s Day.

-The food. No complaints with my mushroom ravioli but I tried my partner's chicken piccata and it was really underwhelming. My partner ordered a classic old fashioned which tasted like it had vermouth added to it… maybe a rookie bartending mistake?

-Mediocre service. I don't blame the staff and I wouldn't be so harsh if the business wasn't trying so hard to be a chic spot and totally failing. So many missed opportunities to communicate, it ended up feeling confusing and rushed. Yet also slow as we tried to get someone’s attention for 20 minutes so we could order drinks. Very little table service. I get it was busy but there were so many staff. The high prices simply don’t reflect the dining experience here.

-Upcharged, overpriced and mislead. Here is why I say we felt scammed. We read the full website and menu before coming in and were aware of their prices. Nowhere on their website did it say they would only be offering a special menu for Valentine’s Day. We waited for our table at the restaurant and the hostess didn’t mention anything about the small upcharged Valentine’s Day menu, and there was no signage up about it in the lobby. When the waitress sat us at our table, she handed us the small valentines specials menu without clarifying that would be the only menu served for the night and not just the specials for the night which was how it seemed. She also gave us a QR code were she said drinks were listed which lead to their full regular menu and again made us think all the regular food was available. Needless to say by the time it was clarified to us that the small upcharged Valentine’s Day menu was the only menu for the night, we had already waited an hour for a table, ordered drinks, and an appetizer so we were committed to staying. Additionally they tacked on an automatic 20% gratuity to every table. Auto gratuities are typically 15-18% and they’re typically for groups of people, not 2 people. If it had been a decent experience in a chic establishment I wouldn’t have blinked an eye as I usually tip 20%, but after such a mediocre forced experience it felt like they were just trying to corner us into spending as much money as they could for the least amount of effort. I know upselling is a part of any establishment but there are charming and subtle ways to do it when you provide a well rounded experience.

-The Redroom. At the recommendation of the hostess we went nextdoor to their Redroom lounge to get a drink while we waited for our table. It seems like they’re aiming for it to be a speak easy lounge kind of spot. With green LED laser lights moving across the ceiling, rainbow LED candles placed around, and red drapes, it feels more like a trashy back lottery room. The waitress was very nice and got us a seat upon handing us a cocktail menu of their $30 Valentine's Day drinks. I can’t overstate how confused we were left feeling by the presentation, high pricing, and delivery of this place. I truly don’t know what demographic or age group the lounge is geared towards. I don’t know why anyone would ever pay $30 for a cocktail in a place like that when you could go to an actually nice place with great atmosphere that serves amazing drinks for that price.

Overall as a customer I was offended that they provided me a mediocre experience but tried to pass it off as more than that. We could have actually gone to a chic romantic Valentine’s Day dinner for the $200. Instead we had a very disappointing experience, would...

We have eaten here twice, and both times DID NOT disappoint! Very flavorful and well-balanced drinks. A little strong, but one of them I expected to be that way. The first time we came we ordered the crab cakes and calamari appetizers. Both tasty! I've never had a better crab cake than at our favorite restaurant in Lincoln City, but these were pretty good. The calamari the first time was perfectly crispy, but not burnt. Not too chewy as it goes for calamari. We also ordered it the 2nd time we came. Flavor was still there, but these were not as crispy as I would have liked. The 2nd visit we also ordered the spinach and cheese filled arancini as an appetizer, and man. Those were tasty. Crispy, but not too heavy. The outside was perfectly crunchy while the inside was soft and cheesy and delish!

For dinner the first visit I got their bistecca - filet mignon (perfectly cooked), with asparagus (also perfectly cooked), and some creamy, cheesy polenta. I could not get enough of this. Every last drop on my plate was devoured. My fiance ordered their braised short ribs. I tried a bite and it was like eating Italian stew or something. The flavors were unlike any Italian food I've ever had. Noodles perfectly cooked and the meat was so tender and juicy. It melted in your mouth. He also very much enjoyed the Josh Cabernet Sauvignon that was recommended to go with it. Again, every. Last. Drop. Gone. The second dinner was equally as amazing! My fiance went more classic with spaghetti and meatballs with a bolognese sauce. It was what you expected when ordering something so traditional. The meat combo in the meatballs was done well. They weren't overcooked and neither were the noodles. Bolognese had such a wonderful flavor. Not too acidic from the tomatoes and didn't taste canned or anything. I had an almond salmon limone. The salmon was a little overcooked for my taste, but had a very nice flavor and crunch from the almonds. Still flaked with a fork though. It had the skin on it which I can't stand. I just pulled it off as I ate. No biggie! The salmon was served on top of pancetta, zucchini, butternut squash, sauteed kale and spinach with a lemony sauce. I usually hate kale, but all the flavors combined so well it didn't bother me at all.

Last, but certainly not least!!!! My fiance isn't much of a sweets guy, so no dessert for him, but I ordered the cannoli both times. So, so, so, so delightful. I had never had it before which is why I ordered it the first time and I had been dreaming of them until the 2nd visit, so I had to get some again! Of course they're best when eaten there, so they say nice and crunchy. I ate one there and took the other home. They dip em in little chocolate chips and drizzle caramel on the plate. Yummm 😋

Italian is easily top 3 favorite food for us, and this place has quite easily taken over as our go to spot. We will return over and over again! We also really enjoyed that both times we were there the owner David(?) was walking around and chatting with everyone. Making sure all food and drinks were good. Great service. Offered us some free champagne. OH OH! They also give you some bread when you get seated and the butter that goes with it ... All so good! I swear I've said both times we ate there that I wanted to buy a tub of that damn butter and take it home with me. It's like whipped and flavored and just yum!

I have photos, but apparently my phone won't let me load them, so you'll have to go and see...

I have to start off with seeing been a long time since I have been out to a proper dinner. And I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the prices I mean we've been paying $16 for a cheeseburger for a decade now. So let's just say I had sticker shock. My family is Sicilian also in the restaurant business so I probably spent more time in fine dining establishments than your average person. The food was well prepared. The menu was diverse. I appreciate the fact that local ingredients were used. I was a little thrown buy random Korean spiced chicken being on the menu. But that seemed to be the only anomaly. Other than that it seemed to be standard fare. I would have liked maybe to see some polenta. Mashed potatoes while I love them, are not very traditional. And the reason I did not order the Osso Buco. The fried calamari was perfection. The sauteed, really it's marinated, did have some twists in it that I really appreciate it. I will say that the red pepper flakes however, overpowered the delicate calamari. It could have used olive oil to balance the citrus and vinegar. I will probably tweak this recipe a little, and hope my family doesn't throw rocks at me for not recreating our grandmother's recipe. But I think she would have liked this. The veal piccata was not quite thin enough and slightly overcooked. I'd give it three stars. The macaroni and cheese you could clearly taste the Parmesan yum. The meatballs were large and delicious. Now we get to dessert. I don't recall the Apple tart being described on the menu as being more of a frangipan tart with some apples on top. I'm not a fan a frangipan. So I was expecting more of a mini apple pie. And now to the tiramisu, I didn't order it but someone else did and we both had the same remarks. There is a reason that tiramisu is best when a traditional recipe is followed. And personally I'm kind of a stickler. Using sponge cake just turns it into a soggy mess. The mascarpone was overworked it was lacking the proper texture and there was none of the mildly cheesy sour creamy taste. And there was an odd flavor, it may have been rum, but whatever it was it was wrong. Rum doesn't belong in a tiramisu and if that's not what it was it was something else maybe it was the chocolate syrup also unnecessary. And it was served with whipped cream with little chocolate chips. Even more unnecessary. The service was accurate and enthusiastic however, and this is not the fault of the servers, I want to see a real menu. I don't want to scan stuff on my phone I'm old school If we're out to a meal with family and friends then phone should be put away. I'm going to regular menu was requested we were brought a tablet one tablet. For eight adults. Then the server had to take our order on a handheld device. I could have written tickets for every table in the house in the time it took her to take half of our orders. And again I want to make it clear that's not her fault. Restaurants don't need all this technology. With no alcohol, the cheapest appetizer, entree, and dessert plus tip it's going to run you $70. That seems a little excessive to me. I will say this the atmosphere was lovely once we were inside I completely forgot I was in...