Serratto Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in Portland

Serratto sounds like a traditional Italian restaurant, which it did used to be until the new owners (9 years ago) expanded the menu to also incorporate traditions from French and Mediterranean cuisines while also sourcing to support local, from the meats from Nicky USA to talking about the exact terroir of the wines from the specific vineyards in Italy and Spain.

In fact, if you visit you may see the snail on their windows and other decorative elements. The snail represents the Slow Food movement, so its presence is emphasizing the Serratto viewpoint of traditional (taking cues from classic old world European family and warmth) and then melding that with regional sustainable ingredients.

I have visited many times because I think they have a great happy hour, great housemade pastas, and a really excellent wine selection.

Serratto is located on NW 21st and Kearney, in the trendy but artsy Nob Hill neighborhood. The atmosphere is a perfect combination of being chic so that you could have a dinner out with friends or a date night, but not so hip that you don't also see corporate dinners of a table suits, or a family and locals also dining alongside you. You can make reservations with them on OpenTable, but I have also walked in and been fine as well.

They have a large space in which they can easily adjust tabletops either in the scene-y front (great people watching as folks make their way on the sidewalks from the streetcar down to 21st/are on their way back from their fun time) or the more classic yet cozy back nooks. Towards the back there is one raised area with two private dining rooms- all meaning they can accommodate dinner parties of more than 4 easily, not always easy to find at restaurants in Portland.

I loved the simple clean flavors that showed off the quality ingredients in the Ahi Tuna Tartare "Nicoise" chopped egg, capers, olives, housemade potato chips, tarragon aioli. Meanwhile, a seasonal offering of Kale Salad with pine nuts, honey crisp apple, sour cherries, Grana Padano, apple cider vinaigrette totally embodied the flavors and feeling of autumn.

Meanwhile, heavenly would describe that Painted Hills Burger with brioche, bacon, white cheddar, aioli, bbq sauce, crispy onions + pommes frites. That burger was so juicy, and apparently is a popular dish for when there are catered events at Serrato... and is also on their happy hour menu. Also, all their pastas are good. The Seared Sea Scallop roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, braised cabbage, apple butter, walnuts was soooo good, I would have licked the plate if I wasn't with company.

And the Muscovy Duck Confit with black lentils, parsnip cream, pancetta, juniper demi-glace came with a BACON STRAW.

Every month they are changing out their wine flight, but I highly recommend getting the flight, whatever it is, as they really pick some gems. The one I had included Mandrarossa "Bonera" Sicilia '09 Nero 'D'avola/Cab/Cab Franc, Els Guiamets "Isis" Montsant '06 Carignan/Grenache/Syrah, and Fidélitas "M100" Columbia Valley '11 Cabernet/Merlot/Malbec and the one in November is going to highlight Beaujolais, since it's such a great wine for...

Was disappointed in for the price of the food (yes, I know you are paying for a chef & for the location) the fact that the bill came telling you to pay 20% tip on top of the price of the food, that the two main ingredients that yhey were saying was on my plate was that much, and I had to go looking for it under the "greenery" that was on top. There might have been more than one tablespoon of shredded crabmeat, but I really doubt it, and six slices of asparagus, the rezt was this lacy green stuff that was the other veggie. I couldn't tell you if there was a dressing or not, I didn't notice it & couldn't taste it uf there was one.

I was impressed that they DID put a clean linen table cloth & napkins on the table before seating you. Most place don't change the tablecloth unless it's dirty... I would hate to see their daily laundry bill for that alone.

I couldn't tell you if this is handicapped accessible as you have stairs to go in & out of the building. It looked like they might have a particial lift of some kind to get to the rest rooms which are up another set of stairs.

Would I be going back to eat there? Nope. I can't afford to buy a meal that doesn't come clos to filling me up or taking away the hungery feeling you get when it's past meal time. The price was equal to two maybe three days of meals for me, so you k ow where I'm coming from.... And the menu does not say whether they will sub for those with food problems.

If you want the ability go say that you dined here, go ahead and go, if you are trying to keep a budget, go across the river into the Lloyd District, it will be more...

What an absolutely amazing spot... More due to the staff, food and cocktails rather than the view, interior design, or parking. Yes, I said it has bad views (it's either just not that interesting OR entirely cut off in their event room), interior design (coldly minimalist/vaguely industrial), and parking (drive around forever trying to find available free street parking spot OR overpaying for a semi-secured lot space/over-priced city parking). Why would you do that? Because Serratto is absolutely phenomenal.

The staff is professional, but personable. Willing and able to offer tailored (or entirely IMHO prefaced) recommendations on the menus. Impeccably crafted cocktails and a curated wine menu ensure satisfying a boozy craving. The food is incredibly well-designed when it comes to the structure of the dishes, but is also impeccably executed.

Overall? It can be hard to hear or hold a conversation, especially in the event room. The food is amazing, and entirely worth the visit if you're a fan of Italian cuisine. The cocktails are well designed, well executed, and on par with what you would expect from sousól (but less expensive and without a "challenging" cocktail on the menu). The service staff is well-informed, personable, but ultimately incredibly professional.

This restaurant is absolutely worth the visit. It makes a great date night if you already know each other, or a place for a formal event. I would absolutely go again, even if I can't hear my party talking...