I Fratellini

Round two of "Zoe" restaurants meant that we spent my birthday at I Fratellini, which was even more desired due to Elli Snyder's weekly reviews that have been taunting Patience for years.

Even though it was an extra cold winter night, the restaurant was quite warm due to the kitchen. I'm guessing that is the reason why the gentlemen requested to move to the newly opened table that had been waiting for our reservation.

Since they might have been regulars, I politely let them know that they were welcome to have a dessert delivered to our table in exchange for our extra wait time and giving up the more comfortable seating. They just laughed and I shook their hands as if we were old friends.

The tactic worked and we received a lovely bottle of Prosecco to start our evening!

For the first course, I had to pick the cheesiest dish, which turned out to be the Speck with Artichoke Hearts and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. (You know I picked out all the good bits.)

Speck with Artichoke Hearts and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Patience and Linda enjoyed a Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola and Walnuts, while my Dad played it safe with potato soup.

Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola and Walnuts

To help Patience make the most out of her first time, I agreed to the Spaghetti with Lobster Tail, Butter, Garlic and Shallots, while she chose the Squid Ink Linguine with Mussels and Chorizo.

Spaghetti with Lobster Tail, Butter, Garlic and Shallots

Squid Ink Linguine with Mussels and Chorizo

Linda kept it mild with the Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms and Shallots in Brown Butter and Sage, while my Dad ordered his usual meat and potatoes.

Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms and Shallots in Brown Butter

Grilled Beef Filet with Fresh Wild Mushrooms and Escalloped Potatoes

Since Linda and I were both celebrating our twin birthdays, we had to have dessert! There was plenty of gelato, but since there was no chocolate option, I ordered the Chocolate Mousse Torta instead. I'm sure you're very surprised.

Vanilla Bean Gelato

Chocolate Mousse Torta

Definitely a good birthday!

Happy birthday, Linda!

Resources:

I Fratellini = https://www.ifratellini.com

Photos by Patience Scanlon

I Fratellini

Ever since I learned about burrata, a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream, I was on a quest to try it. Fortunately, a good foodie friend mentioned her favorite restaurant that she attends weekly. Then everything else fell into place when another friend had a good reason to celebrate over dinner.

I had been to I Fratellini previously, but it was several years ago and it’s one of those places where everything on the menu sounds fantastic so you’ll want to go many times. They offer all my favorite types of pasta: Mushroom Ravioli, Tagliatelle, Lobster Risotto, and Linguine with Clams, so I knew it was going to be a challenge to just pick one again.

Before I could even attempt to pick out one entrée, I couldn’t help but linger over the antipasto dishes. I couldn’t decide between the two salads so I decided my friend and I would just share a plate of gnudi, an Italian dumpling stuffed with cheese, along with the burrata. The burrata was perfect for two people and my half of the cheese was thickly spread to perfectly fit over two large crostinis.

The gnudi was probably meant for one person, but was quite delicious as it was served with a thick marinara sauce with lots of thick tomato chunks.

Both my friend and I struggled to pick out an entrée although I had decided to go with seafood since that seemed to be what they are known for. I picked out the Pistachio Encrusted Trout with citrus butter over Sauteed Spinach so I could try something different besides salmon. The butter and pistachio flavors were just wonderful with the trout combining a sweetness with a nutty flavor. No hint of fishiness at all. The fish came right off the skin as well, perfectly cooked.

I would have claimed it was the best entrée there until I tried my friend’s Beef Tenderloin and it just about melted in my mouth, not to mention the scalloped potatoes in their creamy goodness.

Just when it couldn’t get any better, I went ahead and ordered the Chocolate Torta for dessert and we were served a huge piece! This was chocolate done right…chocolate cake, with chocolate frosting and chocolate sauce on the plate. Perfect.

The service was just incredible, but since the restaurant is very small, it got very noisy and very warm quickly. The kitchen is actually open in the corner of the restaurant so it might be best to wait until the height of summer passes. With it being so warm in the restaurant, I picked out a refreshing and crisp Pinot Grigio to kick off our meal.

Resources:

I Fratellini = http://www.saucemagazine.com/ifratellini/