I’ve been enjoying some lovely spring dinners at Gabbiano’s. This is a relatively new entry on the Portnad restaurant scene, a neighborhood Italian-American red sauce restaurant where old school with an east coast viewpoint meets Pacific Northwest local sourcing and housemade ingredients sensibilities. Go early because they will run out of the fried mozzarella, get the pastas and chicken parm to share, and all the cocktails are tasty. My favorites are the Espresso Martini and the Young Rebel Genius so far, though I so plan to keep eating and drinking my way through the menu. Here are all the highlights I’ve enjoyed so far.
I’ve been a fan of David Sigal and Blake Foster from attending many of their pop-ups in Portland during the years, from my first introduction with Mian to Zoobar to Sunshine Noodles and even an incredible baller Gulp Fiction/Pulp Fiction inspired Halloween party, everything has always exceeded my expectations. Now they are emerging with true adulting, moving from being part of the crew at established restaurants to being owners at a brick and mortar restaurant that opened recently in mid-January 2022. Even though it’s taken over a space where to its left and right you can also find some pretty incredible pastas on the same block, Gabbiano’s has it’s own strong perspective with its menu of food and drink that set it apart in its own unique way. The PDX Eater article on it covers some of the details on more of the names and inspirations and this Willamette Week article the vibes if you’d like to know, I just want to get to my food and drink.
Cocktails
You will find a good wine menu of Italian wines made by Italians, but given their start of bold fun cocktails at Zoobar, I have intentions of drinking through the entire cocktail menu. I’m already behind because they’ve already updated some of the drinks from winter to spring, but I recommend you start light and citrusy with their dangerously easy to drink libations. For instance the Neat-o-Venito! starring aperol, grapefruit liqueur & juice, cherry, white wine, and sparkles, a recent addition for spring. Meanwhile, the throwback Lemon Drop and traditional limoncello combine powers here thanks to Gabbiano’s Limoncello-Drop crafted with roasted lemon vodka, Gabi’s saffron limoncello, lemon, and a generous lemon-salt rim. You might even want to kindly request the saffron limoncello to try on its own and the story of how it’s created.
For something more substantial, check out the. Negroni Caprese with local gin and sun dried tomato campari basil vermouth and the perfect mozzarella ball garnish. Meanwhile the Young Rebel Genius that has a fun spicy kick crafted from blanco tequila, amaro montenegro blackberry, calabrian chili honey, and lime.
Whether it’s during your meal or as your dessert, don’t miss one of the best (I think comparable to what used to be my favorite, the version at now closed Pépé le Moko’s by Jeffrey Morgenthaler) the Espresso Martini. Here, besides vodka and cynar, the espresso matini is crafted with love at Gabbiano’s with italian espresso liqueur and orange oil brown sugar syrup. No wonder it got so quickly on the PDX Monthly list of The Best Espresso Martinis in Portland. The flavors are intensely perfect.
Let’s Eat
Go to dinner as early as you can, because the people pleaser of the labor-intensive and popular fried mozzarella, here at Gabbiano’s in the form of fried mozzarella “shot glasses”, can run out. Here’s a look at how they make this popular dish from Willamette Weekly’s Dish Breakdown article. There are also other options if you wish (or the dish is out) like light crispy calamari, meatballs, steak tartare with marrow aioli, and Gabi’s Caesar salad.
The pasta list is curated to only a handful – one is a standby Chitarra that is similar to a spaghetti marinara but with a different noodle, and one you can add meatballs to additionally for an upcharge. Next is the Girlfriend Pasta, which recently just was upgraded to Fiancée Pasta – congratulations to the both of them! This is probably the most Pacific Northwest dish on the menu, with its squid ink tagliatelle, Dungeness crab, brown butter, calabrian chili, lemon, mint, and breadcrumbs. It’s a combination that weaves together hints of the sea with a spicy kick.
The third pasta is a seasonal one – during winter it was a sourdough gnocchi with confit chicken and mirepoix, cream and celery leaf as a take on chicken and dumplings. For spring it’s transformed to Carrot Cavatelli Primavera with english peas, nantes carrots, spring fiddleheads, green garlic, sheep’s cheese, buerre monte. It’s a dish that is a balance of spring local ingredients that is lighter but still has a creaminess of comfort for cool rainy weather.
The only main protein I’ve been able to try so far is the Chicken Parm with garlic bread, marinara and mozzarella, which is a substantial portion enough for 2-4 people, and balances that crispy outside with moist interior. It heats up great as leftovers the next day. The Duck Marsala is next on my wishlist to try at a future dinner at Gabbiano’s.
Currently Gabbiano’s is walk-in only, open Wednesday – Sunday starting at 4-10 PM. They check vaccination status at the door, and offer indoor dining and also a outdoor covered patio in the back with heaters. You will find the restaurant around NE 30th and Killingsworth at 5411 NE 30th Ave.
Have you been to dinner at Gabbiano’s yet? What would you like to try, or what did you have when you visited?
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