I’ve been a big fan of Renata since they first opened, as I first wrote about almost a year ago. Back then, I was really impressed by their beautiful patio as well as their incredible pastas and in house aged whole animal (which would appear once in a while when the aging was complete as a special dish on the menu) and the craft cocktails. And then came the rush of the people when Renata was announced as Oregonian’s 2015 Restaurant of the Year, and they went through a trial by fire every day.
Now the rush of the trendy crowds have calmed down – on recent visits I dined with sweet senior citizens and families with kids during early dinner seatings, and then with a range of ages of professionals on business or on date night or with a boisterous group of friends later in the evening. The breathing room now gives Renata the opportunity instead of focusing on executing all the food to the necessary volumes, a chance to experiment and tweak the menu based on new ideas. One of those new ideas is Renata’s Italian Happy Hour – Aperitivo.
During Aperitivo, located in the bar and patio only from 4 PM – 6:00 PM Monday – Friday, what was once a Punch Hour before they begin Dinner Service now celebrates Italian Street Food and seasonal cocktails. For spring, this included for instance on their menu the Spring Cocktails of Arrossire with cappelletti, punt e mes, benedictine, soda or Paper Moon with pisco, vermouth, bay leaf, chamomile, egg white, lemon.
I tried the pretty pink house cocktail of Occam’s Razor with vodka, elderflower, blackberry, citrus and prosecco. Or go for the Old Fashioned Flight included one rye with demerara, one bourbon with smoked maple. and one made with scotch and burnt honey.
Meanwhile, on the food menu enjoy bites such as
Salt and Vinegar Pork Rinds which have this light airy feel of a pork rind but then you pucker up after a bite!
Salumi alla Casa plate, this visit with spicy coppa, mortadella, prosciutto cotto, Vacca Bruna parmigian
Formaggio plate, for this visit that included Sheep with bloomy rind cheese Valentine, Cow hard rind cheese Andrea Menzazana, and a Sheep + Cow washed rind cheese Willow Creek
Stuffed Fried Olives with Trotter and Calabrian Chili Aioli look like aracini, but don’t be fooled – there is an olive in there, adding a nice counterpoint to the deep fried exterior
Aracini with pork sugo and fontina are creamy and rich
The other tasty “ball” item on the menu (besides the marinated olives which I did not try – but those are more like ovals right?) are these juicy and large Polpettine, a dish of lamb and beef meatballs with polenta that are decadant just like the aracini.
While the Ceci Bean Panelle with pecorino and lemon are light ceci bean fritter that’s impossible to only have 3 or 4 of them…
Dumplings are given a crispy crunchy exterior but oozy cheesy interior via these Panzerotti with mozzarella and marinara, which is one of my recommendations as it’s one of my favorites of the Aperitivo menu.
My other recommendation and outstanding item on the menu are these Piadina with broccoli pesto, ham, and ricotta which make use of the pizza oven and dough to make a flatbread sandwich that is crispy like a quesadilla’s tortilla on the outside but stuffed with goodness like a panini but without all the heavy bread.
In Chicago, one of my super fond food memories that I haven’t been able to find very often is enjoying smelt – back then we got them from DiCola’s Seafood, with mom driving after school to order us the fried smelt by the pound that we started eating just barely past the door. Now Renata has offered me an outlet via their Fritto Misto with calamari and smelt that unlike most calamari you find (I should know – my brother loves calamari and orders it every time it’s on a menu when we dine out), Renata’s version is very lightly battered to a crisp and not soggy with oil.
I know their Aperitivo is only a short period of time on weekdays – and coming in from Hillsboro where I work, sometimes public transit doesn’t work in my favor and I get there too late. But, I still encourage you to visit. One of the obvious pleasures of Renata is the incredible pastas they have there – I’ve ever had one I didn’t enjoy. There are pasta shapes that I’ve encounted for the first time here, such as when I had Pici with roasted suckling pig and green garlic which is a firm tubelike pasta to when I had Squid Ink Corzetti with Lamb sausage, clams, and breadcrumbs where corzetti is a stamped flat pasta.
One of the more secret pleasures is that Renata buys whole animals and ages them after doing their own butchering and often uses the whole animal. So, whenever I see for instance any beef on the menu, I am there, enjoying a secret steak that I think is among the top 3 in Portland when it appears.
Don’t overlook the smaller ways that the meat may show up on the menu – from being in the pasta to on Chef Matt Sigler’s super on point crostini in the Bites section of the menu (more like half an open faced sandwich!) like this Crostini with Beef Brisket, Horseradish, and Potato Artichoke Puree on that perfectly chewy Pugliese. I was torn on whether to enjoy the beef brisket as part of the whole dish or pick off bits of that melt in your mouth beef to enjoy on its own. I did both.
And look for anything on their grill and fire, like here Grilled Octopus or a side of Coal Roasted Polenta with Gorgonzola picante
In checking out their wine list, ask about the wine selections from the Lava Bar section. These are incredible selections of wine where the grapes are grown on volcanic soil. It was only after a friend who took notes and always asked about vineyards and soil that I started taking those same notes, and I realized that whenever at a tasting event or room I tried volcanic soil wine 8 out of 10 I would end up purchasing a bottle. So clearly I have a preference for it – regardless of grape. Maybe you do too – come give it a try!
One of my favorite patios in Portland is the one at Renata, and I confess I’m there pretty often. What do you think of the updated Italian Street food Aperitivo happy hour there, what would you order? Where is your favorite outdoor patio for dining in Portland?
Disclosure: I attended a complimentary shared blogger Aperitivo happy hour, but I also returned on my own and on my own dime multiple times. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.
