Restaurant Guide 2009

Here rustic, straightforward Mediterranean cooking lets seasonal ingredients do their thing with minimal interference. With three large seating areas, a bustling bar and private rooms, Serratto is good for groups and people who don’t like to wait. Portions are wonderfully generous—two can easily fill up on one shared entree combined with a pasta dish or one of the signature brick-oven pizzas. Pick a hearty Northwest or Old World wine to make the fare’s flavors hum. And leave room for dessert—seasonal treats like a hot Oregon berry cobbler with vanilla gelato are too good to pass up.
Order this: Toothsome fresh pappardelle with slow-cooked wild boar and a hint of orange.
Best deal: A huge pizza del giorno for $13 ($8 at happy hour)—the hot oven teases deep flavors from the day’s produce.
I’ll pass: The Caprese salad is good, but nothing you couldn’t replicate with a trip to New Seasons and a knife.