Sure, it has "bar" in its name, but think of it more as an incredibly civilized restaurant, albeit one that sports rather tall tables and stools. A less expensive annex to the Pearl District's Fratelli restaurant, Bar Dué's hallway-sized interior is graced by dar, sage-green walls; high-backed leather banquettes; and a curving, rough-hewn wood bar. The Italian menu is equally classy, not to mention impressively affordable. Each of the six pizzas - we like the smoked corn, pulled duck, and roasted garlic cream combination - costs only $12, and they're enough for two people. But eating well here means ordering a couple of small plates ($7 a piece) to fill you up: for instance, a bowl of thick and creamy polenta topped with melted mozzarella and prosciutto, or a panini of braised beef, spiced pickle, and onion marmalade. Also note that these so-called "small plates" aren't all that small, and if you order two, you'll still have plenty of change to dedicate to a few crostini or bruschetta, or a plate of salami and cheese, plus a glass of wine or two. Not too shabby for a "bar."

- Portland Monthly, June 2008, page 72

This intimate Pearl District restaurant features a simple, regional approach to Italian cooking using local, seasonal ingredients from area farmers. The Bar Dué menu is driven by a wood fired oven and fueled with flavors from the Fratelli kitchen and offers seasonal cocktails, house-made Limoncello or wine from an exclusive Italian wine list.

- Portland Eat & Drink Guide, page 55
from the Portland Mercury

Long one of Portland's most romantic restuarants, Fratelli's addition of the adjoining Bar Due has made this Pearl District Italian standby an even better spot for canoodling couples.

While you won't feel quite like a vegetarian at a pig roast if you show up with tots in tow, Fratelli is a place better reserved for a date night when there's ample time to linger over course after course, accompanied by selections from their excellent wine cellar or a well-shaken cocktail.

You could easily make a meal without dipping into the main dishes. Picky eaters and those on a budget will appreciate the appetizers (and should check out the happy hour menu in the bar).

Diners can choose from the selcetions available for antipasti, cheese and bruschette and polenta toppings (they do lovely, gooey things with cheese, like baked ricotta with fennel marmalade, shaved beef and mascarpone or prosciutto with mozzarella; nicely roasted vegetables, too).

The primi course gets into soups, salads and small pastas like a roasted garlic and potato gnocchi with celery root cream and black kale.

Fratelli combines a respect for Italian tradition with a modern Portland appraoch to seasonal, organic produce, hence the prevalence of ingredients such as black kale, local mushrooms and parsnips.

If you make it to the entrees with a hearty appetite, you'll find further evidence of local bounty with a focus on the area's finest protein such as Draper Farms chicken, Cattail Creek lamb and house-made duck sausage.

- Entree 2008 Dining Guide

With its chic, stained-concrete dining room filled with rustic wooden tables and large Oriental rugs, Fratelli sets the standard for Italian comfort food, Pearl-style. Though vegetarians aren’t forgotten on this cucina’s menu—choices include cheese crêpes served with a tomato and garlic sauce and fettuccine with sautéed Romano beans, savory and fromage blanc—meat is proudly displayed front and center.

Duck breast, hanger steak, Draper Farms chicken, pork tenderloin and lamb leg all make an appearance on the secondi menu. A lamb steak served over tender local green beans with an anchovy-lamb jus is good enough to lure vegetarians to the Dark Side. A recent special of shredded braised pork with caramelized onions over ziti looked and smelled so enticing it might not be a good idea to order while sitting at Fratelli’s outdoor sidewalk tables, lest some hungry commuter make a grab for it. Also not to be overlooked is the chicken-liver mousse crostini—alé carne!

- Willamette Week's 2007 Restaurant guide, page 45
photo by Tom Oliver

Whether you've got your own garden of Eden or you just buy your produce from the paradise on Earth we call the farmers market, you'll want to do something delicious with it.

We asked Paul Klitsie, co-owner and chef at produce-loving Fratelli restaurant, to share some recipes with us. At Fratelli, the Italian-inspired menu is overflowing with seasonal fruit and vegetables, much of it plucked from owner Tim Cuscaden's own backyard garden.

Read the full article with recipes...

- Mix Magazine, Fall 2007, page 68