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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2015)
June 2015 FEATURES The Southwest Portland Post • 5 Brand new Oak & Olive Ristorante offers Italian fare in Hillsdale RESTAURANT REVIEW By Lee Braymen-Cleary The Southwest Portland Post On April 24, Maria Rosengreen proudly opened doors of her Oak & Olive Ristorante situated at 6363 SW Capitol Highway. Featuring Italian eats like nonna (grandma) used to make, its brand new building was a long time coming. But potential diners’ interest was piqued; the place has all but overflowed from the get–go. I, for one, have eaten there several times, my eyes taking in the restaurant’s clean Modern Italian country decor and the inspired 12-foot- high chalkboard that entertains creative children as their parents wait for orders. “We’re excited to be part of this neighborhood,” said Rosengreen, who lives nearby with her husband and her own children. She named her family- oriented eatery a “ristorante” rather than “trattoria” or “osteria,” all of which, she said “share overlapping features.” Today Rosengreen with her years of experience in restaurants puts in 10- hour days. “I don’t ask crazy prices,” she states. “This is a family restaurant serving good meals from various Italian regions. Taste and health are important, so we use fresh local ingredients. Our pork, for instance, comes from Carlton Farms.” Their eat-in/take-out lunch and dinner menu features salads, sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, entrees, not to mention desserts, Italian beers and wines and “bambini” (a menu for children under 12). Customers can select from six eye- catching salads housed in a glass cooler. I chose their tasty, $10 large-enough-for- four signature Oak & Olive salad. This romaine-based mélange includes house-marinated ricotta, red pepper, cucumber, carrot, fresh herb vinaigrette. Large green olives and mini-tomatoes sliced lengthwise add an elegant touch. “Everything is made in-house except for the sandwich bread,” said Rosengreen. Executive Chef Cody Lucchesi makes the pastas and pizza doughs, sorbets, gelatos, salads, soups and entrees. Los Angeles-born Lucchesi, who worked for Southern California’s classic, classy French fine dining restaurants and most recently for Portland’s South Park now revisits his culinary childhood con brio. A warm, low-key man, Lucchesi delights in preparing Italian family fare. “My Italian grandmother taught me to love food with her Italian home cooking when I was five and six and seven...” Lucchesi takes pride in the ristorante’s six pizza varieties making up 40 to 50 percent of business. They range in price from $11 to $15. “These are artisan pizzas baked in a Washington-made wood stone oven. We use a thin crust and traditional, fresh ingredients for Italian style—not American style—pizzas.” Those pizzas include “Formaggio” (all cheese);” roasted garlic; olive; Italian with pepperoni, salami, chilies and mozzarella; the classic “Margherita”; and a “Picnic” with mozzarella, arugula, apples, pancetta and pickled mustard seeds. Anchovies and arugula can be added for $3 each. Feeling adventurous, I tried a “Picnic.” What a nice surprise. A light sweet/savory pizza with that touch Unusual Italian country lighting can be seen at Oak & Olive Ristorante in Hillsdale. (Post photo by Lee Braymen-Cleary) of apple, it can serve as a main course or as an appetizer or, at my house, a breakfast! Its pancetta isn’t the thin stuff you buy packaged at the market, but rather the thicker, chopped variety that says “bacon.” Then there was the lasagna! For $13 I received a piece that easily serves two. If their pizza is light, so too is this multi- layered concoction. It was cheesy, yes, but in the good sense. Fresh tomato and basil definitely got their say. If it is not particularly spicy, it is also not heavy, not settling like glue in the stomach. This, I think, is the lasagna to introduce to children. Not that you wouldn’t like it yourself if you shun Brown. I tried his tasty Café Umbia the very spicy. brand coffee and liked its richness. I I’ve eaten from the entrée menu also liked his biscotti. His quite crunchy twice, too. First it was the lamb osso chocolate espresso cookie was good, bucco for a reasonable $16. Served over too. But because I like chewy cookies, creamy polenta with mildish Italian it was not quite my bag. It could easily flavors, it was as intended—a comfort. be yours, though. Apparently, this osso bucco sells out If you like wholesome and interesting midway through each evening. My Italian cuisine, visit the Oak & Olive. only criticism is that my serving was And don’t forget dessert. I tried affogatto. too well done to my taste. Maybe it sat That’s olive oil gelato with espresso! under the warming lights too long. Way too cool! The roasted trout was also tasty, For all of the restaurant’s Old World good sized and interesting served on a charm, modernity makes ordering bed of finely diced zucchini caponata take-out or eat-in a snap. You can order along with pine nuts and herb butter. I and pay online at www.oakandolivepdx. gobbled, but again, I thought it slightly com. And there’s more. Soon their overdone. new, electric Fiat will thread through Oak & Olive is currently open from neighborhoods delivering not only 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., but plans to pizza but also full meals. extend hours are in the offing. “We will open at 8 a.m. soon. We won’t offer a l a rg e b re a k f a s t menu, but I’ll be making an Italian- style quiche.” says Lucchesi. And Rosengreen is eager to offer an early morning gathering time for mothers with kids meeting other mothers with kids. F o r n o w, t h e establishment offers early comers Restauranteur Maria Rosengreen and Chef Cody Lucchesi team a coffee bar manned up to bring Hillsdale its own family-style Italian meals at Oak & by barista Adam Olive Ristorante. (Post photo by Lee Braymen-Cleary)