Greetings!
Well, it looks like the honeymoon is definitely over, at least on the weather side (hopefully just on this side!). Yep, no doubt about it, that white stuff I saw earlier coming down all but confirms it. But this time of year is more than coats and scarves coming out of the closet, and - heaven forbid - time to get all the shovels and plows and blowers ready. It is a perfect time to enjoy some fine food & wine, some comfort type of food, like some of the meals & wines we provide you with at Fratello’s. This weekend, for instance, we will be featuring Flat Iron Steak, Swordfish and Wester Ross Salmon from Scotland, which proves there is more to enjoy from Scotland than some wonderful whiskey. Remember, once inside the restaurant one can pretend it is any season one wants, not necessarily the transition to winter we are currently in. Consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

I plan this weekend to add to our wine board two wines made from the same grape, yet made in different countries with very different fruit profiles. These will be a Merlot from Sonoma and a Merlot from Italy, from the Veneto area. Both are very good and priced the same, yet one leans more towards a fruit-forward style and the other towards more elegance and terroir or soil and climate-driven. Some new wines are also making their way to our list, including a highly rated Cotes du Rhone from France, a new vintage of the interesting and tasty Italian white wine, Vermentino, a new Bordeaux red from France which is the second label of a highly considered wine, and a Spanish red from Jumilla that is made by and very similar to among my favorite of all wines from Spain, Clio, although at a much lesser cost. There is a lot of fruit available for you to enjoy, and we have a fair amount. Enjoy a glass, or a bottle, with us.

I want to remind you that I have started to take reservations for our New Year’s Eve celebration this year. As with all the years past, we will have seatings at 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30, serving our core menu with specials, and we take reservations for all size parties. Call - do not email - for a reservation. I hope you can join us, we plan on having fun and toasting in 2020 in style.

I hope you are well and staying warm, and I want to thank you again for your continuing support and friendship. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Lemon Sole

Greetings! 
Sometimes it seems funny the way things go, just last week I was lauding Mother Nature for her kindness to us, this week between the rain and the wind we have to hold on to the trick-or-treaters to prevent them from blowing away. And this weekend I heard the dreaded “s” word mentioned, and I don’t mean the sun. And so it goes, but I do know what these times are very good for. Why some hearty food, some comfort food, a well prepared meal with, at least for me, a fine glass of wine. In this regard we can help you, as this very weekend we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Boneless Beef Short Ribs, Monk Fish and a little bit of Lemon Sole. We’ll be here, so if you’re out & about, consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

Our wine board continues to feature the Italian red wines from the Veneto region, Raboso, and the Dolcetto from Peliserro from Piedmont, one of my favorite wine regions in all of Italy. In the wings await a Malbec from Argentina, where this wine from France has found perhaps its true home, and several Merlot wines, one from Sonoma, California, and the other from Italy, to the northeast of Venice. Both are very good yet also different, one with more fruit and the other with more structure, but both are elegant and tasty. I have also added to our wine list two higher end wines from Trinchero from Napa, the BRV Cabernet and the red blend Forte, which is a Bordeaux style blend but the majority grape is Malbec. While not inexpensive, both are very good, highly rated by the wine press, just excellent wines. Just a thought, remember sometimes one has to treat themselves, non?

I as a general rule do not like to jump the gun, so to speak, but I do like being prepared, and thus I am officially starting to take reservations for our New Year’s Eve celebration this year. As with all the years past, we will have seatings at 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30, serving our core menu with specials, and we take reservations for all size parties. Call - do not email - for a reservation. I hope you can join us, we plan on having fun and toasting in 2020 in style.

I hope you hold onto your hats tonight if going out, and are in good health & spirits. Thank you for your continued support and friendship, it is truly appreciated Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings! 
You know, you have to give Mother Nature her due, she has been pretty kind to us thus far (hopefully these are not the proverbial famous last words!). The sun is still with us - i.e. meaning not hiding behind clouds - we are still hitting 60+ degrees out, simply really nice weather we are enjoying, especially for this time of year. I know you will be surprised at what I am about to suggest, but it is also simply a nice time to mosey out and enjoy some fine food & wine. Which, by the way - another “surprise”- we can help you with, as in our specials of Certified Angus Beef, Atlantic Halibut and Yellow Fin Tuna which will be available this weekend. Here’s hoping your travels bring you our way, we’d love to see ya’!

On our wine board I have added another red wine from Italy for you to enjoy, which joins the Raboso from the Veneto area of northeast Italy, an interesting wine in its own right. This wine is a Dolcetto from Peliserro, a winery in Piedmont to the northwest of the country. I have seen Dolcetto compared to a Beaujolais from France, yet this Dolcetto offers more body and perhaps slightly less fruit, highlighting more of the terroir or soil/weather influence to the taste of the wine. Peliserro is a winery that I have a lot of respect for, and we carry on our list a Nebbiolo and a Barbaresco from them. They receive much respect also from the wine press, and I urge you to try their wines, they are all very good. Barbaresco might be viewed as a little brother to the more powerful Barolo, but it still offers a punch and substance, and Barbaresco when well made is among the finest wines in Italy. Give it a thought.

I hope you are enjoying the sun and nice temps as much as I am, and I appreciate and am thankful for your support all these many years. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
Kinda windy out there, non? No doubt about it, Fall has arrived. But this is not to say a bad thing. The nights are a bit cooler perhaps, and the colors have already started turning on the trees, but it is a great time to enjoy a hearty meal and nice glass of wine. Which - surprise! - we can help you with. Take this weekend, for instance, when we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Strip Steak, Red Grouper from Mexico and Wild Striped Bass from the Atlantic. It is a bit windy out there, so be careful, but we’re hoping you can “breeze” over to join us, we’d love to see ya’!

Our wine board now includes several wines from Italy, joining the Cabernet from Joel Gott and the Sangiovese blend, Siena, from Ferrari-Carano. Italo Cescon is the vineyard behind the Riesling from the Veneto area of Italy, which resembles a Riesling from France in that it is a drier style, and they also make the red Raboso, which is a red grape from that region. I was not familiar with this grape before tasting it, and I find it a very good match to enjoy with a dinner here at Fratello’s. Medium to fuller-bodied, it has decent fruit and acidity, making it a very good food wine. The other Italian wine is a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo from Contessa, which comes from the east coast of Italy along the Adriatic Sea. Contessa is a respected winery, and we offer the Riserva on our list, but this wine offers the same fruit and body as the Riserva, albeit with less aging of the wine. It is a good introduction to this wine, which works very well with our menu. I urge you to try these wines. As I have said before, it is fun and interesting, even tasty, to try new wines. Enjoy.

We trust you are staying grounded during these windy days, and are well in spite of our temperature changes. Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you soon

Ciao

Greetings! 
I think it is now official, Fall has arrived. Now it really has not been too bad out there - we’re talking weather here, ok? - but we’re heading into that cycle of sunny decent days to cooler days to damp & chilly days to, hopefully not for a long time,  those kind of days we are all hoping to avoid. But for right now we are all okay, and we want you to know that we, regardless of what is out there, are here for you. Like this weekend, when we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Delmonico Steak, Mahi-mahi and Swordfish. Of course there will also be some Veal & Shrimp & Calamari & Eggplant & Pasta & Clams & Mussels & Chicken &……you get the idea. We hope you can join us!

On the wine front I have added a red Bordeaux style blend from Washington to our wine board. Called The Reveler from Revelry, this wine comes from the Columbia Valley of eastern Washington, and is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Revelry is a vineyard that I have a lot of respect for, and we offer on our list some of their other wines, including a Syrah which is among the best Syrah from Washington that I have tasted. The Revelry is more value orientated, medium bodied with a decent finish, simply a nice tasting wine. The Vertex red blend from California is still on the board, although supply is very limited, and we continue to offer the Italian Riesling from Italo Cescon, which is dry Riesling in the style of a wine from Alsace, France. These wines are all good choices, give them a try. I think you will like them.

I hope you are well, and as always we remain grateful for your support.  Thank you. Take care, we hope to see you soon. 

Ciao

Greetings!
Well, it looks like our luck is still with us, at least temps and weather-wise. It appears that Fall may want to creep in soon, although not too drastically, meaning we still have those “great-to-go-out-to-eat” type of evenings. And should you want to head our way - just saying - you will find this weekend that we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Boneless Short Ribs, Opah Fish and King Salmon from the Columbia River, which we all know is all so good for you. Here’s hoping that your travels find your way to us, we are ready for you and, as always, would love to see ya’!

On our wine board, we continue to offer the Cabernet blend called Vertex from Napa, but we are down to our last bottle of the Boen Pinot Noir, which hails from three different counties in California. I will replace the Boen with another Pinot Noir called Elouan, which comes from the coastal hills of Oregon. This wine is made by the same team that makes the Boen Pinot, so it has similar characteristics as far as fruit and body, but the taste differs as it is sourced from fruit from Oregon. The end result is a decent, good-tasting Oregon Pinot at an affordable rate, which unfortunately is becoming rare these days. There are also a few bottles of the Italian Riesling from Italo Ceson, which resemble a Riesling from Alsace, France, by which I mean a dry Riesling. In the wings await some red blends from California that I tasted recently and think you will like, so stay tuned. As I have said before, there is a lot of great juice out there to enjoy.

I hope you are well and enjoying our good fortune, in many ways, and we are grateful for your support. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings! 
No mistake about it, we have been pretty fortunate, even lucky, recently. It does have the look and feel of Fall now, at least to me, but it has been basically stunning out there recently. Now not in the wider world, unfortunately, but in the temps and skies and evenings we have recently had. Just fantastic out there, perfect conditions to…….here it comes……almost there….to head out and enjoy a fine meal and a tasty beverage. As you might guess, we can help you in this regard, and as an example we will be featuring this weekend Certified Angus Beef Texas Sirloin, fresh Haddock and Yellow Fin Tuna. Remember, we are here for you, and we hope you are free to join us. As you also know, we’d love to see ya’!

I have made a few changes to our wine board. The Pinot Noir from Italy from Italo Cescon from the Veneto region is out, although stay tuned in the future as I like this wine, which drinks like an Italian Burgundy, and I plan to have it return. But I have replaced it with another Pinot Noir, the Boen 2017 Pinot from California. This wine is sourced from vineyards in Monterey County, Santa Barbara County, and Sonoma County, a Tri-County sort of appellation, and is made by Joe Wagner, whose family is responsible for Caymus Cabernet. This wine has all the traits that the Wagners love, such as forward fruit and lush mouthfeel, a very easy wine to drink and enjoy, good with or without food. Although the Pinot Noir is gone, we still have the Riesling from Italo Cescon, which drinks like a Riesling from France, very different from a Riesling from our country, especially from California. This wine is a drier style of Riesling, and as with the Boen Pinot good with or without a meal. Both are good choices for you. Enjoy.

I hope you are enjoying our good weather fortune, and more importantly that you are well. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
It might be just me, but it seems crazy that we get perhaps the finest weather of the summer season just before it leaves us. Great days recently, cool nights for sleeping, just about perfect. It kind of makes you want to enjoy some fine food & wine, non? I think we can help you in this regard, tonight and this weekend, when we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Strip Steak, Triple Tail Fish & Swordfish. Our staff will be here, the AC will be on (as appropriate, of course), the ovens will be fired, corkscrews ready, etc….all we need is you. Consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

Triple tail

I have made a few changes to our wine board, and I have received some new wines that you might like. The Russian River Pinot and the Salice Salentino are gone, although they might be back sometime, and in their place is a Pinot Noir and a Riesling, both from the Veneto region of Italy. The winery is Italo Cescon, and in tasting these wines a few weeks back I was impressed with them. The Riesling is not as sweet as many other Riesling wines, such as the wine from Fess Parker that we also feature at Fratello’s, and the Pinot looks more to Burgundy than to California for a flavor profile. I have also added the Indian Wells Red Blend from Chateau Ste. Michelle from Washington. This wine is a blend of nine different varietals, yet very balanced and smooth, and was given a 90 point rating by the Wine Spectator. It seems I have been accumulating a number of wines which will be wine board bound, so stay tuned. As has been said before, there is a lot of juice out there for you to enjoy.

I hope you have been well as we transition from one season to another, although I will be pleased if Summer refuses to leave. Thank you for your continued support and friendship, it is truly appreciated. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
Welcome to Fall (I guess). I know, Fall does not officially get here for a couple of weeks, but “unofficially” it seems to come with Labor Day. Which is not always a bad thing, though, as the Fall can have its own beauty, especially if the Tribe & Browns can win a few games, and you know it is a great time to enjoy fine food & wine (along with the Winter, Spring & Summer, but I digress). To that end, we will be featuring this weekend Certified Angus Beef “Funghetto” (i.e. Filet medallions with a mushroom/red wine sauce), Wild King Salmon (all so good for you…) and Monkfish, which comes from Maine (a great State if you have not been there). Hey, the days are nice, the nights even better (i.e. no AC/heat needed), perfect conditions to treat yourselves to a fine meal. I hope you consider us, we’d love to see ya’!

I continue to feature on the wine board the Russian River Pinot Noir from William Kavney, which as I said is among the best Pinot I have tasted at this price point, and Salice Salentino from Puglia, the Negroamaro wine from the south of Italy. This is a wine that not everyone knows, medium to fuller bodied, with fruit, a good nose & finish. Everyone that I have offered a taste of this wine agrees with me that it is worthy of your attention. Remember, there is a lot of great juice out there for you to enjoy. Enlarge your tent, if only wine wise, and I think you will be surprised.

I hope you are well and are adjusting to the start of the new school year, and the start of our seasonal changes. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Ciao

Greetings! 
Well, in case you have been too busy to notice, it is an absolute beauty out there today. I know September is knocking, and the Browns go at it again tonight, and even with the sun & warmth we’re seeing it almost has a feel for the Fall out there, but it is still a beauty. Meaning, of course, that it is a great time to enjoy fine food & wine. To maybe give you an idea - if not a push - we at Fratello’s will be featuring this weekend Prime Top Sirloin Steaks, Swordfish & Grouper, as well as some of your other top favorites. You know, like Veal & Chicken & Shrimp & Mussels & Clams & Pasta & Eggplant, like Woody & Bill & Kate & Debbie & Tammi & Sara & Ryan & Bridget & Ed & Tim & Andrew & Kyle & Colin & Jason & Abby & all of our new crew (i.e. the rest went off to college)…you get the idea. Consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

On our wine board we continue to feature and I urge you to try the Salice Salentino from the south of Italy, which is made from the Negroamaro grape, and the Russian River Pinot Noir from William Kavney, which is perhaps the best Pinot at its price that I have tasted. I plan to run with these for awhile, at least until my supply runs out. As you might guess, I have other red wines, and even a white wine, waiting for their place  on the board. I tasted this week some very good wines from Trinchero Vineyards from Napa, and assuming no hiccups they should arrive next week, so stay tuned. They are a bit more expensive, but not overly so and not considering their quality. I will share with you as appropriate.

One additional thing I’d like to clarify is our hours at the restaurant. We open for dinner from Monday through Saturday at 5:00, and although in the past we tried to have the kitchen stay open until 10:00 on weekdays and until 11:00 on the weekend, if business warrants we will close on weekdays at 9:00 and at 10:00 on the weekend. So if you plan on coming around those times please call to make sure the kitchen is still open. I know some of you have been disappointed in coming after 9 or 10 and discovering that the kitchen is closed, and we love to see you, but it is hard to justify staying open when there is no one in the restaurant. Thanks.

Speaking of, I want to thank you again for your continued support for our little experiment we call Fratello’s in Avon Lake, it is truly appreciated. I hope you are well, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Ciao