Fratello's Restaurant

Greetings!
Well, school season is on again nearly everywhere, which kind of makes it the unofficial end of Summer. I know the calendar says we actually have a month before Fall joins us, but something about schools starting tell us the end is near - Summer wise. But as I glance out my window, it is really nice again, much less humidity, clear skies, not so bloody hot………you know where I’m going…….here it comes……why, I say, perfect time to enjoy some fine food & wine. Which (another surprise, I know) we can help you with, as this weekend we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Delmonico Steak, Yellow Tail Snapper and Chilean Sea Bass. Looks like tomorrow and Saturday also look primo, so I hope you consider joining us. As you know, we’d love to see ya’!

On our wine board I have added the Pinot Noir I mentioned last week, and I urge you to give it a go. This Pinot comes from the Russian River valley of Sonoma, among my favorite regions in all of California for Pinot Noir, and I have never tasted a Russian River Pinot of this quality at the price point we can offer it to you. It has the nose and fruit and even mouth-feel and finish of wines much more dear, a real value. I also urge you to try the Salice Salentino on the board, which is a red from the Puglia region of Italy’s boot. This wine is made from the Negroamaro grape, which is becoming one of my favorites, and offers fruit, nose structure in a more fuller bodied wine. Simply delicious. Lastly, also consider trying the Rose of Pinot Noir from Acrobat from Oregon, another delicious wine. School season or not, it is still Rose season, and Pinot Noir makes a very good Rose option.

I trust you are well and settling into the end of our Summer, unfortunately. Thanks for your continued support and friendship, it is truly appreciated. We hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings! 
 I know it is hard to believe, or at least it has to be for some of you, but some schools are already open for business, and many more will be within the next week or so. So much for no school until after Labor Day, but I guess this dates me. For my part I am not ready to give up on Summer, and all the fun that goes with it. Such as, just suggesting, enjoying some nice food & wine in a nice restaurant, perhaps even an Italian restaurant. Like - again, just suggesting - at Fratello’s, where this weekend we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Rib-eye Cap Steak, Wild King Salmon from Alaska, and Halibut Cheeks. Plenty of time left this season to join us, so I hope you’re in the neighborhood soon, we’d love to see ya’!

A few new wines are joining our program in limited amounts, including a 375ml (i.e. half bottle) of an Italian sparkling Rose wine from Santa Margherita, the folks behind the Pinot Grigio that many of you may know.  This is a dry wine but does show some fruit, and for those of you who enjoy a split of Prosecco, this wine will work for you. I have become a fan of sparkling Rose wines, and we have several on our list, both from Italy and from France. I also expect delivery tomorrow of a new red Bordeaux from the St. Emilion region which has been recommended to me. Wines from St. Emilion are blends, with the dominant grape being Merlot, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and often other varietals, so they tend to be a bit softer and perhaps more friendly. I also urge you to try the Salice Salentino on our board, which is a wine from the south of Italy made from the Negroamaro grape. This wine has both fruit and body, style and structure, with a nice finish, Lastly, our supply of the Syrah from Sicily that we have been featuring is nearly gone, so stay tuned for a Pinot Noir to take its place on our board. Plenty of juice for you to enjoy at Fratello’s!

My hope is that you have enjoyed your Summer thus far, and that you will continue to smile and bask in the nice weather we have been blessed with. Thanks for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you soon, Take care.

Ciao

Greetings! 
 It looks like we’re on a bit of a roll recently, at least temps & weather-wise. Just a beautiful day today, and it appears that this good fortune will be with us for a few more days. Seems to me like reason to celebrate, non? And for me - just saying - celebrations often revolve around good food, wine, family & friends. I may not be able to help you about the family & friends part, although we sure are fond of many of you, but Fratello’s can help in the food & wine department. Take this weekend, when we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Texas Sirloin, Halibut and Swordfish. Consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

On our wine board I have added a Chianti from Italy, but not a Chianti Classico. This Chianti comes from the Rufina sub-zone of Chianti, and some consider it the best of the seven Chianti sub-zones. It is the furthest zone from the coast, and has the highest elevation, all of which impacts the flavor of the wine. It is available by the bottle and by the glass, and allows one a slightly different take on Chianti, which regardless of the zone is among the best food wines in Italy. I have also added another Rose to the board, this one a Rose of Pinot Noir from Oregon. Rose is made from many different grape varietals, and I have recently enjoyed the version made from Pinot Noir. This wine offers fruit, medium body, and simply a nice flavor, and is perfect this time of year. Remember, Summer is truly Rose time.

Summer seems to be flying by to me, as it does every year, but I hope you have enjoyed this wonderful season. Thank you for your continued support. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!

What a difference a week makes, non? Now this is what I like my Summer to be…..you know, warm & sunny days, not too bloody hot, cooler nights for sleeping. It not only makes for a much more pleasant kitchen, and thus much, much easier on our cooks, but it is simply a wonderful environment to head out for some fine food & wine. Which (surprise!) we can help you with this weekend. We will be featuring Copper River Sockeye Salmon, Wild Striped Bass from off the coast of Rhode Island, and Certified Angus Beef Delmonico Steak. I hope you consider joining us - the lights will be on, as will the AC, the corkscrews will be ready, all primed and ready for you. As you know by now, we’d love to see ya’!

On our wine board I have added a Syrah from Sicily available by the bottle or by the glass. Syrah is not typically associated with Sicily, but although it hails from France is grown with success worldwide, and we offer on our list Syrah from France, Australia, where it is known as Shiraz, California, Washington and from elsewhere in Italy, Tuscany, which is made by Fontodi, among my favorite vineyards in all of Italy. I found this Syrah from Sicily interesting, medium bodied but displaying the characteristics of Syrah one expects. As I have often said, it is both fun and interesting to try wines from different places and regions, and a Syrah from Sicily definitely qualifies. Just a thought. 

I trust you are well and have “weathered” our recent bout of heat, and that you are enjoying your Summer. Take care, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!

No doubt about it, Summer is here. Now we all like the sun and the warmth and the long days and things to do outside, but enough with the heat already, non? The good news is that it looks like there will be a break in the heat, maybe coming as soon as this Sunday. The bad news is Sunday is still 2+ days away. But for what might be also good news, you do not have to warm your kitchen to eat this weekend, but rather consider joining us, where we have to have our ovens on. To this point we will be featuring this weekend Certified Angus Beef Flat Iron Steak, Arctic Char (which is not only all so good for you but it is nice to enjoy something with “Arctic” in its name in this heat) and Haddock. We’ll be here, so come keep us company, we’d love to see ya’!

No changes are afoot on our wine board as we wait for room to add a Chianti and a Syrah from Italy, and perhaps a Malbec from California from Treasure Hunter. I plan to offer you by the glass and the bottle, while supplies last, a series of different Rose wines over the next few weeks for you to enjoy this Summer. As I have mentioned before, Rose is in my view the quintessential Summer wine, perfect for this time of year and weather, and I urge you to include it in your wine repertoire. Just a thought.

I trust you have tried to remain cool recently, and we hope you are well. Thank you for your continued support, it is very much appreciated. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
 Hot enough for ya’? No doubt about it, Summer has arrived! Which by the way is a good thing, especially when every once in awhile a more moderate day is thrown in between all this heat. Like, rumor has it, this weekend, when Mother Nature is going to ease up on us and allow us to enjoy our days much more enjoyably. Perhaps you will even be tempted to head out for some fine food & wine, which we here at Fratello’s can help you with. We will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Top Sirloin, Atlantic Halibut from Nova Scotia, and #1 Yellow Fin Tuna, all for your dining pleasure. Of course there will also be some Veal & Shrimp & Chicken & Clams & Mussels & Pasta & Eggplant & Calamari &………many choices. We hope you can mosey over and join us, we’d love to see ya’!

This time of year the wine world seems to get a little soft sometimes, although Summer is a perfect time to enjoy a refreshing Rose wine or a white like a Sauvignon Blanc, or a Pinot Gris, which you probably can guess that we have available. I am also not adverse to a nice red to enjoy with a meal, such as a Cab with a CAB Steak or a Pinot Noir with a lighter meal, and always a Sangiovese from Italy, which is among my favorite grapes to enjoy a meal with. The wine news here is that we have been awarded an Award of Excellence from the Wine Spectator for our wine program, and noting in their magazine that we feature, in their words,  “inexpensive wine pricing”. This is the third year in a row, and the only three times that I have applied for their review, that we have been so awarded, and I thank you for your support which ultimately makes this all happen. I have been of the view for some time that we offer a very good wine program, but it is nice to get the recognition. Again, without you none of this would happen, so thank you sincerely, it is very much appreciated.

I hope you are well and have not completely fried in this heat we have had. Thanks again for your support, and take care, we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings! Well, no doubt about it, summer has arrived! It really is a great, and for many, the best time of year, non? It is a time to get on your bike, or go for for walk, or spend time in your garden, or hit the links, or swim or boat on our wonderful lake nearby, or simply to enjoy the wonders of nature. Let your mind wander and enjoy our blessings, which must include our country as we celebrate July 4th today. The partisan nonsense aside, if possible, the principals and ideals of our country are what we are celebrating today and are what we all should be proud of. To this end, all of us at Fratello’s are celebrating this holiday in our own particular way, and we return tomorrow to provide you with another wonderful thing to do in summer - to enjoy fine food & wine. We will be featuring this weekend Wild King Salmon from Alaska, Yellow Edge Grouper from the Gulf of Mexico, and Certified Angus Beef Strip Steak from the good ole’ USA. Enjoy your holiday today, and perhaps your cook-outs, and we hope you consider joining us this weekend. As you know, we’d love to see ya’! Winewise, there are no changes afoot since last week on our wine board, and the red blend from Paso Robles, Niner, is still with us, as is the Aglianico from Italy and the Rose from Napa from Elizabeth Rose. This rose is a blend of varietals from the Rhone area of France but grown and made in California. I plan on featuring Rose wines as long as it stays warm out, and there will be Rose from Italy joining the board soon. As you know, I enjoy and we offer wines from all over the world, but with today being July 4th my focus is on wines from our country. We have become a great and respected wine growing region, and I urge you to enjoy a wonderful wine from the USA. We offer wines from California, Oregon and Washington at Fratello’s, made from many different wine varietals and at many price points, and I am of the view that wine can make a meal taste even better. Come and enjoy some grape with us! I want to thank you again for your continued support for this project we are running called Fratello’s. Be safe and enjoy your 4th. Take care. Ciao

Greetings!
 Following up on my recent email where I questioned when and even if the sun & warmth would return, I think I now have my answer. Seems like it got awful toasty all of a sudden, non? Don’t get me wrong, I do not mean to complain and I am glad that summer has arrived. It’s just that it makes for a really hot kitchen, where many of us spend a fair amount of time. But the good news for you is that you do not have to warm up your kitchen - you can simply join us and let us prepare a meal for you. Like this weekend, when we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Delmonico Steak, Halibut from off the coast of Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic, and Wild Stripped Bass from the Rhode Island coast. The AC is working in the dining room, as is the ice machine, and the corkscrews are prepped and ready, so consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

The Niner Red Blend from Paso Robles that I mentioned last week has been very well received, such that I have ordered more for you to enjoy. Medium bodied, this wine works well by itself or with a meal. Blends are very popular wines today, and most regions and countries produce blended wines, which when done well marries the features of many different varietals into a different wine entirely. I shared with you how the wines from Paso Robles have impressed me, as with this Niner, and we also have a Cabernet blend from Paso called Treana Red on our list, which is also excellent. Lastly, several new wines have joined us this week, including a wine from Sicily named after one of their most famous citizens, Archimedes. Archimede from Marabino is 100% Nero D’Avola grape, which is indigenous to Sicily and which renders powerful, deep colored wines. This wine is among the flagship wines of Marabino, with intense power and structure, and I plan to offer their more introductory Nero D’Avola in the near feature on our board. I have mentioned before how impressed I have become with the wines from the south of Italy, and this is a perfect example. Consider trying it, I think you will be surprised. 

Last week one had to stay dry, this week we have to stay cool, so it goes. Regardless, I hope you are well and enjoying this young summer thus far. Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
 Well, what do you think the odds are that we will have a typical summer this year? You know, when it is sunny and warm and one can boat or golf or bike or garden or patio or do whatever one wants to do outside. Pretty crazy thus far, non? Next time I email you it will be officially summer, so who knows, things might definitely be looking up - and warmer & sunnier - by then. But whatever comes, we at Fratello’s will continue to provide you with quality food, wine & service. Like this weekend, when we will be featuring Tomahawk Pork Chops, Wahoo Fish (seems like a theme going on here) and Swordfish. I hope you consider joining us, it is dry inside the restaurant and we will be ready for you. As you know, we’d love to see ya’!

In addition to the Aglianico and the Rose from Napa via Elizabeth Rose, I have added a wine from Niner to our wine board. Called simply Red Blend, this wine is a blend of nine different red varietals that combine to produce a fruit forward, medium bodied wine that is simple yet very enjoyable. Niner is from the Paso Robles region of California, where the heat and sun (remember the bright yellow orb in the sky?) ripen the fruit to make very tasty wines, at all price points. This Niner blend is from the more economical side of things, and is worth a taste, not only for its quality but perhaps also as an introduction to Paso Robles wines. This wine has been very well received, and I have added to our stock so that it may be with us for at least a little while. Wines from Sonoma, New Zealand and Italy await their turn to delight you, so stay tuned. As I have often said, there is a lot of good juice out there to enjoy.

Once again, unfortunately, I have to extend hopes that you are dry, which also unfortunately looks like it extends into next week. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you soon. Take care.

Ciao