Fratello's Restaurant

Greetings!
 Opening day, mes amis. And to top it off, it almost seems like summer out there now. Of course temps like today in July will seem downright chilly then, but I’ll take it for now. With baseball season starting today for nearly every team it all means we are on our way to even longer and warmer days ahead. I suggest you celebrate our good fortune and join us this weekend for some fine food & wine. For the food part, this weekend we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Prime Strip Steak, Wild Stripped Bass and Caribbean Snapper from, well, the Caribbean. Should you be in the neighborhood consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

For the wine part of your weekend celebration, I have added the Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Argentina to our wine board, replacing the Aglianico from Cantine Del Notaio. This Aglianico is gone for now but will be back soon. This medium bodied Malbec blend comes from the Mendoza region of Argentina and works well with our menu or simply on its own. In the wings await another Malbec from Argentina from Chakana, which is a 100% Malbec and offers even a bit more body. Malbec is actually a French grape that comes into its own in Argentina, and we have several on our list for you to enjoy, one from Mendoza and another from a different part of the country to the north. Both are very good yet slightly different from each other, and I recommend both of them for you to try. Remember what I have suggested about the amount of juice out there for you to enjoy, and may I also suggest that wine can also complement your meal and may even be healthy for you. I guess I should add something about moderation, but you get the idea.

Let’s hope the Tribe starts off on a positive note today. I hope you are well, and I want to thank you again for your continued support. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
Well, at least it’s warm out, a bit on the wet side yet warmer than we have had recently. I’ll take it. I know we will probably regress this weekend - hopefully only weather wise - but we are on the right path. The days are getting longer and longer, the temps are improving, slowly, the Tribe starts their run to the pennant in just a few short weeks (how’s that for optimism!), even the Browns are exciting, months away from training. As for optimism, one has to be in my line of work. Like, for instance, I am optimistic that perhaps you will come visit us this weekend. To entice you, perhaps, we will be featuring Swordfish and Bay of Fundy Salmon, both from Canada, and Berkshire Pork Chops, which are also very good. Hope you’ll join us, we’d love to see ya’!

On our wine board I have replaced the Chianti Classico from San Felice with another Chianti Classico from the 2015 vintage, which my tastes indicate was a very good vintage. I also plan to bring the Aglianico that I mentioned last week to the board, as the Grey Cabernet from Chile is nearly gone. Wines from the south of Italy have really appealed to me recently, and this Aglianico is from a respected vineyard from the Basilicata region of the country. This particular wine is an introduction to these wines, with forward fruit and medium body, a friendly wine yet less muscular than it bigger siblings can be. Which as you might guess we have as well, not inexpensive but probably my favorite wine I have tasted recently. In the wings await some Malbecs from Argentina, a nod of sorts to one of my staff. Stay tuned.

Thanks again for your continued support, we would not be here without you. We hope you are well, and we also hope to see you soon. Take care.

Ciao

Greetings!
 Looks like the roller-coaster of a winter continues this weekend, when, hopefully, it might even seem a bit like spring. Knowing how things roll around here it will probably be a blizzard next week,, but good times, at least weather wise (hopefully) are ahead. Spring is mere weeks away, the Tribe is in the midst of spring training, we even “spring” our clocks ahead this weekend. Time to celebrate, mes amis, treat yourselves to a nice meal & wine. To help in this regard, we will be featuring this weekend Certified Angus Beef Delmonico Steak, Haddock, and a little bit of Dover Sole. Come join us, we’d love to see ya’!

I have added a Cabernet from Chile from Chile to our wine board, named Grey. Not exactly a name one’s associates with Chile, but a decent wine nonetheless. I plan to add wines from Italy to the board soon, including another Chianti Classico and an Aglianico, which is a grape from the south of Italy. This wine, as with the Grey from Chile, are good examples of wines that might not be on your radar but are worthy. Aglianico is particular has become one of my favorite grapes from Italy, and in addition to the Aglianico on our list I have several bottles of a higher end Aglianico which is perhaps the best wine I have enjoyed recently. I have mentioned wines from Spain and Portugal to you in the past, and along with wines from Argentina, Chile, and certainly regions other than Tuscany and Piedmont in Italy, qualify as regions and wines that you ought to explore. It is what makes wine fun & interesting, at least to me, and we have such wines here for you to enjoy. Just a thought.

It seems like a few bugs are floating around, but I hope you are well. Thanks for your continued support, it is very much appreciated. We hope to see you soon. Take care.

Ciao

Greetings!
 I believe that I saw the sun today, you know, that bright yellow thing in the sky that every so often shows here in northeast Ohio this time of year. I bet my readers down south are amused, but we actually have seen the sun this winter, sometimes. Rumor has it that it might get a bit chilly soon, but all in all it is not too bad out there, certainly not bad enough to hinder one from enjoying a nice meal and perhaps some vino to go along with it. Which, surprise, we at Fratello’s can help you with, as with the specials we will be featuring this weekend. These include Certified Angus Beef Texas Sirloin Steak, Bluefin Tuna, and Arctic Char, which is all so good for you. Consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

Wine wise our features on the board continue to be Cab from Joel Gott, the Sangiovese blend, Siena, the Washington Cab from Treasure Hunter, Scandalous, and the Chianti Classico from San Felice, which has received high ratings in the wine press. In the wings await wines from Chile and Italy. I have tasted several wines recently which might draw your interest, including the Cabernet from Trinchero, BRV, which I mentioned last week, and a new yet value driven Amarone and a Chardonnay from Napa Cellars, both of which are now on our list. This Chardonnay is true example of a California Chardonnay, which many of you are familiar with. Lastly, we also received several bottles of another Amarone, Pra, and an Aglianico from Basilicata from the south of Italy. Both of these are on the higher end but also very good, so consider treating yourselves - you’re worth it!

I hope you are warm and have been healthy this season, and we are grateful for your support. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
 I know we’re flipping back and forth from cold to chilly to not-so-chilly, but look on the bright side - spring training has begun! Baseball season is not too far away, with the sun & warmth and everything else that goes along with nicer weather. Sounds like a reason to celebrate, plus this weekend looks like it’ll be okay to head out for some fine food & wine (as does 51 other such weekends annually, but I digress). We will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Bone-in Ribeye Steaks, Red Grouper and Golden Tile Fish for you to enjoy, plus I understand a special salad might be available. Consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

Our wine board continues to feature the Washington Cabernet from Treasure Hunter, Scandalous, although supply is getting low, and the highly rated (Wine Spectator) Chianti Classico from San Felice, which has a good supply. Recently I enjoyed a bottle of a very good Malbec on our list, the Malbec made by Colome from the northern part of Argentina. On our list we also have a Malbec from Catena, another respected winery from Argentina, and I urge you to consider a Malbec when you visit. Malbec is a medium to full bodied wine, and although it comes from France and is produced there, especially in the south of France, it comes into its own in Argentina. It would work with the Chicken and Veal dishes on our menu, or with our specials, especially the more hearty dishes. For those of you who wish to splurge a bit, off our list I have two wines from Trinchero from Napa which are excellent, BRV and Forte. BRV is a Cabernet, and Forte is a Malbec blend, both are full bodied and while not inexpensive, worthy of consideration. Lastly, for you Chardonnay lovers, especially the Napa type, I tasted recently and expect delivery next week a very good Chard from Napa from Napa Cellars, who offer very good wines at a decent value. This Chardonnay tastes like one imagines a Chard from Napa should taste like, yet is very inexpensive. Stay tuned.

I hope you are well and in good spirits, and I want to thank you for your continued support and friendship. We hope to see you soon.

Ciao

P.S. I want to give a shout to friends of Fratello’s in FL who are on the mend from a health issue - take care, get well, and we will see you when you return to the north. 

Greetings!
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! It’s chilly but not bad out, certainly better than what we’ve had recently, ok conditions for you and your “Valentine” to enjoy a nice dinner & wine. I may see some of you this evening, given the day and all, but this weekend we will be featuring a Center Cut Filet Mignon, Wild Stripped Bass from off the coast of Maryland, and Halibut from the North Atlantic. Think of it not so much as “Valentine’s Day” but rather “Valentine’s Weekend”, gives you more time. Consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

I have added a new wine from Treasure Hunter to our wine board, a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley of Washington. Named Scandalous, this is an easy drinking, medium to fuller bodied cab, good either with food or simply by itself. I have also added a Chianti Classico from San Felice, vintage 2016, which was rated #19 by the Wine Spectator earlier this year in its list of the world’s best 100 wines for 2019. This Chianti is mostly Sangiovese, medium in body, with a good nose and flavor, also good with our menu or by itself. Should these not work for you I am confident that we have something which will, lots of wine out there, and at Fratello’s. Just a thought.

I hope you are well and wish you luck on this romantic day, and weekend. Thanks for your continued support, we are very grateful. Hope to see you soon, take care.

Ciao

Greetings!

Congrats to us all, we survived the dreaded “polar vortex”. It was wicked cold, as they say, and pretty crazy how we were - or some of us were - in shirtsleeves by the end of the weekend. The warmth was nice, though, and let’s hope the worst of this winter is behind us (hopefully not “famous last words” if you know what I mean). I suggest one celebrates and treat yourselves to fine food & wine, which I am sure, to your infinite surprise, that we can help you with. Like this weekend, for instance, when we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Strip Steak, Mutton Snapper and Red Grouper from Mexico. Hopefully the weather cooperates, and you can join us, we’d love to see ya’!

On the wine front, our feature boards continues to list the Malbec from southern France, the Priorat from Spain, and the Zinfandel blend from Treasure Hunter from California. The Malbec and the Priorat are nearly gone, however, and in the wings await another Treasure Hunter Wine, this time a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley of Washington. We also have another Cabernet, this time from Chile, and a very well rated Chianti Classico from San Felice from Italy. Chile makes some very good wines, but I think their main focus is on Cabernet. One other wine to tell you about is a Pinot Noir from California that arrived today. This 2013 Pinot Noir from the Russian River is made by White Oak, a vineyard I had the opportunity to visit and which I have great respect for. I know some of you have tried this wine and I suggest you give it a try. It lies in that area between inexpensive and expensive, but there is no doubting its quality. Just a thought.

I hope you survived last week, and this week finds you well and smiling. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
 Well, at least the sun is out. It is wicked cold out, as they say where I used to live, non? But there is a rumor that help, at least temps wise, is on the way, and that it will even seem like spring has come early by next Monday. Of course let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, although I bet we’ll see hearty, or foolish, souls jogging in shorts next week. But it will get better, which allows you to get out and enjoy some fine food & wine, which we will be here to provide you with. We will be featuring this weekend Certified Angus Beef Delmonico Steak, Swordfish and Halibut. If you are itching to get out, or are like one of the few who joined us these past few days, I hope you’ll consider joining us. As you know, we’d love to see ya’!

I have added to our wine board a Zinfandel blend from Treasure Hunter Wines. Treasure Hunter is an interesting wine concept that essentially takes excess wines from different vineyards across the world and rebottles them with a fancy name, but they are forbidden by these vineyards to reveal the source of the wines. This is because they price their wines at a deep discount from the price charged by the vineyard who made the wine on their own label. We are told the general location of the vineyard, in this case Calistoga, Napa County, CA, and the grapes used, in this case Zin, Cabernet, Petit Sirah and Charbono. The other thing is that these wines are offered once and gone, so one cannot plan on them too much. Anyway, we have this Zin blend for you to enjoy, and soon we will have a Cabernet Sauvignon from Columbia Valley, WA, another Treasure Hunter wine. Last week I mentioned the Chianti from the Lemole vineyard by Fontodi, and the Pra Amarone, both excellent but not inexpensive wines. I have tried them both this week and can confirm that they are excellent, you should treat yourselves after surviving the Polar Vortex. Just a thought.

Stay warm tonight, tomorrow gets better. I hope you survived intact our recent weather events and have emerged well. Thank you for your continued support, we are very grateful. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!
 No mistake now, winter has arrived. Some storm last weekend, non? Plus it then rebounded to 47 or so, temps wise, rained like you know what, which for some of us led to unwanted water at home - all in all, just another banner week in northeast Ohio. I bet our readers in the south are jealous, but I digress. Now rumor has it that the polar vortex (or whatever) is about to return. Seems like a good time to enjoy fine food & wine. We can offer our assistance in this regard, as this weekend we will be featuring Certified Angus Beef Short Ribs, Dover Sole from just north of Washington state, and Lane Snapper from the Gulf of Mexico. Take a break from weather concerns, consider joining us, we’d love to see ya’!

On our wine board I am still running with the Rosso di Montalcino from Domus Vitae from Italy, along with the Spanish Garnacha blend Priorat from Autor, all of which join the long tenured Cabernet Sauvignon from Joel Gott from Napa and the Sangiovese blend from Ferrari-Carona from Sonoma, Siena. I have recently tasted again the Priorat and the Rosso, and I think they work well with our menu. Garnacha, aka Grenache, is a grape that pairs well with our cuisine, and as I mentioned last week this Rosso gives one a sense of how Sangiovese expresses itself in Montalcino, whose ultimate expression is the renowned Brunello di Montalcino, one of the best wines in all of Italy. We have a variety of Brunello for you to consider on our wine list. Today I received two new wines from Italy for you to also enjoy. Both of these wines are not inexpensive, both are “*” wines, but both are from respected vineyards and are highly rated. The Pra Amarone is a 2010 vintage, which was a very good year for Italian wines, and offers sophistication and elegance, power and structure. Amarone is typically a very big wine with abundant fruit. The other wine is another Chianti from Fontodi, which is becoming among my favorite wineries in all of Tuscany. We have the excellent 2015 Chianti Classico from Fontodi on our list, which drinks as well as many Brunellos, and this wine is another Chianti from Fontodi, but comes from the cooler Lamole vineyard. The Filetta di Lamole Chianti Classico also comes from 2015, but beside coming from a totally different vineyard site than the other Fontodi Chianti, this wine is fermented in concrete and amphora casks before aging in French oak barrels, which is an experiment of sorts that Fontodi is trying. Of course using amphora to age and store wines dates back several thousand years to the Romans and Greeks and even before, and this affects the taste of the wine. This Chianti is the newest wine from Fontodi, and also highly rated. Consider wines from Fontodi, not inexpensive, but to me worth it. Just a thought.

I hope you survived intact our recent weather events and have emerged well. Thank you for you continued support, we are very grateful. Take care, and we hope to see you soon.

Ciao

Greetings!

Loin Lamb Chops, Spanish Mackerel (not from Spain but from Puerto Rico, crazy, huh?) and Mahi-mahi from Guatemala. If you live in the West, maybe consider staying close to home; if further East, be adventurous (but careful!) heading out. Wherever you come from, we’d love to see ya’!

I have added to our wine board a Rosso di Montalcino from Domus Vitae from Italy, which joins the Argentine Malbec from Vina de Angeles and the Spanish Garnacha blend Priorat from Autor, all of which join the long tenured Cabernet Sauvignon from Joel Gott from Napa and the Sangiovese blend from Ferrari-Carona from Sonoma, Siena. The Joel Gott Cab and Siena have been with us for some time, and the reason is that they continue to be very good wines from both a quality and value point of view, and I intend to stay with them until I am proven otherwise with alternatives. This Rosso comes from Montalcino, and in general can be viewed as a baby Brunello, which is among the finest wines in Italy. Both Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello are 100% Sangiovese wines, which is also the backbone if not the sole grape in Chianti. Sangiovese is among the best grapes, from anywhere, to pair with food, especially from an Italian restaurant, and a Rosso allows one a taste of the direction that Sangiovese heads with Brunello at a lower price point. Of course we do have a number of Brunello wines on our list, which I also heartily endorse. All good options for you to enjoy, especially on a wintry night.

Stay warm and safe this weekend, but remember, we are here for you if need be. Thank you for your continued support, it is truly appreciated. Take care.

Ciao