Pazzo Ristorante

Pazzo Ristorante, or simply Pazzo, was an Italian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, in the United States.

Pazzo Ristorante
Exterior of the restaurant in the Hotel Vintage Portland, in 2012
Restaurant information
ClosedJanuary 1, 2018 (2018-01-01)
Food typeItalian
Street address627 SW Washington Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97205
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°31′14.6″N 122°40′42.7″W

Description
Exterior of the restaurant in the Hotel Vintage Portland, in 2011

Pazzo was an Italian restaurant housed in the Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland in downtown Portland.[1] Elizabeth Dye of Willamette Week said the restaurant had "high-backed" booths, a "gleaming copper-fitted" kitchen, and starched tablecloths, with "expertly prepared Italian classics--generous sprawling salads, toothsome pasta plates, and rich beef and veal entrees".[2]

History

Chef and restaurateur David Machado opened Pazzo.[3][4] Chefs at the restaurant included Oswaldo Bibiano, Scott Dolich, Kenny Giambalvo,[5][6] and Vitaly Paley.[1] In 2015, John Eisenhart left to become chef of Nel Centro, after serving as Pazzo's chef for eleven years.[7]

Pazzo was later owned by Heathman Group, along with the Hotel Vintage Plaza.[2]

The restaurant closed after brunch on January 1, 2018, with plans to be replaced by a restaurant with a New York-style Italian menu after a months-long renovation.[1][5][8] Following the $3 million renovation, the restaurant was replaced by Il Solito in May 2018.[9][10]

Reception

Portland Monthly described the food as "refreshingly sharp".[11] Julie Lee included Pazzo in 1859's 2016 overview of the city's best Italian restaurants, in which she described Pazzo as "a time-honored anchor in the epicenter of downtown Portland, serving the lunchtime business community and romantics seeking an elegant evening out for the past two decades". She wrote, "Everything spun out of the open kitchen is wicked delicious; some favorites include the Strozzapreti, with Dungeness crab and Calabrian peppers, and the mushroom & black truffle pizza with an organic egg topping."[12]

See also

References
  1. Russell, Michael (January 3, 2018). "Another one bites the dust: Pazzo Ristorante closes after 25 years in downtown Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  2. Dye, Elizabeth (May 25, 2004). "Towering PAZZO". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  3. Green, Aimee (May 23, 2020). "Nel Centro, 4 other David Machado restaurants close permanently because of coronavirus damage". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  4. Prewitt, Andi (May 22, 2020). "The Restaurateur Behind Nel Centro and Altabira Permanently Closes All Five of His Restaurants". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  5. Bamman, Mattie John (November 7, 2017). "Pazzo Ristorante Is (Sort of) Closing After 25 Years in Downtown". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  6. Cottell, Pete (February 5, 2019). "At Vitaly Paley's Rosa Rosa, the Italian Classics Are in Back, But the Party Is Up Front". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  7. Centoni, Danielle (April 20, 2015). "John Eisenhart Leaves Pazzo After 11 Years to Become Executive Chef at Nel Centro". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  8. Walsh, Chad (November 6, 2017). "Pazzo Restaurant Will Shutter to Make Way for Unnamed Kenny Giambalvo Project". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  9. Bell, Jon. "$3M later, downtown favorite Pazzo is reborn as lI Solito". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  10. Bamman, Mattie (May 30, 2018). "Il Solito's Big Italian-American Flavors Don't Always Work Well Together". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  11. "Pazzo Ristorante". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  12. Lee, Julie (November 9, 2016). "Best Italian In Portland". 1859. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.