My wife and I visited Fratelli's for the first time last night for dinner and the best word we can use to describe the experience is PERFECT. The atmosphere is cozy, the help is very professional without being stuck up and the food defies description. Not that my wife and I are fine diners by any means, but we can usually nitpick and find a couple things to complain about, even at our favorite restaurants. Fratelli's, however, gave us nothing to work with in this regards, absolutely perfect.
We arrived a little after 7 and were pleased to see some cars in the parking lot but not a crowd outside. We were seated right away in the very homey, albeit dated, dining area. If you're looking for a place to sit and feel like a big shot, this is not it. If you're looking to have a meal in your imaginary italian grandma's dining room, this is more the fit.
We started with the fried calamari, which was incredible. Both my wife and I are big calamari fans and almost always order it as an appetizer when eating Italian. We both agreed this is the best calamari we have ever had. The texture and consistency of the pieces were unlike anything either of us have tried, they had the perfect middle ground between rubbery and mushy. It came with a bowl of thin red sauce that was equally delicious, subtle enough to let the calamari flavor be the main event.
For our entree's my wife had the Italian Trio(Alfredo, Ravioli, Chicken Parm) and I had a plate of Lobster Stuffed Ravioli's off the specials menu. My entree was not actually intended to be an entree, but was a special appetizer that day. Sensing my disappointment that it was just an app and not a meal, the waitress immediately went to the kitchen to ask if he would prepare it as a dinner for me. The answer was yes and I tell you I could not be more thankful because these Ravioli's were out of this world! I really wish I had taken a photo of this plate because it was heavenly handmade pasta, stuffed with chunks of lobster and covered in a white cheesy seafood sauce. While I'm sure I would've been happy with just about anything on the menu, it was because of the awareness and great service of our waitress that this experience was even made possible. Compliments to chef as well of course! I brought one home for the babysitter(Grandma) and upon tasting it she said, and I quote "I have never tasted anything like this in my life, it's incredible".
My wife's plate was similarly awesome, we both looked at eachother in dismay when her plate was dropped on the table because this thing was HUGE. The portions of each the ravioli, pasta and chicken parm could've served as meals on their own and needless to say we brought the majority of it home. Being fiends for Italian food, we have obviously had these items from countless other places but there was something distinct about the flavor. Also, none of the sauces were overly sweet, which I find to be the common trend with italian these days.
We finished the night at the bar for a drink where the bartender could not have been more enjoyable. We had a enjoyable and casual conversation for a half hour or so before heading on our way, containers in hand. It is somewhat of a rare occasion for us to have the night to ourselves and I could not imagine a better experience for such an occasion. This is my most lengthy review but I feel I could go on and on about the experience we enjoyed last nite at Fratelli's.
I hear they get very busy on the weekends so you may want to make a reservation to be safe, but if you can make it you definitely should. While I have only visited once, I can safely stake my name on this place, its AWESOME! read more
