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Il Piato

2348 SE Ankeny, Portland, Oregon, 503.236.4997

A bit more elegant the typical trattoria, Il Piato strikes a nice balance between a casual neighborhood eatery and the white-linen formality of downtown dining. Dressed up or down, you'll still enjoy chef and owner Eugen Bingham's take on Italian cooking. It begins with the bread basket, which comes with a tomato spread instead of butter or olive oil. Soups are often made from vegetables that have first been roasted, a process which caramelizes the sugars and intensifies the flavors. Recent versions featuring carrot and onion have been especially good.

Pasta dishes are served properly in bowls, both to contain the sauce and make it easier to mop up any remnants with a piece of bread. The penne alla puttanesca is a robust, spicy version, the slowly cooked tomatoes flavored with liberal amounts of red pepper and anchovy. Lasagna di verdure layers sheets of pasta with roasted eggplant, yams, zucchini, and ricotta cheese, all topped with a crust of bechamel sauce, mozzarella, and pignoli. Entrees range from the unusual spezzatino di verdure, a vegetable stew in a winey broth, to the classic saltimboca. Literally translated to "jump into your mouth," Il Piato's version substitutes pork loin for the traditional veal, but includes the big leaves of fresh sage and slices of proscuitto. Be sure to leave some room for a sweet finish, an ever-changing selection that always includes something deeply chocolate, an interesting gelato or sorbetto, and the signature polenta tiramisu, one of the more satisfying variants of the ubiquitous dessert.