We were in Portland for several days following New Year’s, and we took advantage of our time there to get together with friends and reconnect, looking both forward and back at the turning of the year. We spent one evening with Mike and Jan; Mike and my husband, Harry, taught at Beaverton High School together (and I graduated from BHS), so we go back a long way. We shared a pre-dinner glass of wine at Mike and Jan’s home before making our way to Decarli’s in Beaverton.

Beaverton started off as a sleepy little farm town west of Portland, but over time it has grown substantially into a city best known as home of Nike’s world headquarters. Early tech company Tektronix also started here and helped lead to the growth of what’s known as the Silicon Forest. Though Portland gets most of the press for arts, culture and dining, Beaverton finds itself the host of several notable restaurants representing a number of culinary traditions. Decarli Restaurant has been around longer than most, since 2007, and post-COVID it moved from its space in the downtown core to a much larger space not far away that offers more parking but still the same warm ambience, great food and excellent service of the old place. We’ve enjoyed many a meal there and hosted our younger daughter’s rehearsal dinner there as well, so we have a great affection for it.

On this very wet, cold evening the dining room was full; glad we had made reservations well in advance of our visit! Our server, Brittany, greeted us right away after we were seated, and she proved to be a delightful, knowledgeable and efficient presence, filling us in on the evening’s specials and, on request, sharing her personal takes on some of the dishes. Decarli’s menu changes month to month to take advantage of seasonally available ingredients, but there are always a few popular proven winners on the list. As we looked things over, Brittany proved deft at opening the two bottles of wine we’d brought to enjoy with the meal, a 2010 Leonetti Cellars (Walla Walla, Washington) Cabernet Sauvigon and a 2012 Lava Vines (Napa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. She was clearly an experienced server, and we were happy to share a few sips from each bottle with her, which she gratefully accepted and enjoyed.

We started off by sharing a plate of polenta fries served with gorgonzola butter. They were perfectly lightly fried and light in texture as well, not too filling, and the dipping butter complemented them nicely. We also shared the signature meatballs in marinara with a generous shaving of Parm and served with grilled garlic bread; we never fail to order these as they are so flavorful and a hit with everyone who tries them.

Harry opted for the evening’s soup, a potato leek with roasted garlic and Parm, creamy and satisfying. Mike decided to try the beet salad, a refreshing blend of arugula, whipped goat cheese and tangerine slices. For our main course we all settled on a couple of Decarli’s house-made pasta dishes. Mike and I each ended up ordering the pappardelle with a duck ragu with sage and Parm, and Harry and Jan each chose the rigatoni with a wild boar ragu with rosemary and pecorino. Both were so satisfying on this wintry night, hearty and savory.

We saved room at the end to order a couple of desserts. Harry and I shared a creamy, not-too-heavy chocolate cheesecake, and Mike and Jan shared a trio of house-made gelatos. We lingered over the last of our wine, continuing to share reminiscences and stories of our kids and grandkids. The evening was a wonderful way to see out the old year and welcome in the new.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor