Onstad Pans Piattino; WWeek Tries Trinket and Teote

Photo of Piattino courtesy Avila/EPDX

In its most-commented-on review in memory, the Mercury's Chris Onstad pans the Pearl's Italian small-plates spot Piattino, describing the food as alternately "uninspired," "unloved," and "unfocused." There are a few positives: lasagnette with kale pesto is "flavorful and tender," meatballs are "serviceable," and pear and goat cheesecake deemed, well, good. But it's also, according to Onstad, "the only thing I'd get again." In a flurry of subpar dishes, a wood-fired hen provides the overarching metaphor for his experiences: "The bird's skin is more black-gray than appetizingly charred, the peperonata is limp and bland, and the whole assembly sits in a cast-iron pan in a pure black ring of the creosote of god knows what... No one who loves roasted hen sends out a dish that dull and ugly. It's nothing to share with people."

Pizzas are deemed inconsistent; one cocktail has "more in common with Children's Tylenol" than an adult beverage. Ultimately, Piattino could benefit from more attentiveness by its owner, who "swans from table to table" in the dining room: "Perhaps he wouldn't have to sell the food so hard if he'd just go back in the kitchen and pay some attention to it." [Mercury]

WWeek's Martin Cizmar still laments the closure of SE 39th Avenue's Kingdom of Roosevelt, but finds a lot to like at Trinket, the self-proclaimed neighborhood spot that took over the Roosevelt space. Praising the "broad and varied" menu, Trinket provides the "rare brunch spot that comforts without heavily larded pandering." Baked pistachio rolls "aren't to be missed"; a kale-and-egg dish "offers perhaps the best balance of fiber, protein and fat of any breakfast platter in town." A French dip sandwich is deemed "peerless" thanks to moist roast beef "juicy enough without the broth."

The spot does offer some "odd" moments, mainly the Norwegian herbal bread fyrstekake and the restaurant's recycled decor, smallwares, and bottle list from its Kingdom of Roosevelt days. Ultimately, Trinket has "proved itself both useful and popular" — this one will last. [WW]

WW pulls double-duty this week, with Matthew Korfhage visiting not-quite-an-areperia Teote, which he argues is better described as a "high, unholy temple of meat." Per WW, the spot can best be described as a mashup of "various South American grilling traditions and Pacific Northwest sensibilities," leading to inauthentic (but delicious) bowls like the Pabellon arepa bowl and the El Diablo (a "shameless Latinized rendition of General Tso's," which is meant as a compliment). Highlights, though, are the meat: a pork chop "juicier than a fruit," lamb chops that are "earthy and satisfying," and a $38 prix fixe dinner that — when eaten by two — leads to an experience in which the "ensuing decadence is thrilling."

Side dishes prove more disappointing (save for a "lovely" side of beans), but the arepas are "delightfully buttered and crisped." Ultimately, the meat-filled platters are "a worthy claim to fame." [WW]
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