Look Inside Il Solito, Downtown Portland’s Sharp New Trattoria

Downtown Portland’s Kimpton Hotel Vintage is set to welcome a new dining option on Tuesday (April 17), with Italian-American trattoria Il Solito opening.

The newcomer takes over from its just-as-Italian predecessor, Pazzo, which occupied the SW Washington location for 25 years until it closed in January. Il Solito has some solid pasta-making talent on board: ex-Renata chef Matt Sigler is heading up the kitchen, aiming to put forward slightly nostalgic, “soul-touching” dishes.

“I want people to come here and say, ‘that reminds me of my childhood’,” Sigler told Eater when the menu was revealed last week. But keep the word “rustic” away from it: Sigler is using more elaborate techniques on items from spaghetti and meatballs to swordfish alla puttanesca.

The Pazzo space has been thoroughly made over for the relaunch: in place of the stately and elegant (but very brown) furnishings of Pazzo, there’s now lots of clean and sharp angles, with vintage elements in the form of chandeliers and a few touches of Mediterranean tiling, and not a tablecloth in sight — take a look.

Dina Avila/EPDX

• Italian Mainstay Pazzo Also Closed This Week [EPDX]
• Check Out the Menu at Matt Sigler’s New Downtown Italian Spot [EPDX]