What's the one thing that's been missing from Ellicott City's Main Street? Well, if you ask Evan Brown, he says it was an affordable Italian restaurant.
"One thing we always thought was lacking in the area, especially on Main Street, was an Italian restaurant. You have French. You have American. You have a brewery. You have fusion. You have alll sorts of different things on this street, but nothing that would come anywhere close to Italian cuisine," he says.
Located at 8085 Main Street in Ellicott City,
Portalli's will officially open on Dec. 11. The restaurant, which takes its name from Brown's mother's side of the family, serves up traditional Italian fare from all over Italy at affordable prices.
"We encourage courses...so we will have a salad, antipasta and our first course being a pasta dish. The second course being a protein of some sort, whether that be seafood or steak. But, everything is priced accordingly so that you can leave here and not feel like you've spent a ton of money on one dish. Our portions aren't overwhelming because we want people to come in and try the food," Brown explains.
Formerly, Jordan's Steakhouse, Brown and his co-owner Lee Biars, have made some changes to the restaurant to give it a more Mediterranean feel. "The walls were painted like a pumpkin orange, which was a semi-gloss, shiny color, and we tried to dial it down a bit."
So far, during the restuarant's soft launch, diners have given thumbs up to the Spaghetti and Meatballs and their Duck Confit Manicotti.
"We're doing some housemade pastas. As the evolution of the restaurant goes, we're going to try to do more," Brown notes.
Along with the food, wine is a major focus at Portalli's. According to Brown, the restaurant only stocks wines with some sort of link to Italy. And, for diners who are unsure of which wines make the best pairings, he and Biars are there to share their expertise.
Brown and Biars, also owners of Diamondback Tavern, believe that Ellicott City's Main Street is on the verge of becoming a destination for area foodies, and he says they want Portalli's to be apart of what draws people to there.
"Ellicott City has so much character to it. The people who have been here for years have done a great job, but it's not on the map as a dining destination. But as this whole town evolves I think that's what it's going to become. That's why we were really interested in the area," says Brown.
"This is a restaurant that's going to be based around the community. Whatever we get a really positive feedback on is going to become a staple of the restaurant. We want to make sure people come in here knowing exactly what they're going to get, understanding the quality and level of service we're going to offer. And then we'll go from there," he adds.
Source: Even Brown, Portalli's
Writer: Walaika Haskins