Trattoria Sbandati Review

Living in Bend, one has a surprisingly wide choice of cuisines.  So much so, one could easily become blasé, what with restaurants coming and going; cuisines, wines and chefs becoming somewhat blurred over the course of a year. This is from the perspective of somebody who has lived in Bend for just a few years, but has lived, worked and eaten his way through three continents, so I should say that when I moved here, my gastronomic expectations were not high.

Now, if I’m to be parted with a sizable chunk of change for a meal (and like many these days, that’s not as much as it used to be), I’m looking for more than good food. Blame it on growing pressure to be more aware socially, environmentally, or economically, if you will, but I want to know about what I’m eating, who prepared it, what they used and most importantly, why they think I should be eating it.

Enter Juri Sbandati, ably inspired by his lovely wife Kinley. Some time ago, I had the pleasure of talking to Juri about his inspirations and passion for food, and more recently dined at his new restaurant - Trattoria Sbandati. An Italian chef with a Russian name (his father was a space-race fan), Juri is an exciting, authentic Italian chef with an air of unpredictability about him. He trained in a real Italian kitchen - his mother’s, just outside Florence. His culinary roots are both recent and deep.

Trattoria Sbandati opened a few months ago and is located on College Way just off Newport Avenue. It offers a simple lunch menu and deli Monday to Friday and a fixed menu dinner (reservation only) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

A prix fixe menu: There’s something you don’t see too often these days. The fixed menu approach is something I find quite refreshing and not something I have experienced since my days in Europe. The beauty of a fixed menu lies in the freedom it affords the chef to focus on preparing a very limited number of dishes, and preparing them very well. It’s not only the food preparation to consider. Juri is able to create a gastronomic experience that combines well thought out courses and excellent wine pairings. As such, this is not your typical Italian restaurant experience.  Juri is able to focus on creating an authentic Italian food experience and telling a culinary story, if you will, giving us glimpses into regional cuisine as well as very local, family inspired dishes that we might not otherwise get at more ‘run-of-the-mill’ Italian restaurants.

The trattoria itself is simply decorated; small and inviting.  For dinner, diners arrive between 7:00 and 7:30, then the dinner service commences shortly after with each course served in sequence.  You will need to allow one and a half to two hours for completion of the service.

Our antipasti was sformato alla Gorgonzola, a mini frittata made with Gorgonzola cheese. I must admit that when the dish arrived I figured it wasn’t going to be difficult getting through four courses. The fist bite suggested otherwise. The all consuming flavors and richness of the the Gorgonzola sauce paired with Verdicchio dei Castelli wine made me stop and think a little more about what was in front of me. Dietitians always tell you that if you slow down when you eat, you will feel fuller while eating less. Our conversation quickly centered on what flavors we found the pairing bought out in the dish and how surprised we were that the Gorgonzola didn’t overpower the dish. Sformati can range from soufflé-like dishes to flans. Juri’s Sformati had the texture and consistence of a soft flan; a delicious combination with the sauce. The wine has it’s own story. Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is an ancient wine and a historically noted Denominazione di origine controllata, or “controlled origin denomination" wine from the Marches, having a history stretching back to Roman times. Its moderate acidity, and for me, a hint of pear and walnuts, made its combination with blue cheese irresistible.

The first course was ribollita, a traditional Tuscan soup. The name literally mans “reboiled”. Like many Italian dishes, it has peasant roots and was traditionally made using leftover bread and minestrone. Most countries have a traditional recipe that makes use of left over bread and vegetables. The Portuguese, for instance, have a dish called accorda. That was my first intro into bread soup many years ago on my first business trip to Lisbon. Authentically prepared with cod in a back street restaurant, my business colleague reminded me of it’s apparent similarity to gruel; it didn’t taste too good either. Still, I love to try traditional dishes, but I must admit, the description of ribollita was starting to stir old memories, and not good ones at that..

My first taste changed all that. Juri’s ribollita was thick, creamy, very tasty and very filling, combining cannellini beans with thyme and other vegetables. The thyme lifted the dish and gave it a robust savory flavor.

While one might easily have picked a similarly robust white wine to complement the dish, the ribollita was paired with Feudi di San Grigorio Rubrato. This is a great rustic wine from Campania. It’s deep garnet color, good tannins, berry and cassis flavors and nice acidity made for a great satisfying mouthful. I found the wine surprisingly oaky too, something I initially thought may compete with the ribollita’s own rustic charm. After a few minutes of trying the paring, they complemented each other very nicely with the oaky-ness of the Rubrato simply adding to the overall rustic quality of the dish. I’d be happy with a bowl of bread stew, ribollita-style and a glass of Rubrato on a cold winter’s day any time.

The second course was pollo ai fungi chanterelle - chicken breast with wild chanterelles and a brandy sauce. I tend to stay away from red meat, preferring organic chicken as my primary source of protein. For me, chicken salad represents lunch most days. I can tell you, one can get very creative with salads after a few weeks, so when I saw that the second course was going to be chicken, I was a little disappointed. Also, my wife is an avid mushroom hunter, so chanterelles are a common sight in our kitchen, almost as common as my chicken salads; some even make it in to the salad. I was starting to wonder how Juri was going to mix this up a bit and make it interesting.

When the dish arrived, I was immediately taken aback. The chanterelle and brandy sauce, combined with very fresh chicken, made for an surprisingly complex and pungent aroma. My wife and I just looked at each other and said “wow.” I’ll never look at ‘chicken with mushrooms’ in quite the same light again.

I usually find that chicken needs a bright, lively wine to complement it - red or white. Not so in this case. Nero D’Avola is a full-bodied dry red wine from Sicily; velvety, rich, concentrated with definite hints of blackberry, cherries and vanilla. It’s acidity worked well with the chanterelle and brandy sauce.

Now I’m trying to figure out how to work these combinations in to my usual chicken salad lunch.

Desert was mousse alla mioccolata; what better way to finish a great dinner experience than with a rich chocolate mousse with just a hint of mint. Intense chocolate flavor, great texture and paired with Rosa Regale, a fun and lively red sparkling wine.

Every good chef has a signature; it might be a specific dish, plating style or ingredient. Some are obvious, some not. For Juri, it must be his use of 20-year-old balsamic vinegar. He treats it like an old friend and reveres it like a rare malt. Simply extraordinary stuff.

I found my experience at Trattoria Sbandati intriguing. I was actually paying attention to the food for once, trying to understand the story behind the meal. Was it worth $50 per head? Definitely, and not only because the wine was included and the four samples extremely generous, but these were not wines that you may automatically choose or indeed have the opportunity to try. Personally, I like the idea of combining a good meal with a wine tasting session.

Watching and listening to other diners that evening, I felt that as diners arrived they were excited with the prospect of a pre-determined culinary journey and as they left, genuinely surprised and delighted with the experience, one that I hope you will try for yourself.