Small Italian restaurant offers big treat to diners

Trattoria in Beacon popular local spot

By Lori Pierce Abendschein
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

There's no question when you see the line out the door that you've found one of the popular neighborhood restaurants in the City of Beacon.

Brother's Trattoria looks commonplace from the outside, but step inside and not only are you likely to find yourself in a queue waiting for a seat at one of the less than a dozen tables, but you'll find warm yellow walls with an aged Venetian plaster appearance and enormous framed works of art that make for a wonderfully appealing and attractive place to dine.

It is probable, too, that you will see owner Ken Berisha greeting customers, helping to serve and chatting with what seems like a host of regular clientele enamored with this bustling gem of a spot.

Service was prompt on the evening of our visit and, within moments, beverages and a basket of toasted garlic knots were before us.

Menu runs gamut

The menu is composed of hot and cold heroes, pizza, a list of salads and standards ranging from stuffed pastas such as baked ziti Siciliano ($7.95) or manicotti ($7.25). Other appealing choices include rigatoni carbonara ($8.95), penne ala vodka ($8.95) or gnocchi with meat sauce ($8.95). Entrees run the full gamut from eggplant and chicken to veal and seafood and are augmented with specials to add a bit of variety.

We began with a steaming bowl of pasta e fagioli, abundant with fresh garlic, beans in a savory tomato broth ($3.75), a loaf of garlic bread loaded with melted mozzarella ($1.95) and a plate piled with perfectly crisp calamari accompanied by marinara sauce ($5.95).

The Trattoria offers an expansive selection of specialty pizzas, all of which were tempting: pesto, primavera, grilled vegetarian or the Brother's Best with sausage, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella and Romano cheeses.

Our decision for dinner became easy when we managed a sneak peek of the meals being served to a nearby table.

The highlight of the evening was a seafood combination ($17.95), pouring over with scallops, calamari and shrimp in a pink cream sauce. Veal Sorrentino ($14.95) was a treat with tender scaloppini beneath layers of eggplant, prosciutto and provolone cheese. Perhaps, sounding a bit blase, but exceedingly well prepared was a chicken parmigiana dinner ($9.50).

All of the Trattoria's specialty entrees are served with a fresh salad and a choice of pasta, which make them like the rest of the offerings, a great value.

For a small restaurant and one that also serves a large take-out clientele, we were pleasantly surprised by the swift but hospitable service provided by our server and some of the staff that stepped out from behind the counter to assist on numerous occasions.

Small touches noticed

And there was the attention to serving dishes that even though simple, were well executed and eye appealing. Touches such as the sweet ripened slices of tomato in the dinner salads and a fine-tasting balsamic vinaigrette didn't go unnoticed.

Desserts are made on the premises, and though we couldn't manage to take in another morsel, they included chocolate mousse ($3.95), tiramisu ($4.95) and chocolate mousse cake ($3.95).

I'm already looking forward to a return visit around November, once Berisha has expanded the restaurant and added 50 seats -- an expansion that will give him an opportunity to offer an upscale menu.

And for those waiting in line -- thankfully -- more seats!

The Poughkeepsie Journal pays for the meals that are the subjects of restaurant reviews and reviewers do not identify themselves prior to the end of the meal. Lori Pierce Abendschein is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.

DINING OUT
BROTHER'S TRATTORIA
Overall **** (Very Good)

465 Main St., Beacon; (845) 838-3300; open seven days serving from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; limited handicapped accessibility, there is one small step up; reservations accepted; take-out and delivery available; children can be accommodated; Mastercard and Visa accepted; smoking is not permitted.

Price range --Dinner entrees, $10.95-$23.50.

Directions -- From Poughkeepsie, follow Route 9 to Route 52 west to Beacon. Make a left onto Main Street and restaurant will be on the right. There is a sign for a municipal parking lot on the right just before the restaurant.

Rating breakdown