L'Ortal In Vito d'asio

28/06/2026: We returned to this renowned restaurant in the center of Pordenone after some time to celebrate my birthday (over a month late!). The atmosphere is refined and elegant, yet informal; the quality of the ingredients (fish) and the dishes is always top-notch. Among the dishes served and enjoyed was the excellent macaroni with fresh sardines, raisins, pine nuts, and fennel, a truly delicious and hearty dish, as was the spaghetti with clams offered off-menu (also off-menu, a pasta dish with scampi and fresh porcini mushrooms at the next table was tempting). The fried scampi and calamari was light, flavorful, and crispy, served with vegetable scraps and polenta cubes, which not only lightened the overall meal but also enhanced the dish. The desserts were excellent and sophisticated, including a coffee and amaretti parfait and the peach melba, served with vanilla and raspberry ice cream. Dinner was accompanied by a fine glass of Fiano della Campania, recommended by the waiter from among the other options available by the glass. Incidentally, the wine list is truly worthy of the restaurant, but a semi-teetotal wife and a completely teetotal daughter generally don't allow me to order a whole bottle... ☹️ Service was knowledgeable, attentive, and informal, with waiting times that weren't excessive but adequate for the quality of the dishes. One regret: years ago, you'd be greeted with a glass of bubbles to welcome you and a tasty appetizer offered by the chef while you waited for the dishes ordered from the menu to arrive. But perhaps this is also a way to try to keep the price of dinner at a reasonable level, given the quality of the dishes, in an era of constantly rising raw material prices and persistent inflation!

02/06/2026: The texture of the fried dishes was unpleasant. Half of the tasting menu consisted of fried foods. Although we tried 7-8 different options, we didn't find any memorable flavor.