I had to come out of retirement to write about Fratelli’s for this issue of the Old Town Crier.  Since becoming a father with a now seven-month old baby, my dining experiences and expectations have changed dramatically.  Instead of searching for the newest restaurant with proclaimed culinary innovations and extensive wine lists, I look for those that are close-quick-kid friendly, but hopefully maintaining some culinary integrity.  After a long day of shopping  one Saturday  afternoon, we were looking for a quick dinner before going home. We noticed Fratelli’s on South Van Dorn Street.  The décor, friendly service and simple, good food reminded me of restaurants I had visited in Tuscany.

It’s located in a free-standing building that has been renovated from a previous use and can be difficult to find since it’s behind a stone wall and elevated from street level.  You enter right into the dining room, which is a large square space with a half-wall with live plants along the top creating two spaces.  The walls are painted white and the floor tiles are white.  There are neat rows of tables and chairs covered with white tablecloths and burgundy covers.  And there is soft Italian classic/opera music playing in the background.

On this visit we observed that the dining room was full of couples and older groups of people who may not welcome a baby into their midst, but the hostess greeted us and led us to our table next to a couple lingering over their wine.  Our server immediately brought us a chair for our baby seat and we settled in.  We started by ordering a bottle of Fossi Chianti Classico Riserva while we viewed the menu.  Our server returned with a basket of warm Italian bread, butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese and described the specials of the day.

For appetizers we ordered Mozzarella Fritta, Oyster Alla Florentina and Clams Casino.  The mozzarella was a large square of fresh cheese lightly breaded that  was fried and served with a garlic lemon sauce.  The four oysters were big and meaty and the spinach cream sauce could have been served by itself.  The clams were coated with bread crumbs with Italian bacon and had a nice herb and butter flavor.

For our entrees we chose Tortellini Alla Fratello (homemade pasta stuffed with sauteed chicken, mushrooms and ham served in a cream sauce), Pollo Terra Mare (a large chicken breast stuffed  with ham, cheese, herbs, in an egg batter and topped with shrimp, mushrooms and lemon sauce), and Vitello Alla Marsala (fresh veal lightly floured and  sauteed and served with a Marsala wine and a mushroom sauce).  All three were excellent.  Entrees are accompanied by either a house salad or a caesar salad.  We all agreed that the house  dressing of olive oil, vinegar, Italian spices and garlic was exceptional. We ordered another bottle of Chianti to accompany our meals.

Our son was content, so we decided to order desserts and coffee.  We were very happy with our choices.  Fratelli’s tiramisu is light and creamy and the pecan pie was exceptional, not needing any whipped cream or ice cream for enhancement, however, a little ice cream is always welcome.

There is no bar, but wine, beer and cocktails are available at your table.  The wine list is brief and heavy on the Italian wines but have good choices to accompany the food selections.   There are house wines featured and both white and red can be purchased by the glass. All bottles of wine are priced under $50.  Whites include Fontaleoni  Vernaccia di San Gimignano at $28.95, and Fontana Candida Frascati, Montepeporzio, Catone Italia.  Reds include Antinori Santa Christina Sangiovesi for $26.95, Fossi Chianti Classico Riserva at $49.95 and Kimball Cabernet Sauvignon at $23.95.  

I met Chef Manuel, who  along with his wife owns Fratelli’s, as we were leaving.   I learned that he had worked at Geranio on King Street for twenty years before opening his own restaurant in Maryland with his brother, Alex, and now this newest venture with his wife on Van Dorn.  He is very proud that everything is made fresh in house.  That explains why the bread that starts your meal is so tempting.

I’m thinking that family dining can possibly be a pleasure.  Fratelli’s met all my requirements; its close, kid friendly, great food, professional service and the best of all, it’s Italian.  The best part is that is has been consistently good on several return visits.

Fratelli Restaurant
410 S. Van Dorn Street
Alexandria, VA 22341
703-212-9122

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