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Tuscan Soul Food

Burrasca is an intimate neighborhood Italian restaurant steeped in the Florentine cuisine of chef-owner Paolo Calamai’s roots: rustic, comforting and rich in tradition. In offering a uniquely Tuscan food and wine experience we hope to transmit our passion for the gastronomic diversity of this spectacular region of Italy.

Our menu stays true to the integrity of the best seasonal ingredients. You’ll find handmade pasta and classic Tuscan specialties, some rarely seen on menus in America like pici al coniglio, gnudi, testaroli alla lunigiana, squid inzimino, tortelli mugellani, ciaffagnoni, castagnaccio, ribollita and pappa al pomodoro. Like any Italian worth their salt, we believe vino has a rightful place at the table. To this end, our affordable all-Tuscan wine list is lovingly obsessed over, offering many unusual varietals and surprises and contributing to the total Burrasca experience of terroir.

Raised on the family vineyard and orto on the northern edge of Florence, Paolo is an immigrant chef and exuberant proponent of Tuscan cuisine. He grew up at the twin elbows of his mother and grandmother, learning the repertoire of Florentine classics. In the restaurant business since age 16, he’s worked with some of the most renowned Italian chefs and restaurateurs on two continents, including the iconic Cibrèo in Florence. It’s a rare thing not to see him smiling, or dunking a cantuccino into the last drops of Sangiovese at the end of the night.

 
 

hours & Location

We have permanently closed Burrasca - join our mailing list to get eventual news of Paolo’s next cooking venture


 Join us in november for the SAGRA DELLE CASTAGNE

All month long we'll be featuring that incredibly versatile Tuscan mainstay and Autumn favorite—the chestnut—in rotating daily specials from appetizers to pastas to desserts. Front and center are the stellar marroni (an Italian chestnut varietal) grown by Portland-area Cascadia Chestnuts.

take a deep dive into chestnut territory with things like:

Tortino di castagne con salsa al pecorino
savory chestnut tart with pecorino sauce
Gnocchi di castagne
chestnut gnocchi with autumnal trimmings
Tagliatelle di castagne alla norcina
chestnut pasta with fennel sausage and béchamel
Tortelli di castagne ai funghi
chestnut tortelli with all manner of mushrooms
Quaglia ripiena di castagne e salsiccia
chestnut and sausage stuffed quail
Budino di castagne
sweet chestnut flan with persimmon sauce
Castagnaccio
classic Tuscan chestnut treat with dried fruit, nuts and rosemary
... and more!


Our November specials will roam the rugged, chestnut-strewn corners of Tuscany from the mountainous Lunigiana to the forested Casentino to Chef Paolo Calamai’s ancestral turf of the Mugello.

viva la bella castagna!

Press

15 PRIMO ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN PORTLAND

"An intimate interior with porcelain tiles and a beautiful, tree-lined patio [where] you can find classic Florentine cuisine like rustic meat sauces served over robust pastas and glasses of rich Tuscan wine. The reasonably priced Italian cocktail menu should also not be missed." EATER PORTLAND

25 GREAT SPOTS TO EAT & DRINK IN PORTLAND'S DIVISION/CLINTON NEIGHBORHOOD

"Always-smiling Chef Paolo Calamai spoons out authentic nonna cooking." PORTLAND MONTHLY

WHEN SHE WANTS TO RETURN TO ITALY, NOSTRANA'S CATHY WHIMS HEADS TO BURRASCA

"Whims says she likes it so much that it's not unusual for her to eat there three times a week, adding that after returning from a recent trip to Tuscany, she immediately dropped by in order to keep the Tuscan experience extended." EATER PORTLAND

THE CITY'S 99 BEST RESTAURANTS - NO. 5: BURRASCA

"It is a type of restaurant that Portland almost never sees, and certainly doesn't see executed so well. Burrasca is a provincial spot with simple flavors nurtured with care—a humble, lovely ode to the food of its chef's hometown." WILLAMETTE WEEK

THE 50 BEST PORTLAND RESTAURANTS FOR ANY OCCASION

"Burrasca's greatest strengths are its pastas, like the tender ricotta gnudi, soaking up a pool of sage butter, and the velvety tagliatelle in thick beef ragù. Equally great: Calamai's garlicky, slow-cooked dishes like the dark, braised squid inzimino." PORTLAND MONTHLY

YEAR OF THE NOODLE: PORTLAND'S BEST PASTA

"As at restaurants in Italy, Florence-born chef Paolo Calamai doesn't make every random shape of pasta to suit variety-hungry Americans, and perhaps as a result, his tagliatelle is remarkable in its consistency. The pasta is always on the right side of al dente, with its lightly-herbed beef ragù wonderfully balanced in salt, acidity and sweetness." WILLAMETTE WEEK

TUSCAN SON: BURRASCA BRINGS THE BRIGHT FLAVORS OF FLORENCE TO CLINTON STREET

"By far the most famous dish is the squid inzimino, a heady mix of tender squid, spinach crumpled like seaweed, tomato and herbs that arrives looking like no other plate in Portland. It's a pungent stew of inky, amorphous blackness punctuated with slices of crostini, both alien and deeply addictive." WILLAMETTE WEEK

 

14 DELIGHTFUL SPOTS TO EAT & DRINK ON SE CLINTON

What started as a modest food cart has blossomed into one of Portland’s essential Italian destinations. Porcelain tiles and a beautiful patio provide the wonderful backdrop for rustic Florentine cuisine. Starters include dishes like garlicky inzimino — squid simmered in red wine and herbs — while mains like toothsome pappardelle covered with savory, slow braised wild boar are truly comforting. An Italian cocktail menu and an impressive set of Tuscan wines are also available at this welcoming neighborhood spot.

CELEBRATING MAIALATA, ITALY’S FESTIVAL OF THE PIG

“Cathy Whims of Nostrana and Paolo Calamai of Portland's Florentine restaurant Burrasca taught everyone how to make gnocchi (Whims) and wild boar ragù (Calamai).” SAVEUR MAGAZINE

WHERE CHEFS EAT

"Burrasca is a step back in time, as if you were walking into a Florentine trattoria in the 1970s. The food is religiously authentic and everything is handmade from scratch. Chef and owner Paolo Calamai surprises you with specials like hand-rolled pici with comforting Tuscan ragù and dishes little known outside of Tuscany such as La Francesina, leftover boiled beef stewed with tomato and love." Cathy Whims, WHERE CHEFS EAT, PHAIDON PRESS

COMFORT FOOD

"Any of the handmade pastas at Burrasca fall into the category of ultimate comfort food for me. Last week I enjoyed large ravioli filled with fresh ricotta and squash blossoms. This week there's hand-rolled pici with guinea hen, pork and vin santo ragù." Chef Cathy Whims, PORTLAND TRIBUNE

BURRASCA IS HONEST ITALIAN

"Burrasca's menu offers no pork belly, no truffle butter, no fleeting menu item placed there to please the Yelpers. It's f***ing refreshing." PORTLAND MERCURY

PORTLAND'S BEST NEW RESTAURANTS 2015

"The new restaurant retains [its] charm and seasonal approach to food, currently featuring a pitch-perfect pappa al pomodoro and Calamai's old show-stopper: silky spinach-ricotta gnudi in a sage-infused butter sauce." THE OREGONIAN

THE 10 MOST ANTICIPATED RESTAURANT OPENINGS OF 2015

“In the winter of 2013, Burrasca [was declared] one of Portland’s best food carts. It was old-school Florentine cooking, in the form of buttery smooth ribollita soup and silky, stewed boar tossed in hand-rolled pappardelle.” PORTLAND MONTHLY