Mountain Brook Italian Restaurant, Locanda Brasato, takes its time.
Everyone’s living fast, running fast. “We believe in the importance of taking time to slow down and enjoy a meal with the person you enjoy being with,” says Chef Duaine Clements. “We provide the kind of food that feels nourishing so you can sit down and enjoy that experience
“At Brasato, we believe the best things in life are worth the wait. Our chefs put their heart into every dish, taking the time to hand-make pasta, craft perfect sauces, and source the freshest local ingredients. It’s all about the slow, thoughtful process—because great food doesn’t need to rush.
“Taking time to make bread the right way, taking time to make handmade pasta, taking time to make stocks, to butcher meat, to grind meat, to make it special… Those things are really what we believe in; kind of our ethos here. Taking the time, whether it is to find the right farm or with the right ingredient, taking the time to make stock instead of buying premade items. That’s really the Italian philosophy anyway.
“We want to make sure we do our part to keep that alive, that un-rushed, slow cooking, taking time to make the process right.
“What we really wanted to do is become one of Mountain Brook’s favorite Italian neighborhood Italian spots, right?
“That’s our goal. You see that we’re on pretentious, we’re not tablecloths, we’re not dress code. Our focus is pasta, fresh ingredients. We have a pizza oven, so, you know, that’s also our focus,” Clements says.
Locanda Brasato in Mountain Brook is co-owned by Chef Duaine Clements and Marco Butturini. The classically trained Chef Clements oversees the kitchen. The duo also owns Lé Fresca in downtown Birmingham
Chef Duaine Clements is a classically trained chef with over two decades of experience, having honed his craft in Michelin-starred kitchens in New York City and Boston (including Atelier Joël Robuchon and CLIO) before spending years opening renowned restaurants in Brazil
Originally from Colorado, Clements has plied his chef’s trade up and down the east coast, Boston, New York, working at award winning, famous restaurants. He met his wife in Boston and the couple had always wanted to explore Brazil. They ended up spending 12 years there, opening a couple of food related businesses and restaurants.
“We opened a restaurant in the mountains of a really beautiful region there that had its own farm. We had bees. It was really fun. That was called Quinta dos Monacaos. It’s still there. There’s a hotel there too now
An invitation to present a Brazilian epicurean experience at Auburn University, the Libby Rain Center, the Culinary School brought him to Alabama. “So we loaded up luggage full of Brazilian ingredients and went to Auburn. And I’d never been to the South, but we came, we visited, we did the events. We were received really well.
“I met a chef, Zach Redes, who was the chef at Highlands back in the day. He was a guest there, and we just hit it off really well.
“And he insisted we come to Birmingham, get to know Birmingham, and we came for a couple days. When I went back to Brazil, we were already going to move back to the States. We just didn’t know where whether it would be New York or D.C. or wherever. But Alabama left an impression on me.
“I have two daughters, one daughter’s 11 now, and the other’s 15. For kids to grow up here, in this area, in Birmingham; I think it’s hard to beat it.
“And I think the dining scene is great. There’s a lot of great chefs. There’s a lot of opportunities here.
“So I made the jump.”
Photos by Big Swede Media Works
Locanda Brasato
270 Rele St, Mountain Brook, AL 35223
(205) 747-0013 • locandabrasato.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Sunday
