Pizza places notwithstanding, Central Oregon has but a few dedicated Italian restaurants and even less that are open during the shutdown. Sure, many restaurants will offer a pasta dish or two. But I was looking for takeout at restaurants dedicated to Italian food and settled on four around Central Oregon.

I did eschew Olive Garden, choosing to focus on the smaller, local eateries. This week I got takeout from R-spot in Sisters, Pastini Pastaria at the Old Mill, Marcello’s in Sunriver, and Trattoria Sbandati.

Trattoria Sbandati (1444 NW College Way, Bend)Trattoria Sbandati has been the go-to fine-dining Italian Restaurant. Owner Jurie Sbandati is the real deal. He came to Bend 15 years ago from Florence, Italy. His homemade pastas and other authentic Italian meals set themselves apart as each flavor both stands out and blends for a delicious savory symphony. The wide noodle tagliatelle pasta is uncooked to offer the freshest taste. The server informed me to boil the pasta for 4 minutes. We also warmed up the Ragu Bolognese to top the pasta. It had chunky ground beef in a red sauce that teemed with the flavors of many Italian spices and wine.

Sbandati’s meatballs can be ordered individually. The giant meatballs are dense yet flavorful, covered in a red sauce. A couple of pieces of mozzarella cheese also came in the bag to be melted over the meatballs. Sbandati joked that when his kids are grown and “their friends ask what their father was doing during the great pandemic, they will likely answer…He was making meatballs.”

While everything from Sbandati was excellent, the cannelloni was the standout. Canneloni is a cylindrical type of lasagna served baked. This four-person serving of cannelloni was covered in cheese and sauce and stuffed with spinach, Parmesan and ricotta that made a creamy, cheesy filling. It was delicate and robust at the same time.

Marcello’s Cucina Italiana (57031 Ponderosa Road, Sunriver)Marcello’s Cucina Italiana in Sunriver has more than Italian food. They also offer fine-dining entrees like Walnut Crusted Halibut and prime rib. We stuck to traditional Italian food as we ordered the lasagna, Osso Bucco and garlic bread. Indeed it is fine dining. Each dish was a combination of flavors that added dimension to the entree. The lasagna was covered in a thick layer of cheese and stuffed with a light mixture of mozzarella and ricotta cheese.

Instead of simply being topped with meat sauce, all of the ingredients were in each layer. Each bite I tasted fresh red peppers, seasoned ground beef and sausage, and tomatoes in the sauce. The lasagna noodles were tender yet firm. It comes with a side of green beans.

My next choice was from the Dishes of the Day menu. The Pork Osso Bucco (which means “bone with a hole”) was a delight. This dish is no ordinary Osso Bucco that is typically made with veal shanks, white wine and a tomato sauce. Marcello’s Osso Bucco is made with slow-roasted pork shank atop a pile of garlic-infused creamy mashed potatoes. They use a dijon-chianti cream sauce instead of tomato sauce with mushrooms. The red chianti presented a robust wine flavor that was a joy to both the smell and taste of the dish. Instead of the garlic and parsley citrusy gremolata topping, Marcello’s adds sliced jalapeño. It’s an excellent contrast to the creamy wine sauce, which adds bite but not too much spice.

R-Spot (161 N Elm St, Sisters)I discovered R-Spot when writing about small sandwich shops. While owner Norm Garrett does serve sandwiches, he considers the eatery to be an Italian restaurant. It’s a small space, so he’s always had a strong takeout business. During the shutdown, he has ramped up his grab-and-go plates. Because he is closed Sunday and Monday, he puts most of what he has into the cooler on Saturday. Be sure to come early in the day, as he sells out.

Although we had to make do with what he had available, we were not disappointed. Again, we had lasagna. The generous serving was smothered in meat and cheese sauce. Chunks of tomato enhanced the tomato sauce. It was thoroughly satisfying.

The pasta carbonara is not usually served on penne pasta, but it was what he had left. I would not have known as it tasted great. Sweet peas and chunks of thick bacon cut through the thick, creamy carbonara sauce.

All of the food was cold when I picked it up. I heated the aluminum containers in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. The included garlic bread also needed to be cooked. Freshly broiling the bread made it the best garlic bread with its buttery topping.

Pastini Pastaria (375 SW Powerhouse Drive, Old Mill, Bend)

Pastini Pastaria offers a wide variety of pasta dishes at reasonable prices. Here too, we tried the lasagna. This was a five cheese lasagna with meat sauce. Stuffed with Parmesan, provolone, mozzarella, romano and ricotta cheeses, it’s a hearty dish topped with a substantial meat sauce. When you want Italian food, this lasagna is entirely satisfying.

We also chose the Tortellini Gorgonzola and added tender chicken. Creamy gorgonzola sauce-covered al dente tortellini. Lightly sauteed spinach and chopped tomatoes gave the dish a fresh veggie complement. We wanted a few more vegetables, so we ordered the Spinach Balsamico Salad. Baby spinach leaves are tossed with roasted balsamic onions, fresh tomato, parmesan, hazelnuts, and sent with balsamic-red wine vinaigrette on the side. It had a nice balance of sweet and crunchy from the hazelnuts with savory and sour from the balsamic.

There’s no question that Italian food is comfort food. Luckily, during the shutdown, we have options available throughout Central Oregon.