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ana and Paul Decarli leased the former Tara Thai House restaurant in downtown Beaverton and gutted the venue before opening. The hospitality of the spa-cious Italian eatery radiates from the enthusiasm of its husband-and-wife owners.

Decarli’s ambience is enveloped in exposed brick walls, restored Douglas fir floors, skylights and high ceil-ing rafters. Lights twinkle throughout the seating area. An open kitchen, adjacent to the cocktail bar, is full of energy that spills out into the dining room.

Since hanging their shingle, with the single word “Decarli” on it, the Decarlis have developed a following of friends, family and those seeking Northern Italian cui-sine with “little French and Spanish twists here and there.”

“We’ve changed our menu over the years,” says Paul who last worked as the executive chef at Tuscany Grill in Northwest Portland. “Today our dishes suggest a lighter style. We always have our tried and true favorites; on Sundays you’ll find our heavier dishes. The kids enjoy spaghetti, so it’s on our menu every Sunday.”

The Cedar Mill couple’s lifestyle is a balancing act between parenting and operating Decarli. Together run-ning the dinner house as a team comes naturally. They met in a restaurant.

For four years this May, the ambitious couple have been nurturing three adolescents: an 8-year-old son, 4-year-old daughter and Decarli. The Decarlis’ dining spot is their passion.

Open for evening dining and happy hours, the family-friendly restaurant offers dinner, cocktails and a chil-dren’s menu. Sunday is dedicated to family, and the menu usually includes hearty spaghetti and meatballs or lasagna. Jana and Paul take the day off to spend quality time with each other and their family. Monday also serves as a day for themselves.

The food authorities juggle their productive restaurant schedule with time for their son and daughter. They switch off their hours and are lucky to have two grand-mothers nearby to help with the grandchildren. “Paul is never home in the evening,” says Jana. “He has his spe-cial time in the morning with the kids, making them breakfast every other day.”

Jana, a University of Oregon graduate, runs the front of the restaurant. She seats guests and caters to cus-tomers. She also purchases the wines, negotiates the menu and keeps the books.

“She’s the boss,” says Paul, who can be found in the kitchen preparing his choice dishes and managing the cooking staff.

When she returned to Oregon after earning a degree in wholistic medicine, Jana had no idea that she would wind up owning a restaurant. With a degree in hand, she worked at Paragon Restaurant in the Pearl District while getting her footing in Portland. She met Paul there. She waited tables, and he designed recipes in the kitchen. Paul, a graduate of Western Culinary Institute, devel-oped his expertise at many Portland restaurants, includ-ing Saucebox and Fratelli. As a young boy, his Swiss-

Italian grandparents introduced him to the culinary art of sausage making. He was introduced to the cooking cul-ture while accompanying his grandfather throughout the Bay Area delivering sausage to delicatessens and restau-rants.

By the time Paul and Jana married and had children, Paul was ready to open his own restaurant.

According to Jana, her management skills and Paul’s cooking talent are the perfect mix for a successful restau-rant. The two enjoy lively debates on menus, analyzing other area restaurants and learning about fine wines. Happy hour takes place in the bar and features Italian-inspired recipes. The weekly changing menu highlights fresh Northwest ingredients.

A Decarli classic, found on the dinner menu, is beef shortribs braised with espresso and dried prunes, creamy spaetzle, gremolata and horseradish.

“We go through anywhere from 100 to 130 pounds of ribs a week,” boasts Paul who has offered the dish since opening in November 2007. “Our customers enjoy the sweet tang of molasses, tomato and basalmic. The beef sings at the end.”

Two-person pizzettas are a decarli phenomenon. They can include roasted garlic, pickled chili, prosciutto, moz-

zarella, soppressata and shaved grana padano.

According to Paul, everything is made from scratch, including the pastas, cured pâtés, sausage and duck pro-sciutto.

Decarli is in downtown Beaverton about a half a block from Farmington Road, a neighbor of Music Time. It is located at 4545 S.W. Watson Ave. in a 1924 building. “We looked for a location in Old Town where we could add to the culinary landscape,” says Paul. “There are not a lot of independent restaurants in the area, and we saw the need for good food there. We offer good, sim-ple food with seasonal ingredients with flavors that pop.” Paul estimates that about 900 guests pass through the doors each week.

“The area is slowly coming back up,” says the Sunset High School graduate who claims to know the neighbor-hood well. The Decarlis plan on growing along with the community. “We heard success comes from supporting the community — working together with a mission of getting stronger. We’re going to stay involved.” Decarli is open Tuesday through Sunday for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Happy hours are Tuesday through Thursday 4:30 to 6 p.m. and again 9 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4:30 to 6 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m. and all night Sunday. The business is closed on Mondays.

For information or reservations, call 503-641-3223.