Fitting comfortably in the middle

By Devra First, Globe Staff | September 13, 2007

For a small sum of money, one can eat well at a different spot every day of the week: There's pho in Fields Corner, Portuguese in Cambridge, dim sum in Chinatown, burgers, banh mi, chacareros, Kelly's Roast Beef . . . Is it lunchtime yet? Typing that made me hungry. Of course, for a large sum of money, one can also eat well: the tasting menu at Clio, a sushi bacchanalia at O Ya, degustations at L'Espalier.

Middling prices, however, have often meant middling food. But now the middle is becoming a genuine destination for "serious" restaurateurs and chefs who might once have headed for higher-priced ground.

Sagra, in Somerville, is a poster child for this kind of restaurant. It's not trying to be fancy or trendy, just comfortably nice: a neighborhood spot with dark red walls, black leather booths, flat-screens over the bar, and windows that open out onto Davis Square. The chef, Robert DeSimone, apprenticed in Italy and worked at Bricco in the North End with chef Marisa Iocco, who helped him open Sagra seven months ago. (He co-owns it with his brother and two Cambridge detectives.) The restaurant is named for a kind of local festival in Italy; according to its website, "the concept is 'roadside' Italian, not 'red-sauce' Italian."

Presumably the roads DeSimone is talking about are the tiny variety that wind toward the sea, not the autostrade (where the rest stops still serve better espresso than most American cafes do). How else to explain the special he calls "baby brodetto"? It's "baby" because it contains less seafood than the traditional variety, but the night we try it, it includes cod, scallops, cockles, mussels, clams, swordfish, shrimp, and squid, each magically cooked for just the right amount of time. The seafood soaks up a warming broth that is red and spicy and full-flavored. It's brimming with fish, and at $26 more expensive than the entrees on the regular menu (average price: $17.80). It's also one of Sagra's best dishes. "Don't worry," says our friendly waitress. "He'll offer it again." Indeed, the next time I'm there, so is the baby brodetto.

Sagra also offers a veal chop Milanese for $23. Elsewhere around town, veal chops have crept through the $30s and into the $40s. At Davio's, for example, the veal chop is $41; though the veal at Sagra is nowhere near as titanic, it's more than half as good. It's lightly breaded and fairly tender, served simply with spinach doused in lemon. (If there's ever a lemon shortage, look no further than Sagra for the blame. There's lemon in just about everything.)

The wine list is reasonable as well. A bottle of Cannonau di Sardegna is $26; full of berry flavor (Cannonau is what Sardinians call Grenache), it goes down easy, and on the wallet too. And there's an amarone for $56, a low price for a restaurant wine list.

Sagra has a small dining room, a bar, and a bar dining area. This makes it a place you can have a quiet dinner (it's a perfect date location for college students), a festive dinner, or a dinner you barely notice because you're watching the game. If it's the last, the bartenders are right there with you. "So, like, when school starts up again, this place is going to be really busy, isn't it?" one asks another on a slow August weekend, in an epiphanic moment between innings.

On a slow night like this, the service is good, though it's hard to predict what will happen when things pick up again. One waitress is clearly a pro, answering all of our questions and anticipating our every need. But other servers seem greener. Still, they're courteous even when making mistakes. A waiter who brings a salumi plate instead of what we ordered, an assortment of fried appetizers called the Grand Medley, apologizes profusely and treats our table extra-kindly the rest of the night.

It's a good thing we correct his mistake, because DeSimone is like the Deep Fryer Whisperer. He speaks its language, and it bends to his will. Nothing is greasy; everything is light and golden. A croquette is creamy and fluffy (and lemony!); calamari don't need dipping into the (lemony!) aioli; and olives stuffed with meat and fried are, well, how could those be bad?

Pastas are good too: seafood maccheroni, the seafood again perfectly cooked, served with frilly, shell-shaped noodles; ravioli with a simple, summery tomato sauce (if a bit too much of it). A salmon dish is dull, but lamb chops are juicy and pink-centered, accompanied by a red pepper and arugula salad. The salad's flavors are perfectly proportioned, the smoke of the roasted peppers and the sharpness of the arugula balancing each other.

But here's a real bummer: The pizzas are hit or miss. One night the Sagra pizza (mozzarella, pecorino, pancetta, and rosemary) is great, with a crisp crust; another, the margherita (talked up enthusiastically as featuring the best mozzarella di bufala ever) is pretty bad - the crust shows no evidence of having been in the wood-fired oven, and if that mozzarella was once the best ever, it's been sadly mistreated.

For dessert, there's a take on the pro forma tiramisu, a Nutella bread pudding, and the surprising winner of the lot, torta al vino. The cake, made with white wine, is embedded with juicy grapes, and the whole thing has a crunchy sugar top. Things are sweet at Sagra. All around the room people are raising glasses: an intellectual-looking middle-age couple, a group of 20-something girls at the bar, a few young parents who managed to find a baby sitter. Maybe they're toasting to good food and fair prices. At Sagra, the happy medium is well done.

Read the original review as it appeared on September 13, 2007 in the Boston Globe.

Sagra was recently featured on the T.V. Diner with Billy Costa and awarded a GOLD PLATE!

 Click on the folliwing link to watch the full review (T.V. Diner Video )

Sagra reverses the 400 Highland Ave. curse

Rustic Italian restaurant succeeds where others failed

Going around town is a buzz on a hot new Italian restaurant located just a few minutes walk from Davis Square on 400 Highland Ave., called Sagra Ristorante, which opened at the end of February.

Robert DeSimone, the master chef, said everyone loves to eat. For him though, cooking food and presenting it appealingly for diners' pleasure is just plain fun.

Sagra Chef Robert DeSimone

DeSimone is a zesty bachelor with quick, sparkling eyes, flashing a welcoming smile and a sense of humor. For sometime now, he said he burned with a burning desire to open his own restaurant. Especiallly one offering unique recipes that come straight from the Eastern region of Italy; allowing him to introduce what the locals love to eat in mountainous Abruzzo bordering Le Marche.
 
Jabbing his finger in the air for emphasis, DeSimone said his goal for Sagra is to bring to Davis Square: delicious fine food at an affordable price.

Along with his brother and two other friends joining in partnership, Sagra was launched. But first, DeSimone said he had to pack up and come home from Belgium, where he was traveling and working in Europe and in Israel as professional archeologist.

Putting down his excavation shovel, leaving a deep dedication to uncover the past, he now waves a wooden stirring spoon instead, and spends nearly four hours each morning directing a staff of five doing kitchen prep-work articulating the day's menu and specials before diners arrive.

The word Sagra refers to a long-standing festival observed throughout Italy when lively historical pageantry is re-enacted with sporting events like jousting on horseback while plenty of food is spread out, he said. The menu reflects the buzz of the festival offering a variety of olive oil, delicious wine, robust cheese, freshly baked bread, pasta and pastry.   
Surprises start right on Sagra's menu, centered just under the restaurant's name are three little words: Mangia, Bevi e Taci.

I fondly recall my college days living in Rome studying architecture and art, those words mean: Eat, Drink and Shut Up, or if one is polite: be silent.
I'm most certain DeSimone would not enforce the "Taci" part for he is just as likely to bound out from the kitchen to greet and mingle with diners.

Under antipasti e fritture, there are 10 savory dishes from grilled Bruschetta brushed with garlic and olive oil, crowned with home-made sausage and melted Stracchino cheese. There are Calamari, Stuffed and Marinated Olives, and Eggplant Involtini filled with herbed Ricotta and topped with Scarmorza, layered with plum tomato sauce, all grilled to perfection.

Among five different pizza selections, is the house "Sagra Pizze," covered by Morrzarella, aged Pecorino Romano, thin sliced house-made Pancetta topped by rosemary and extra-virgin olive oil.

Listed below Insalate e Zuppe is a wide selection of Paste boasting Seafood Maccheroni served niftily with Conch shells dressed with a light seafood sauce of mussels, calamari, Maine shrimp, cherry tomatoes with a touch of ginger and fish fumet.

A delight to both the eyes and the palate are entrees like Salmone Spadellato, a plateful of pan-seared crispy skin salmon served with chickpea, celery, carrot and onion minestra. And the Maiale due Modi is a hearty serving of Le Marche and Abruzzo style grill pork with sautéed broccoli rabe.

There are plenty of selections of side dishes as well as beverage and wine to compliment your meal followed by coffee and satisfying desserts.

DeSimone scores with two North End favorites: Chicken parmesan with rigatoni and Fettucine Alfredo. The dishes are a generous homage of his tutelage under Chef Marisa Iocco, who is his mentor and still a consulting chef to Sagra. DeSimone said the two regularly discuss new menu items.

Sagra is not your typical red-sauce smothered pasta, chicken cacciatore covered by Parmigiana cheese type of restaurant that lacks finesse and subtlety. 

DeSimone said he is grateful for the support from the community as he tries to bring more authentic rustic Italian cuisine to the public.

DeSimone said he does not regret leaving archeology. He has less leisure time now but he is having far more fun living his dream. Watch him discover and present fresh recipes with style to keep the faithful diner coming time and again. For more information on Sagra call (617) 625-4200.

Read the original review as it appeared on TheAlewife.com on April 13, 2007.