Sagra to offer simple Italian 'road-side' fare

A restaurant serving "road-side" Italian, rather than "red sauce" Italian is coming soon to Somerville's Davis Square.

Sagra - Italian for community food festival - will open in the next two weeks under chef Robert DeSimone, whose menu of simple, hearty peasant cuisine is inspired by time he has spent in Le Marche, on the eastern side of central Italy on the Adriatic Sea.

"I really want to make it a fun, affordable place to be, with the same finesse we put into the food at Bricco," said DeSimone, referring to the North End restaurant where he worked his way up from sous chef to executive chef.

The bi-level Sagra will seat approximately 60 people in the dining room and at least 20 at the bar. It will open only for dinner at first, but lunch service is expected to come shortly after.

DeSimone's menu will include grilled meats and seafood, pasta such as lemon-scented ravioli with a simple tomato sauce, fried items including arancini and calamari, and brick-oven pizza.

He plans to keep appetizers under $10, pasta under $15, and most entrees under $20.

The East Cambridge chef, 35, turned to cooking after earning a bachelor's degree in anthropology and a master's degree in archaeology. His experience includes working at the Michelin-rated Madonnina del Pescatore in Le Marche.

At Boston's Bricco, he cooked under chef Marisa Iocco, who is on board as his consultant.

Sagra also has an entertainment license, and DeSimone said Italian music and Frank Sinatra-style singers will be booked.

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original article: http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=179230&format=text