Pesce spada grigliato e caponata ($17) is a nice swordfish steak served on a “caponata” of cubed peppers, eggplant, onion, tomatoes, and the unusual addition of potato. This caponata had too much salt and pepper for me, although the potatoes helped. The seafood risotto special ($16) was made with long-grain rice, rather than any of the famous varieties of Italian risotto rice, but the grains were distinct, slightly al dente, and bound with a creamy medium. Most of the seafood (littleneck clams, mussels in the shell) was added near the end, but tiny shrimp and squid were used to flavor the rice very nicely. Unlike other North End restaurants that jack up the cost of specials, it was priced fairly.
The wine list is almost all Italian, but has no vintage years. Many of the wines are inexpensive, although marked up; so this is less of an issue than if you were picking an expensive Barolo. You may come across something like Sangiovese Merlot Santa Christina Antinori ($28), which implies a “Super Tuscan” blend of French grapes in Chianti country to make a bigger wine than the traditional Chianti. But the label tells a different story: the blend is 90 percent sangiovese (the traditional main grape in the red Chianti blend) and only 10 percent merlot. The current vintage turns out to be 2005, but that’s fine for a relatively light, quaffable, and aromatic bottle. Sagra also has a full line of Italian aperitifs, such as Strega, Aperol, and Campari (but they are listed on the dessert menu). Decaf ($1.75) was excellent. However, ordering herbal tea ($2.50) resulted in an unfortunate race to get the bag into the cup of hot water.
There are three dessert options, of which my pick would be the Torta al vino ($6), a nice pie wedge of sweet pastry with cooked-in grapes. Nutella bread pudding ($7) sounds great, but was too homogeneous in texture. You want tastes of bread alternating with tastes of sauce or flavor in a pudding. The dish was stolen or saved by the hazelnut-praline semifreddo on top. A semifreddo is a half-frozen mousse, but this was a light ice cream with a nice hazelnut flavor set off by brickle mixed in. Mattonela di fiorella ($7) is a small layer cake, which the menu compares to tiramisu. It’s flatter and less sweet, and isn’t going to storm the world, but the hint-of-mocha flavor grows on you.
Service at Sagra was very good. The design of the room, and perhaps the kitchen organization, resulted in a few things coming to the table lukewarm, including red wine that should have been slightly chilled, soup that should have been hot, and a few entrées. This should be easy to fix if the place isn’t mobbed. The atmosphere on a quiet weeknight wasn’t obvious. The background music was Italian pop, running to Latin rhythms, but the TVs over the main bar and the general design didn’t seem to say “Italy” very often, or with much of an accent, despite the provincial emphasis of the menu.
Sagra | 400 Highland Avenue, Somerville | Open daily, 5 – 10 pm; late-night menu until 1 am | AE, MC, VI, DI | Full bar | No valet parking | Sidewalk-level access to some tables | 617.625.4200
Email the author
Robert Nadeau:RobtNadeau@aol.com
