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 Hope you're hungry. Because this might be the biggest and best plate of Chicken Parm we've ever seen. And the only place to get it is Sagra in Davis Square Somerville. But more on that in a minute, because at Sagra, there's plenty to taste before the entrees ever hit the table.
Opened about three years ago by former Cambridge Police Officer Rafael Beamud, Sagra is the best Italian restaurant you've never heard of. Where big portions of red sauce favorites are served at prices so low they ought to be illegal.
Every meal at Sagra starts with a big free basket of fresh baked bread, served warm, with olive oil and ricotta cheese for dipping. This stuff is the real deal, made from scratch, every day, every step of the way.
Rafael Beamud - Owner, Sagra: "It's homemade, the chef makes it right there everyday, and it's so delicious, people just love it."
The bread is like an appetizer unto itself. But you'd be crazy to pass on starters like Arancini with meat and mozzarella, Antipasto platters made for sharing, and the insanely delicious golden fried Croquettes. Stuffed with a mixture of milk, eggs, nutmeg, and cheese, their fluffy filling melts-in-your-mouth.
Rafael Beamud - Owner, Sagra: “It's kind of like eating heated up fried eclair. When you bite into it, it's crunchy on the outside and it's creamy in the inside."
Main Courses are the main attraction at Sagra, especially the potato Gnocchi, in a succulent duck ragu. It's made by hand, just like in the old country.
Rafael Beamud - Owner, Sagra: "From boiling the Idaho potatoes, to getting flour together, mixing it up, rolling it out, and cutting it, and bagging it, it's all made in our kitchen."
Sagra's Lasagna is a version like you've never seen before. The layers of pasta are extra thin, so the Lasagna stays together, and the flavor of the intense meat sauce shines through. Just like everything else on the menu, customers savor every last bite.
Rafael Beamud - Owner, Sagra: "You know my dishwasher has a very easy job. No scrapings, all he does is dip it in water and that's it, because there's not a lot of leftovers here."
But there is one dish nobody can finish; that enormous Chicken Parmesan.
Rafael Beamud - Owner, Sagra: "The only leftovers is from the Chicken Parm. It's so huge, they have to take half of it home… I mean when they see it, they go 'wow'. And you can tell right away, they're saying 'I'm never gonna eat all this.'"
Two giant chicken breasts weighing almost a pound are perfectly fried, impossibly juicy, smothered with melted mozzarella, and served with a mountain of Rigatoni. Believe it or not, it costs just fifteen bucks, but it tastes like a million.
Rafael Beamud - Owner, Sagra: "You'll never find a bigger better tasting Chicken Parm anywhere around here, not even in the North End, but here in Davis Square at Sagra."
And that's why it's a Phantom Gourmet Hidden Jewel.
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Review Date:
12/5/2009 |
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