This Italian restaurant faces Freeport’s main drag and a seat on the patio offers a full course of people-watching. Unfortunately, it was a little too chilly to sit outside when Chef Boyfriend, Winter and I arrived for dinner.
Inside you’ll find a simple, but classy restaurant. Colors are cool shades of white and a very dark lilac with a light-colored hardwood flooring and dark colored wooden tables. Across the floor is a small bar that seats five to six. Just a few photos adorn the walls and the floor-to-ceiling windows allow plenty of sunlight to spill through.
Organized in five sections, the menu has just enough selection without overwhelming you with entree choices. Order zuppa (soups), antipasto (appetizers), insalante (salads), entrees (meat and potatoes or polenta meals) and classic Italian entrees (pasta meals). Plus, there is always a chef’s special, which Chef Boyfriend ordered. The special was a dish of seared scallops, fiddleheads and roasted red peppers over linguini with a white wine and garlic sauce.
Caught between the beef tenderloin balsamico (grilled beef tenderloin from Wolfe’s Neck Farm topped with a roasted garlic balsamic glaze, served with grilled asparagus and basil parmesan polenta) and the Mediterranean grilled shrimp (with grilled asparagus, pomodora fresca and basil parmesan polenta), I opted for the seafood because I wanted to know what pomodora fresca tasted like. Plus it was only $19.95, 10 bucks cheaper than the beef.
We ordered the mussels solamente ($8.50) for an appetizer. It was, hands down, the best plate of mussels I’ve ever had. Cast-iron roasted with apple wood and thyme sprig, the mussels were full-flavored, especially when dipped in the drawn butter. Winter begged for the last couple and I agreed. Although, I almost cancelled my order to exchange it for a few more plates of mussels.
Zeus, our server, had impeccable timing. She brought our salads just after we’d finished the mussels and cleansed our palates for the next round. The insalata mescolare (mixed baby greens, carmelized pistachios, Bermuda onion and gorgonzola with grilled strawberry balsamic vinaigrette) was a surprising blend of sweet flavors. It was like a dessert. A tasty, glorious dessert.
After finishing our salads, I watched the dining room fill up rather suddenly. We had come in for an early dinner and I was glad we’d done so. The place seats around 40 people downstairs, 80 outside and I’m not sure how many upstairs. It seemed like a matter of minutes before the downstairs dining room was full.
The crowd never phased Zeus, who was reading my mind when it came to anything I wanted. Turns out I wanted Zeus’ pomegranate martini, which she modified since I didn’t want the grapefruit flavored liquor.
The plate placed before me was a work of art. Asparagus was lined up over polenta triangles. The shrimp and garnish were lined horizontally over the asparagus, creating a perpendicular arrangement with cherry tomatoes — that’s the pomodora fresca part I was so curious about — spilling around the bottom of the shrimp. I wasn’t sure if I should photograph it or eat it.
Our meals were perfectly portioned — just enough to fill you up without loosening the belt buckle and not so much you have to take it home for later. And they tasted as wonderful as they appeared. Winter, known to drink from the ketchup bottle, refused her favorite condiment noting that the fries and chicken tenders were so good they didn’t need it. Excuse me Azure, but what did you do with my child?
Chef Boyfriend’s and my meals were equally as good. His was so tasty I played the old hey-look-at-that while I quickly snuck fiddleheads from his plate to my mouth. The shrimp and asparagus were grilled and flavored perfectly, and that pomodora whatsy-call-it complimented both.
Like good consumers, we didn’t leave without ordering dessert. Chef boyfriend opted for a port wine, I asked for another martini and Winter tried the tiramisu. After one bite she gave Azure a rating of five thumbs up. While I’m not sure what that means, by the chocolate grin on her face I assume she loved the restaurant as much as we did.
— Amy Martin