Gran Turismo

Most of us think we know Italian food. Spaghetti and meatballs, linguine in clam sauce, fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna, maybe the occasional pesto. And of course, that staple which we could not live without—pizza, pizza, and more pizza. But is that all Italian is cracked up to be? Of course not. That’s like saying the world of competitive sports consists of nothing but football, baseball and basketball. It may be what we see most often, but it is hardly all there is.

For the curious, Italian cuisine can be vast and complex, with so much more to offer than at first it seems. One highly regarded master of Italian cooking, Marcella Hazan, writes in her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, “Ask an Italian about Italian cooking and, depending on whom you approach, you will be told about Bolognese, Venetian, Roman, Milanese cooking or Tuscan, Piedmontese, Sicilian, Neapolitan.” To be sure, there are obvious assumptions one can make. Coastal regions, such as Liguria, are abundant with seafood, while inland regions make more use of domesticated animal products. Bologna, in the heart of central northern Italy, is famous for dishes that include meats like pancetta and Parma ham and favors the use of butter over olive oil. As you travel south, the dishes become spicier, until you reach Calabria and Sicily, where you might notice an Oriental influence in the cuisine.

So where does one go to sample such fine varieties? One local favorite is Serritella’s, which has been around for more than 30 years. It’s no stranger to veteran Sacramentans, but for the newly anointed and the Midtown crowd, the trek past Watt Avenue will prove rewarding.

Current owners Shawn Helwig and John Koukoulis, the restaurant’s fourth or so, have kept the menu largely the same since its genesis. They still serve peanut butter with their fresh made breadsticks, a favorite of original owners Dick and Jackie Valentino. The new owners have added their own touch, embellishing on the original menu with items such as saltimbocca (a dish of thin veal or sometimes chicken layered with prosciutto and then cooked with a mixture of white wine, butter and sage) and Red Devil linguine, a pasta dish with sautéed mushrooms, green onions and salami in a cream sauce with Romano cheese.

For the most part, the menu at Serritella’s represents a more southern style of cooking, specifically Neapolitan and Pugliese. But they also mix it up with dishes originating in other regions, such as Milanese osso buco and Roman saltimbocca. Like real Italian dining, the restaurant presents eating in courses: antipasti, which on their menu included fresh homemade meatballs and their original Serritella’s baked fries, with roasted garlic, Parmesan and marinara sauce; primi piatti, with such dishes as polenta Florentine and penne tossed with gorgonzola and pine nuts; secondi piatti included pork tenderloin and whiskey filet of beef, in addition to the osso buco and saltimbocca. There were also several salads to choose for the insalate course, and desserts for the dolci course.

While Serritella’s does get a fair share of deluxe dinner orders, meaning all four to five courses, we weren’t ready to go the nine yards on this meal. So we hopped on both a well-traveled and less-traveled route: a trio of pastas that included spaghetti, lasagna and ravioli—to test execution of the quotidian; and then the veal version of the saltimbocca, with polenta—to test the outcome of the extravagant.

The homemade pasta triumvirate was solid, with the meat lasagna the star—not too cheesy, with generous chunks of dry Italian sausage. The sauce for all three was unusually rich and tangy, with a hint of cinnamon, or some such Mediterranean spice (they wouldn’t say). The same sauce smothered an opaque, fluffy polenta loaf—which was a real pleasure to eat and a nice contrast to the rich saltimbocca. (Note, the “salt” in saltimbocca in Italian means to jump or leap into the mouth.) The sauce in the saltimbocca tasted rich with butter and wine, with more garlic flavor than sage. While the veal could have been a bit leaner and the prosciutto a tad less well done, the flavor was intense and wonderful. The dim lighting and the friendly, conscientious service was a perfect complement to the meal.

It’s not often that you come across originality coupled with simple childhood favorites and high-end, rich Italian cuisine, but Serritella’s seems to have a bit of it all. And while the breadth of the menu is certainly worth experimenting with, when I go back to Serritella’s, I will order the pizza. After all, what is life without the Monday night football of Italian cuisine, eh?