Reviews

Palm Beach Post - Leslie Gray Streeter
...And we were pretty tickled by our meal at Sazio, an elegantly un-fancy Italian spot, where mounds of pasta are piled into simple white bowls. It was both filling and beautiful, as if by an italian grandmother with a degree in design. We commenced a divine carbfest at a table near the sidewalk - so much better to people-watch.

Palm Beach Post - Meghan Meyer
Sazio: (Sa'tzio) Adj 1. Extremely Satisfied 2. Satiated

The newest Italian restaurant on Atlantic Avenue fulfilled the prophecy of its name printed on the menu, when we stopped there for lunch for one afternoon.

Most tables are outside on a wide patio strung with Christmas lights and aerated by ceiling fans that create a breeze even on a stifling summer day. A few are inside the restaurant, its walls covered with brightly colored artwork for sale if you've got a a couple of hundred extra dollars to spend with your meal.

The hostess seated us promptly and quickly brought out refreshing glasses of ice water and iced tea.

Cheaper than it's Avenue brethren, Sazio's menu boasts several lunch-tailored sandwiches between $6.50 and $9. Eleven different pizzas come in small or large sizes priced accordingly.

I ordered a Ceasar salad, which the kitchen staff topped off with chicken at my request. The leafy greens were sprinkled with shredded Parmesan cheese, just enough dressing and homemade croutons. The chicken strips were blackened perfectly.

The whole concoction was served in an unusually shaped white bowl - standing on its base, it appeared to be tilted to one side. It so intrigued me that I found myself searching for it, to no avail, in Crate & Barrell long after lunch was over.

Our only gripe came from one co-worker who had looked forward to the roasted red peppers that were supposed to accompany her sandwich, according to the menu. But it was so good she decided not to complain.

USA TODAY - Rochelle Koff
The food is fun and mostly familiar fare with some standout choices. One of our favorites is an appetizer of escarole and beans - the greens sauteed with garlic, canelleini beans and red onions atop toasted ciabatta, with a touch of shaved Parmesan. We could eat two plates of this. We were also smitten with the daily soup special, a shrimp and roasted corn bisque. The chef adds roasted red peppers to the bisque, and the corn brings a touch of sweetness. We sopped up the last bit with a piece of the complimentary facaccia, drizzled with a feisty sauce of olive oil, garlic and sun dried tomatoes ... Pasta dishes are mostly traditional with dishes like lobster ravioli, linguine with clam sauce, penne Bolognese, stuffed eggplant and shrimp Parmigiana with linguine. The stuffed eggplant is good and hearty with the sliced lightly breaded eggplant topped with ricotta cheese, prosciutto and spinach, rolled and finished with mozzeralla and marinara, then served over linguine ... Grazing choices include a fine array of salads. Sazio goes beyond the usual suspects for its gourmet pizza, with lots of fresh veggies and combos like Pizza Pescatore with shrimp, calamari, mussels and baby clams.

Sun Sentinel - Judith Stocks
Sazio is an Italian oasis in the blocks-long upscale shopping area called the Walk. If you like the beloved Sazio on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, you’ll find this sister spinoff every bit as good, including the graceful staff.

There’s room for 50 inside, 75 more at covered outdoor tables. Eat al fresco and you wont suffer the typical parking lot doldrums since Sazio resides at the back of a courtyard centered by a gushing fountain. Inside, the feeling is sleek with a small wine bar and collection of the neo pop artist, Romero Britto.

The menu stays the same through lunch and dinner, (salads, sandwiches, wraps, pastas, and gourmet pizzas), with daily specials adding to the repertoire. Sauces are full flavored, fresh pastas are served gorgeously al dente, portions generous.

Your trusty olfactories catch the first of the aromatics crusty topped focaccia with drizzles of the house-blend olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, pecorino and basil to set it deliciously apart from the garlic rolls pack.

The stuffed Portobello ($10) is a winner with roasted red peppers, fresh spinach and gorgonzola in a heady, delicious Madeira wine sauce. I also like escarole and beans ($8.50), sautéed greens, roasted garlic, cannelloni beans and red onions with shaved parmesan, and bruschetta ($8.75).

Plenty of places give complimentary burschetta, so why even consider paying $8.75 here? Because once you see and taste it you’ll forget those that came before it. The neatly compacted flavor-packed tomato-based mixture mounted on good crisp bread has no messy excess juices. The piece de resistance? A topping of candylike balsamic glaze reduction.

A dozen salads provide a better than average selection - skirt steak with baby greens, roasted rep peppers, portobellos and gorgonzola in Dijon vinaigrette ($15); pecan crusted chicken with honey mustard drizzle ($14.25), and grilled or blackened mahi mahi ($14.50) with feta, napa cabbage, apples, tri-color peppers and toasted almonds in ginger soy vinaigrette.

Thin-crusted pizzas are fab, and even the small size an feed several. Try the Sazio ($12.50 and $17.50) with sundried tomatoes, red onions, grilled chicken, goat cheese, motz and tomato sauce, or pizza arugula ($13.50 and $19.50) topped with arugula (barely wilted from the heat of the pie), the kitchens lush tomato sauce, fresh motz, parmesan and shaved prosciutto.

When its on the menu, the grilled cross-hatch marked N.Y. strip ($28) is admirably cooked, arriving with sautéed onions and mushrooms, fresh vegetables, and terrific roasted new potatoes with crisp edges to balance creamy centers. Or, try the current seafood buzzword - arctic char - lovely and mild, like a cross between salmon and trout. A plate filling oven-finished fillet is $26 capped with a light oreganata topping and zig zags of chipotle mayo for design and flavor.

Pastas include rigatoni with broccoli rabe and sausage ($15.75) or lobster ravioli in shrimp sauce ($21.50). Or, try stuffed baked eggplant, $15.50, thin sliced eggplant gingerly breaded and fried, then rolled around ricotta, prosciutto and fresh spinach.

As for the ubiquitous tiramisu - if only everyone made it so good. At $7.50, it delivers reverberating coffee liquer, amaretto, espresso and mascarpone favors. Chocoholics should dive straight into a slice of big chocolate cake, (the name and size) for an $8 adventure into layers of chocolate cake, chocolate bits, decadent fudgy frosting and chocolate sauce. Or, indulge in bananas foster ($7.50).

Keep your eye on this 6-month-old spot. Better yet, let it enrapture your palate.