Assenzio: Sardinia in Alphabet City

At dinner right after Gambero Rosso tasting last week, I mentioned to Morton Hochstein, a New York wine writer, that I wished I could find a Sardinian restaurant in New York.  I said how much I loved the food I'd had last spring at Sardegna a Tavola, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris.  He said, "There is.  A good one."  And he was right.

Assenzio ("absynthe") is a modest-looking little place on East 4th St., between Avenues A and B.  Don't let its rather drab appearance keep you out; it's a wonderful place to taste the savory cuisine and wines of Sardinia without going all the way to the island that gave us Vermentino and Nieddera. 

My friend Julie and I decided to go there for a long Saturday lunch after Mort raved about it.  We liked it too, arriving at 1:30 and leaving three hours later.  We were the only people in the place, so we had the personable waiter all to ourselves--Filippo Careddu, a native Sard whose father grows grapes used by Sella & Mosca in their terrific Vermentino.  There were a lot of calls for reservations ("only parties of six or more") as we ate, so clearly they draw a big dinner crowd.  To be fair, it was a cold, gloomy Saturday afternoon.

So what about the food?  What about the wine?

Assenzio
205 East 4th St.
212-677-9466

Sardinian.  Distinctive, savory, recognizably Mediterranean but not clearly Italian.  This befits a people whose language linguists consider a separate language and not merely a dialect of Italian.  (Fortunately, I didn't have to resort to Sardinian to speak with Filippo.)

Julie had as a starter Zuppetta di Fregola Sarda e Vongole Veraci "Handmade Sardinian Fregola Pasta w/ Fresh Clams In a Spicy Tomato Broth" for $7.95.  The fregola pasta looks a little like couscous, which Filippo attributed to the closeness of Tunisia.  A rather spicy-hot but delicious course.

I had the Insalata di Finocchio e Arance di Sicilia "Thinly Sliced Fresh Fennel, Black Olives and Fresh Sicilian Oranges," also $7.95.  A refreshing and light salad in a very large portion.

JUlie's main course was the Carpaccio di Tonno "Thinly Sliced Smoked Tuna with Cannelini Beans, Capers, Fresh Oranges and Arugula" ($10.95).  Carpaccio is carpaccio, I guess.  She liked it but was really knocked out by the zuppetta.

I had a fantastically rich and satisfying Gnocchetti Sardi al Ragu' di Cinghiale "Traditional Sardinian Mini Dumplings In a Wild Boar Ragu" ($12.95).  This was worth going back for.  Rich, delicious, layers of flavor.

For dessert we shared a plate of Sardinian cheeses served with honey and a paper-thin pane carasau, which is the distinctive Sardinian bread. This was flavored with rosemary, a sure way to get me to devour it. 

Ah, the wine.  While Julie started with a glass of Vermentino (she liked), we shared a bottle of Vignaruja Cannonau 2004 (14% buzz factor).  At $42 it was marked up too much, but even so it was fine--rich and deep, a very good compliment to the food we ordered.  I thought it somewhat more interesting than the Cannonau "Le Bombarde" that we had a few weeks ago, greater depth and a longer finish.

By the way, according to Filippo, 3000 year old seeds found in Sardinia seem to indicate that cannonau was the precursor of garnacha, not the other way around, as we are often told.  Same with Bovale/Monica and one of the other big Spanish varieties.  (Forgive me, it's a senior moment.)

Before he left, Filippo brought us each two glasses of mirto liqueur on the house.  Another specialty of Sardinia.  We didn't turn him down.  We didn't want the experience to end.  It didn't for almost 24 hours; Julie emailed me on Sunday morning blaming the liqueur for a hangover.  (Oh, that's why I woke up feeling so...)

It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon--discovering new foods and wines and discussing everything under the sun with an intelligent, discerning friend. 

Price for two with tip:  $122. A real bargain by NYC standards, especially since I ate nothing the rest of that day but an orange and an oatmeal cookie.   

Assenzio accepts cash only.

Comments

[Fredric Koeppel]

This place is definitely on my list for the next time I'm in NYC. Congratulations on a great discovery.

[Terry Hughes]

Come on up, we'll all go together!