I just returned from Assenzio, a Sardinian restaurant that I first visited about a month ago. This time 
I took along Ken and two friends of ours. Verdict: sensational. The polenta was fabulous, as were the wild boar and the suckling pig. 
Ken had white wine by the glass, raved about the trebbiano. Joe and I shared a bottle of Cannonau (Firmadu, 2003), which was a bit harsher than the Vignaruja that I had last time--but it paired beautifully with our rich and savory suine dishes. (I've always wanted to use the word suine in a sentence of my own composition.)
Anyway, this is a restaurant that deserves to be better known for its delicious, savory food. As I said on March 27 (click on March archive for full review) it's not instantly recognizable as "Italian," but Mediterranean. The service today was a bit spotty--they seemed to be breaking in a new waiter who didn't know the menu and kept forgetting things--but an efficient young Italian guy came in with the carasau and made it all work out.
By the way, the desserts were great too. No free mirto liqueur today, but I did have it poured over a fine vanilla gelato.
And I did have my celebrity sighting for the day: Rob Corddy of the Daily Show was baldly, smilingly striding around with a group of sweatered and trousered women who looked like out-of-town relatives. Love that Boston boy Rob.
Assenzio
205 E 4th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 677-9466
Located between Avenues A and B in the Lower East Side. Cash only.
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