NYCReview
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Saggio Restaurant
Included In
Saggio, an Italian spot in Washington Heights, is such a pleasant place to hang out that you’ll make excuses for the average food like a parent who argues that standardized tests scores aren’t an indication of their child’s intelligence. Sit down at a candlelit table in the small, dark dining room or covered backyard, and enjoy bread and big $10 glasses of Italian wine while the friendly servers tell you about the night’s specials. It doesn’t really matter what you order because you’ll have a very nice dinner, even if you don’t remember the food.
Saggio’s thing is handmade pasta. You can count on four or five usual suspects, and another four or five that rotate nightly. We’ll be the first to admit that there’s very little separating our favorite one, the squash and ricotta ravioli with glazed pumpkin seeds, and least favorite, the rigatoni with grandma’s slow-cooked ragu. The ragu could use a dose of salt and acid, and the raviolis are a bit overcooked, but the portions are big, the sauces are rich and filling, and you could get both for $33. As you can see, it’s very tempting to make excuses for the food here.
Food Rundown
Sauteed Calamari
Crostini
Ravioli
photo credit: Noah Devereaux