The simplest dishes — a pair of crudos ($ 14 ) — offer the least in representing the kitchen ’ s skills . Tuna is quickly seared and , while it holds up well to capers and oranges , each bite carries a slight char of cooking . Raw sliced scallops are paired with heady ingredients — chili , sunflower seeds , cilantro — but are too subtle to stand up to them . It ’ s anomalous in that entrees are saturated with piquancy and , the more detailed the preparation , the better the result .
Pastas layer base flavors and textures , eating almost like a stew . Green onion pesto pairs with tomato confit ($ 21 ), oxtail sausage ragu is cooled by quenelles of ricotta ($ 22 ) — all creating a tiered exploration of opposing forces . But it ’ s the meats that linger in the mind . Roast chicken ($ 28 ) arrives in Comme des Garcons fashion : half the bird with four petite carrots on a dark minimalist plate . Underneath the chicken , however , is a potato pancake that looks like a fruit rollup and tastes like a Hanukkah party . The meat itself carries so much flavor that it ’ s nearly impossible to conjure anything other than grandma — yours or someone else ’ s , whoever uses butter like a panacea . It ’ s the most startling dish in that it is a shapeshifter , both in the contrast between its appearance and its punch , as well as its ability to eclipse cultural boundaries . ( Does roast chicken have a culture , other than love ?). If anything is capable of eclipsing its glory , it ’ s the porchetta ($ 26 ) which is , fundamentally , Italy ’ s answer to comfort food . Brilliantly crisped on the outside , it sits on a pool of polenta with a few melting onions and a dash of salsa verde . Bright and earthy , it ’ s too agrestic for the old Sarto and adored here .
With its less formal presentation , the restaurant ’ s diners have softened as well . There are large groups and quiet couples , older neighbors and parents with kids .
The staff is young and readily leaves the diner in charge , stopping by to chat and make recommendations but rarely asserting proclamations stronger than , “ Oh , that ’ s my favorite .” If there ’ s a dominant personality afoot , it emanates from the bar which classifies its work as “ big and tall ” ( serious booze ) or “ slim fit ” ( for the lightweights ). Both approaches rely heavily on aromatics and herbs and , set down on display , it ’ s hard to pass up a bar stool and an evening that ends with an espresso old fashioned or a coffee spiked with amaretto .
In the end , dessert is the Dean Martin portion of the meal : all old school and then some . Limoncello cake ($ 9 ) with candied zest and curd is retro in the right ways , as is the brown butter cake with whipped ricotta and candied pistachios , all of which tastes like an ode to marzipan . Or there ’ s a variety of housemade gelato , sitting in wait for a shot of espresso or simply a spoon . Regardless of choice , an evening at Sarto is an easy one — quick to make its mark on a city that never tires of another interpretation of Italy , particularly when the reverence runs the gamut from grazing to Sunday dinner . �
110 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l OCTOBER 2022