DINING; Classic Italian (With a Pinch of American)

By Stephanie Lyness- NY Times, December 26, 2004

PAZZO is a small Italian restaurant that opened on Route 1 in Westbrook a little less than two months ago. It has already been discovered: I haven't encountered a slow night yet.
(Don't make the mistake of thinking you can get away without a reservation on a weekend.)

A rush of business early on can be disastrous for a new place, but fortunately the word ''pazzo,'' which means ''crazy'' in Italian, doesn't extend to the ambience: Pazzo is working remarkably well for such a young restaurant.

It's easy to eat here. Unlike some restaurants, Pazzo doesn't demand much of you. The food is not too rich for everyday consumption and it remains interesting even after a few meals. The seating is comfortable enough and the waiters take care of you in a pleasant, low-key way.

I like the style of cooking, too. The chef, Mike Achille (lately of Gabrielle's in Centerbrook), describes his food as regional Italian mixed with a little contemporary Italian-American. At its best, it is delicate and understated. Serendipitously, the first thing I ate turned out to be one of Pazzo's best: an appetizer of poached asparagus garnished with a fried egg, sautéed morel mushrooms and white truffle oil. Asparagus, morels and white truffles make arguably one of the most heavenly combinations one can put on a plate and the warm egg yolk sauces it smoothly.

Achille's rigatoni Bolognese reminds me how much I like this classic. Veal and pork are cooked without browning so as not to develop a seared, caramelized taste, then stewed in milk to coax a mild, sweet flavor from the meat. Long cooking softens any harshness in the tomato -- this is not one of those intense, concentrated tomato sauces -- and nutmeg adds a flavor that is almost exotic.

Linguini con vongole is also delicious here. White wine, good olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes combine in a delicate sauce for tender clams; my dinner companion drank the leftover sauce from the bowl when the pasta was finished.

Sometimes the tastes are too subtle as in the veal spezzatino -- veal braised in white wine with mushrooms, tomato and peppers -- where I wanted more taste. (The dish was very good the next day when the leftovers had had time to develop flavor in my refrigerator.) Orecchiette with roast chicken and white beans was delicate to the point of bland.

Sometimes the balances are off. Goat cheese ravioli (well-cooked, not made in-house) sounds wonderful sauced with a lamb ragu and fresh tomato, but the ragu came across a little harsh and acidic. (Salt helped.)

In general, I found the entrees more uneven. Veal scaloppini was dry (and the sauce too sweet) as was the pork chop stuffed with cheese and sopressata. Monkfish was beautifully cooked but the sauce was vinegary. Grilled duck breast, on the other hand, was excellent, and a not-too-sweet fig compote -- a satisfying balance of sweet and tart -- was marvelous with the meat.

Cornish hen always sounds boring to me but served in a garlic, tomato, clam and chorizo broth it was one of the best dishes here.

The excellent crème brûlée is made in-house as is a ricotta cheesecake that is light and dry -- don't expect New York cheesecake. Individual linzer tortes and apple-almond tarts are made elsewhere; they're lovely as is the chocolate mousse cake. Pumpkin cheesecake is very heavy.

Pazzo ranges from ''Good'' to ''Very Good,'' but I'm rating it the latter in the expectation the kitchen is still ironing out things -- I'm banking on the ravioli with lamb, but what happened to the cruet of olive oil, beautifully scented with herbs the first few times I was there and almost flavorless the last time?

As of this writing, there is no liquor license, so you can bring a great bottle of wine; I am told the restaurant will have its license shortly.


ATMOSPHERE -- Casual, intimate, everyday dining.
NOISE LEVEL -- Moderate.
SERVICE -- Excellent; low-key and friendly.
RECOMMENDED DISHES -- Fried calamari, poached asparagus with morel mushrooms, grilled eggplant bruschetta, roasted beet salad, mango, prosciutto and gorgonzola salad, rigatoni Bolognese, linguini con le vongole, veal spezzatino, goat cheese ravioli with lamb ragu, pan-roasted Cornish hen, grilled rack and tenderloin of lamb, grilled duck breast, chocolate mousse cake, linzer torte, crème brûlée.
PRICE RANGE -- Appetizers: $5 to $10; pastas: $17 to $21; entrees: $21 to $25; desserts: $7.
CREDIT CARDS -- All major cards accepted.
HOURS -- Dinner: Tuesday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. until the place clears out; Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m.
RESERVATIONS -- Recommended.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY -- Good.
REVIEWED BY THE TIMES -- Dec. 26, 2004.
RATINGS -- Extraordinary, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fair, Poor. Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.

Click Here to Return to Reviews