nosh

Sapori Italian Restaurant

Dining
Around
The D

Esther Allweiss
Ingber

Contributing Writer

A

fter an afternoon at
delightful Yates Cider
Mill in Rochester Hills,
some friends and I wanted an
early dinner out that way. One
guy from the area recommend-
ed Sapori, a few miles north
in Washington Township. This
Italian restaurant with Sicilian
roots hit the spot.
Sapori — Italian for “flavors”
— is a relaxed eatery with a
country feeling, including an
indoor tree. There’s patio seat-
ing in season.
This is the first restaurant for
Brian Maiorana, a marketing/
consulting professional. Frank

Sapori Italian

6067 26 Mile Road
Washington Township
(586) 786-4674
saporirestaurant.com
$$$ out of $$$$$

Poma is one business partner
and the other is Maiorana’s
immigrant cousin, Sapori Chef
Sal Monteleone. The chef ’s
Sicilian cooking is authentic
because the culinary arts school
graduate once owned a restau-
rant in Valderice, Sicily.
Maiorana said that Sicily, larg-
est island in the Mediterranean
Sea, historically was a cross-
roads for people from other
regions. The preferred spices
and cooking styles of Greeks,
Arabs and mainland Italians
influenced Sicilian cuisine.
“The addition of cinnamon
to our chicken broth for a slight

sweetness is a typically Sicilian
thing to do that you don’t ordi-
narily see in Italian cuisine,”
Maiorana said. Chicken broth
accompanies Sapori’s signature
pasta dish, Cassatelli, half-moon
ravioli stuffed with house-made
fresh ricotta cheese.
Nearly everything at Sapori is
made from scratch using sea-
sonal ingredients.
As befits a Sicilian-Italian res-
taurant, Maiorana said its fish
and seafood entrees are stand-
outs. Zuppa de Pesce, for exam-
ple, has sautéed sea scallops,
jumbo shrimp, mussels, clams,
fish and crushed red pepper in
a white wine Pomodoro sauce,
served with toasted crostini.
Another popular entrée is
Chargrilled Branzino — fresh
Mediterranean sea bass served
with Salmoriglio sauce and
Brussels sprouts. Steak, veal and
quail are also available.
“I was happy with my order
of Chicken & Artichoke,” said
our friend Kenn. It includes sun-
dried tomato, basil, pine nuts
and spinach in a cream sauce
over penne noodles.
Another friend and I shared
two salads. Peasant Salad

is boiled potato, red onion,
tomato, olive, green beans and
egg, tossed with homemade
balsamic vinaigrette. Even bet-
ter was the artistically arranged
Beet Salad: ground beets, Greek
yogurt, pecans and goat cheese
served on a bed of arugula. We
ate well for $10 each.
Sapori accommodated our
friend Daniel, who couldn’t find
anything to order because he
doesn’t eat meat, fowl or dairy.
Our waitress informed the chef
who “went out of his way to pro-
vide me with a very nice meal
that wasn’t on the menu,” said
Daniel. Summer squash, onions,
carrots, eggplant, olives were “all
drenched in a tomato sauce and
presented on a bed of risotto.”
Diana and Ferid both chose
Eggplant Parmesan. He liked the
texture better than she did, but
“the flavor was definitely good
and I ate every last morsel,” Diana
said.
Entrees come with bread bas-
ket and salad or soup. Get the
minestrone soup, made with veg-
etable broth.
Sapori is open daily, but not
till 4 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m.
Sundays. •

METRO DETROIT’S

LUXURY DINING
D E S T I N AT I O N

S I G N AT U R E M E N U S

ELITE SERVICE

EXTENSIVE AMENITIES

Begin Planning Today!

248.73.PRIME(77463)

46

October 19 • 2017

jn

1300610

