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Boehlert porch in Southampton
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Owners Luigi and Robin Tagliasacchi say that Cappelletti Italian Restaurant in Sag Harbor is more than a restaurant, it’s a “yestaurant.”
“We made this place a “yestaurant,” Mr. Tagliasacchi said during a visit to the eatery last Thursday night. “As long as I have the product in the house, I’ll make it for you. It does set the restaurant apart.”
“We always say that we are a ‘yestaurant’” his wife and co-owner added. “It’s a very special way to stand out and our customers appreciate that.”
Mr. Tagliasacchi, who studied culinary technique in Parma, Italy, and trained under his father, has been in the restaurant business since he was 14. He and his wife have been East End restaurateurs together since 1993.
The couple opened Cappelletti’s on Noyac Road, which is technically in Noyac, in 2006. Since then, the aromatic smells and authentic tastes of homemade Italian food have ensured that customers keep coming back for their mouth-watering specialties.
Last week, Dining Out popped in for a visit to learn about the restaurant’s most popular dish, the signature item and chef’s favorite.
Most Popular: Tagliatelle and Shrimp; special entrée; $22.95
Signature: Veal Portofino; special entrée; $29
Chef’s Favorite: Sesame Encrusted Cod Teriyaki; special entrée; $24
Cappelletti, which is open seven days a week, serving “quirky” breakfast, plus lunch and dinner, offers an extensive array of regular menu items, including: focaccia and hero sandwiches, appetizers, salads, pizza, pasta, entrées, burgers and fries, and omelets and eggs. There is also gluten-free pizza and pasta for those with special dietary needs.
In addition, the restaurant offers a sizable variety of daily appetizer and entrée specials. Creating those new dishes is a regular activity for the husband-and-wife team, Ms. Tagliasacchi said.
“We sit down together and think of combinations, then we test-kitchen,” she reported. “We do it a fair amount of time. Right now we have been getting a lot of requests for shrimp dishes.”
The most popular of the specials right now, Ms. Tagliasacchi said, is the Tagliatelle and Shrimp. The colorful dish is made with homemade spinach-tagliatelle pasta and pan-sautéed shrimp tossed with mushrooms, roasted artichoke, and sun-dried tomatoes—for “just a little brightness,” Ms. Tagliasacchi said—and is served with a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.
“It’s one of the newest specials and it quickly rose to the top,” she said. “It’s hearty and light, with elements that everybody likes. The flavors marry together quite well.”
The signature dish, the Veal Portofino, is milk-fed veal (“There’s no better veal you can buy,” Mr. Tagliasacchi said.), lightly sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil, then prepared in a champagne/mushroom/brandy reduction with beef broth, a touch of cream, sage and rosemary. The dish is finished with shrimp, chef’s pick vegetables—right now it’s broccoli rabe and yellow squash—and garlic mashed potatoes.
“The meat and sea incorporate together exquisitely,” Mr. Tagliasacchi said simply. “It’s a lighter version of surf and turf.”
“The dish really speaks for itself,” his wife added.
After a bit of good-natured debate, the Tagliasacchis decided that the Sesame Encrusted Cod Teriyaki would be named the chef’s favorite dish.
For this dish, the cod is cooked a la minute, Mr. Tagliasacchi said, meaning that it is cooked to order. The key to the simple and fresh dish is that the sesame seeds are lightly toasted, he explained, “to add dimension and lightness to the dish—enough to intrigue you but not to weigh it down.” The special entrée is served with fresh vegetables, plus a choice of garlic mashed or roasted potatoes.
“He does such an amazing job on this dish,” Ms. Tagliasacchi said. “I could eat it for practically every meal every day.”
Cappelletti Italian Restaurant is located on Noyac Road in Noyac/Sag Harbor and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.
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