The earth didn’t rumble when a new Italian restaurant opened in Logan Square in mid-April. Saba Italian Kitchen & Bar barely said hello through the usual channels (Twitter, Instagram, etc) as it took over a corner spot on Milwaukee across from the Harding Tavern and De Noche Mexicana/Cafe con Leche and next to Red Star Liquors and the Walk In, the latest outpost joining the others in the growing mini empire belonging to homeboy Esam Hani and his One of a Kind Hospitality. It’s interesting to see a low-key but fairly seasoned restaurant group steer clear of the typical strategy most inflict on the city’s dwindling and desperate food media. That’s especially true given that Hani’s brought on a relative unknown in chef Mark Bestmann, a newcomer late of Boston enoteca Coppa prior to a brief stop on the line at Bad Hunter.
Pastas are a mixed bag. Tangles of tagliatelle are nicely al dente but oversauced in a creamy beef and pork ragout. Maltagliati, sheets of flat pasta made with wheat and farro flours, have a mouthfeel reminiscent of burlap, but the toasted farro and sherried mushroom ragout that tops them would be great with a more tender noodle. Meanwhile agnolotti filled with lemony mascarpone with fresh spring peas are soft, silky and altogether delicious, a thrilling taste of spring. The most striking bowl features spongy but dark, almost ash-colored gnocchi, their dough mixed with charred potato skins (a tribute to the peasant tradition of making flour from ash), producing a deeply smoky taste that contrasts well with glazed turnips and spring onion, mint, and parsley pesto.
2715 N. Milwaukee 773-697-9273 sabaitalian.com
