THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sagra

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Sagra Restaurant Review:

Underserved Davis Square denizens have been waiting for this space to amount to more than an urbanely handsome split-level watering hole for years now. Sauce didn’t cut the mustard; 400 Highland was a short-lived low point. But Sagra seems to be breaking the curse. Chef-owner Robert DiSimone---a protégé of local fave Marisa Iocco---has named his debut for the food festivals of Italy, and the menu is indeed mostly something to celebrate. Perhaps unlike his mentor, DiSimone isn’t out to change the way you perceive Italian cuisine, with fanciful ingredients in complex combinations; he means to remind you of its basic strengths---earthiness, heartiness, simplicity. Fried sausage-stuffed olives are destined to become a staple (if not an addiction) among cocktail swillers. Texturally, both pastas and pizzas show the sure touch of an Italo-expert; a juicy fleet of chops sails smoothly thanks to the high quality of the raw material. Service is all over the place (if only we meant that literally), but since the prices are staying put---entrées are mostly in the teens---so are we.