Vespaio

Vespaio Restaurant Review:

Perched on Grand Avenue right next to The Broad, this handsome, sprawling Italian restaurant from Agostino Sciandri (AGO) offers a variety of luxe settings. Tables or booths in the rather stately dining room are ideal for business meals, and suits, in fact, do dominate. Steep prices are in keeping with the expense account clientele, and though the Italian fare is respectable, it doesn’t approach the inventiveness of cutting-edge spots in the nearby Arts District. Fried calamari or margherita pizza is fine to share over a nice glass of Friuli from the 250-plus wine list. Wagyu sirloin (for two) is a safe choice, but rotisserie meats, which change daily, are more interesting; our savory porchetta was bathed in a light rosemary sauce, though accompanied by unremarkable roasted potatoes. Pasta is also perfunctory; pappardelle with wild boar ragù is merely pleasant. You might skip dessert, or opt for grappa; Sacher “cake” is heavy and leaden, and the vaguest hint of strawberry jam (in place of traditional apricot) doesn’t do it any favors. The best experience may be found for lunch or cocktails on the giant, airy front patio under honeycomb ceiling panels and tall open windows that overlook MOCA.