Phantom Gourmet: Sfizi In Boston's North End

BOSTON - Sfizi is a different kind of North End eatery. It's stylish, and social, and the specialty shares a name with the restaurant itself.

"Sfizi is an Italian name: when you're talking about tapas, when you're talking about small bites, when you're talking about cravings," explained owner Frank DePasquale. "The whole city and maybe the whole country is going into bites, which allows people to have different tastes and not spend too much money doing that."

Connect With Phantom: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

DePasquale is one New England's most successful and influential restaurateurs. He opened Sfizi on Richmond Street in the North End, just a few steps away from the Paul Revere House, right on the Freedom Trail. The food is dedicated to coastal towns throughout the Mediterranean. So there's Italian of course, but also Spanish, Portuguese, and Greek influence.

From pastas to pork chops, it's all prepared by Frank's longtime Executive Chef Gianni Caruso.

"This menu has 45 items, each and every one of them is a solid item," said Chef Gianni. "I would invite our guests to not to be shy, to try everything on the menu. They're definitely going to be pleased with it."

To start your Sfizi experience, you'll definitely want to dive into the Burrata, an ultra-creamy mozzarella cheese that's shipped in from Italy and served over a gratinee tomato with basil pesto. Check out the Ahi Tuna Crudo, boasting four oversized cubes of pristine seafood, with balsamic vinegar and pearl onions for a little extra pop.

Having a good arancini was the essential for the menu. It's a dish Frank and Gianni have perfected over the years. They're served in a sampler full of rice balls, salt cod fritters, and fried polenta.

"It's a Sicilian dish. It's a Sicilian bite. How can you have a good tapas restaurant without having a great little arancini?" Frank questioned.

For meat-eaters, Sfizi offers some outstanding meatballs, hand-rolled with a blend of veal, beef, pork, lamb, parmesan, and peccorino. There's a ridiculously tender beef tenderloin that's aged for 35 days, cooked perfectly juicy, then presented on some rustic bread with roasted potatoes on the side, and an indulgent foie gras mousse melting over the top. Speaking of "over the top", it's tough to find a bite more blissful than Sfizi's porchetta, featuring crispy pork belly in all its glory, served over some medallions of grilled polenta.

For a more familiar North End flavor, there's the handmade gnocchi Sorentina.

"Sorentina means from Sorento, Italy. And it means to have the mozzarella, tomato, and basil. And honestly I think that's the depth of the gnocchi," said Frank. "It's so great when you compliment those other little portions with it. It's something you will lick the dish."

If you're still hungry for more, the big ticket item at Sfizi is their authentic Spanish Paella for two.

"Chorizo, chicken, four or five different kinds of seafood, peppers, a lot of saffron rice," described Chef Gianni.

"As you look out the windows, you're looking at the old world North End. And if you look to the right, you're seeing all the skyscrapers and you're seeing the new Boston," Frank described. "Living in the North End has been a gift that the good lord gave me. I just love the neighborhood. I love the hospitality business. I love meeting people. I love seeing the smile on their faces. That's the joy of this business."

You can find Sfizi at 135 Richmond Street in Boston, and online at sfizitapas.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.