Zugo’s Café: A Little Touch of Italy in Sierra Madre

Imagine a small café where you are treated like family and the people at the tables next to you are your neighbors; delicious aromas waft from the kitchen and there is laughter and music in the air. That’s what it’s like having a meal at Zugo’s Café.

Sherry Grossi who with her husband Cesare or Chez planned the restaurant “to evoke the feel of a little café anywhere in Italy.”

A lot of the recipes used in the restaurant are from Chez’ Italian mother, Palmira. “Our basic principle is we want to offer very great food, and reasonable prices, we make everything fresh, everything from scratch,” said Sherry. “Our menu is extensive but not huge because if it’s made fresh it can’t be 17 pages.”

So with my mouth watering I had dinner at Zugo’s with Sherry and Chez. With a glass of Malbec at hand I began my meal with the restaurant’s homemade artisan bread and olive oil and then tried the Risotto Cakes. Can I tell you a secret? I usually stay away from Risotto Cakes. For the most part I find them to be bland and starchy but Chez was so enthusiastic that I just had to give them a try. I’m glad I did because as the waiter said when he put them in front of me, “these are a little bit of heaven.” The cakes were spiked with white wine and plenty of cheese and they came with the most divine marinara sauce for dipping.

My companion started his meal with Calamari Fritti, lightly breaded and fried to a crispy crunch. These also were accompanied by the house-made marinara sauce. When I heard that the Bolognese sauce was Chez’ mother’s recipe and was made the old fashioned way with imported tomatoes, pork, beef, celery, carrots, onions and white wine simmered all day to a thick stew I knew that was for me.

But first I had a refreshing salad of spring greens, tomatoes and olives which is included in the price of the entrée. The Bolognese sauce was served over penne pasta and it was beyond good. The sauce was rich, thick and intense in flavor. Next time I will try Zugo’s lasagna which takes the Bolognese a step further when it marries it with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. Either way this is a true hearty meat sauce the likes of which you seldom see in restaurants. To enjoy a meat sauce this good you usually have to be lucky enough to have an Italian grandmother or know someone who does.

My companion enjoyed a plate of angel hair pasta studded with sautéed herb shrimp and dressed with tomatoes, garlic, wine and EVOO. Simple fresh ingredients because as Sherry says: “when you start out with good ingredients, you’re going to get good food.”

For dessert, which Sherry makes herself, we shared Tiramisu with real mascarpone cheese and a crème chocolate. The Tiramisu had substance to it, it wasn’t just lady fingers soaked to sogginess with espresso and slapped together with cream cheese. This had some finesse to it and was topped with real chocolate curls instead of just powdered cocoa. And the crème chocolate was a chocoholic’s dream. I just love the taste of baked chocolate it has a smoky essence to it that brings it from the sublime to the outrageous, couple that with cream and it brings it to just downright nirvana. Yes, I liked it that much.

Wonderful company, enjoyable food and a cozy atmosphere what more could you want in a meal?

Zugo’s Café is located at 74 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre. Their hours are Tuesday – Friday: 10:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday: 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. For more information call (626) 836-5700 or log onto www.zugoscafe.com.