Dining Review: Confident Classic dishes at Judd Grisanti's Trattoria

Photo by Nikki Boertman // Buy this photo

Lobster pizza, with bacon, tomato, spinach and chipotle aioli, at Judd Grisanti's Trattoria.

Through their restaurants, the Memphis Grisantis have reveled in their Italian heritage for decades. Last year, Judd Grisanti left the glamorous dining space he created at Spindini on South Main and returned to the scene of his youthful introduction to the family business, the site once known as Ronnie Grisanti & Sons.

His father's former restaurant on Poplar, west of Chickasaw Gardens, now is Judd Grisanti's Trattoria. As diners familiar with Grisanti finesse in the kitchen will expect, the classic Italian dishes being served here are confident and accomplished.

Photo by Nikki Boertman

The dining area at Judd Grisanti's Trattoria is low-key and traditional, with a glass-partitioned interior area.

Photo by Nikki Boertman

Lobster pizza, with bacon, tomato, spinach and chipotle aioli, at Judd Grisanti's Trattoria.

This new venture makes an excellent first impression, with hot crusty bread, flecked by roasted garlic cloves and served beside olive oil and pesto laced with red pepper flakes.

And as a starter, the toasted ravioli ($9), stuffed with expertly seasoned ground meat, is perfect. It arrives with a bowl of tomato gravy, an extraordinarily well-knit blend of the usual ingredients.

We also tried the beautifully presented Carpaccio di Manzo ($15), a very large mound of thinly sliced beef served with an arugula salad lightly tossed in truffle oil and a delicate mustard sauce.

Another shrewd combination of pleasing parts is the asparagus bisque. The rich cream base of the soup does not overwhelm the title green vegetable; morsels of lobster and thin slices of asparagus fill out the broth.

We ordered a dish called Tuscan Butter ($8), described on the menu as a fondue. Though it was tasty as a dip for the focaccia, it seemed a little lost in translation, an island of mascarpone and goat cheese in a moat of tomato sauce, rather than the other way around.

"Masculine" is the word that comes to mind when I think about the entrées we ordered at Judd Grisanti's. And not just because the servings were huge. The tuna puttanesca ($24) surprised me when it arrived in a dense and blended tomato sauce. Large chunks of seared tuna had been thoroughly immersed in red sauce, and there were hefty additions of mushrooms and olives. Maybe my expectations were informed by some nouvelle, er, nuovo version of the dish, but I envisioned tuna on the side and chopped fresh tomato with puttanesca. Still, Judd Grisanti's interpretation surely suits the dish's title, which derives from the Italian word for prostitute, signifying a sauce that is bold.

The Vittello al Saltimbocca ($28), which was also on the Spindini menu, makes the same muscular impression. The veal medallions were substantial, topped with a firm layer of prosciutto -- a source of the salty flavor -- and another layer of mozzarella, with mushrooms and spinach piled on.

Truly, at my house, either of these two dishes would have made a meal for three.

We ended as we began, on a traditional Italian note, with cannoli and tiramisu that were impeccable.

My favorite meal at Judd Grisanti's was the pizza we had on a Monday night, when a bottle of wine at the bar is half price. We had the "Pisano," pepperoni and spicy, nicely browned sausage with thick salty olives and mushrooms on a crust that was crisp and medium-thin. The Allegrini Valpolicella, $20 on Mondays, with its cheerful cherry nose, was perfect with pizza.

The restaurant's interior is a work in progress, with new furnishings and booths still expected. The dining rooms are pleasantly low-key and traditional, with chummy booths on one wall and a cozy interior area defined by a glass-topped partition.

--Peggy Burch: 529-2392

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Judd Grisanti's Trattoria

Food:

Service:

Atmosphere:

Address: 2855 Poplar

Telephone: (901) 552-3050

Hours: Monday through Saturday, 5 p.m. until.

Reviewer's choices: Toasted ravioli ($9); Asparagus bisque ($5.50, cup); Pisano Pizza ($16.40); Vittello al Saltimbocca ($28); Cannoli ($6.50)

Alcohol: Full bar

STAR RATINGS

Poor: Zero stars

Good: One star

Very Good: Two stars

Excellent: Three stars

Extraordinary: Four stars

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