An A for Effort at Assaggio – Boston

You can feed anything to a tourist. And the run-of-the-mill, dime-a-dozen, interchangeably unremarkable fare that characterizes most of North End hardly suggests otherwise. So when we planned Jenny’s bachelorette dinner at Assaggio, we weren’t expecting much. After all, the menu is agreeable, the prices are reasonable, and the slightly-off-Hanover location is to die for. With so much going for it already, Assaggio clearly didn’t need to try very hard.

But Assaggio did try. And they tried really hard. When I called to ask for a few bachelorette favors, my call was answered by the sweetest, most helpful people, including the manager herself. And after we got there, we were honored guests all the way, despite the full house.

The thing about planning is that every plan, no matter how well laid out, has its hazards. Sometimes you plan a surprise but the person bringing the surprise is late so you have to improvise. Sometimes you plan a cute Caprese but the person bringing the tomato has fed it steroids. Sure, it’s plump and juicy now, but those cute little circlets of mozzarella barely cover your gigantic red pinwheels. Good thing the plan B basil pulls it all together.

Planning is all about the details, sometimes it all comes down to how it looks. Whoever decided to present the sharp, bitter bits of Arugula, Endive, and Radicchio Salad as a beautifully chopped, festively arranged three-point trefoil clearly knew what they were doing. Even with non-descript vinaigrette, this one tasted almost as pretty as it looked.

I prefer vegetarian risotto with the simple savor of mushroom and the bittery sharp of parmesan, but if a seafood risotto were to convert me, the Risotto Al Pescatore would be it. Those plump grains of rice slid down smoothly in a dish that was simple and soupy. And all kinds of shellfish made for concoction that was all kinds of tasty.

At the end of the day, Assaggio is overall good and at worst just fine. The risotto was great, but the salads weren’t exactly standing out. But I won’t remember the food, I’ll remember how hard they worked for our food. I’ve tasted plenty of North End, but I’ve never sampled anything so sedulously sweet. Specifically, for example, when it was time for dessert, Assaggio could have easily made us buy theirs, but instead they encouraged us bring our own cake, which they cut and served at no extra cost.

At Assaggio, the food is good and the service is phenomenal. And when it comes to planning, I couldn’t have planned on a better place. Thanks in part to Assaggio’s grade-A efforts, Jenny’s night went without a hitch…the opposite of what will happen at her wedding.