Chiazza Trattoria
308 County Road
Barrington
by Bob Mariani
In Italian, the word "Chiazza" means "splash," which pretty much describes what this new restaurant of the same name has opened with in the Barrington area. What was formerly a Ross Simons jewelry store in a County Road shopping plaza has been transformed into a smart new "American/Italian" style trattoria with a wide open floor plan, soft friendly colors and lighting, a wood grill oven, and a streamlined open kitchen. On a Monday night, by 7pm the place was nearly full with a mixture of couples and families.
Chiazza’s user-friendly menu has a list of familiar antipasti such as Bruschetta al Pomodor e Basilico-- wood-fired chabatta bread topped with chunks of tomato, basil and garlic and virgin olive oil; a Shrimp Spidini; Crab Cakes Chiazza-- stuffed eggplant with prosciutto, provolone, spiced olives …etc.; Little Neck Zuppa; and of course, Fried Calamari. I began with their thinly sliced Carpaccio. The raw beef was so tender it almost seemed to melt on my fork—before I even got it into my mouth. It was drizzled with lemon aioli and garnished with shaved parmigiano cheese and caper berries. Perhaps the only thing that could have improved its formy taste would have been a trickle of truffle oil. Starters at Chiazza average about $6 to $12.
There are several thin crusted antipasto pizzas prepared in the wood-fired brick oven, with toppings like portabella mushrooms and caramelized onions; grilled eggplant and artichoke; fig and prosciutto; and spicy shrimp. Prices are in the $8 to $12 range.
Chiazza’s Prima Piatti selection includes items like Lobster Ravioli in a cream sauce; Chicken Breast sautéed with portabella mushrooms, tomatoes, scallions and garlic with a white demi-glace over penne pasta; Italian Sausage sautéed with broccoli rabe on orecchietta pasta; a Fettuccini Carbonara and a Seafood Fra Diavolo with linguine. Prices range from about $16 to $23.
The list of Second Piatti entrées includes a Veal Scaloppini in a Marsala demiglaze over parmesan polenta; Veal Saltimbocca; a grilled New York Sirloin Steak with an aged balsamic vinegar glaze and Béarnaise sauce; grilled rack of rosemary-marinated Lamb with a sweet apple jalapeno chutney and mint; grilled Salmon filet; baked Haddock with fresh tomato sauce and a lightly seasoned crumb topping; grilled or marinated Swordfish; and honey balsamic glazed Chicken with an eggplant coponata crumb topping.
There were so many appealing sounding dishes here that in hindsight, I wish I’d ordered something besides the evening special, which was a filet of sole in a mild batter mix over sautéed zucchini. The sole had been cooked until it had become a sort of paste that covered the vegetables and lost most of its substance. A side order of perfectly cooked angel hair pasta in a nice spicy red sauce gave me the flavor boost that the sole seemed to lack.
The dessert menu offered a fruit cobbler with apples, strawberries and blueberries on a sweet biscuit, topped with house made vanilla gelato; a flourless chocolate torte with a pistachio crème anglaise; Tiramisu; cannoli; or a selection of gelatos and sorbets. Again, I chose an evening’s special, a very rich and chocolate-y "pyramid" filled with Grenache—enough chocolate to satisfy your urge for quite a while.
Chiazza is open for dinner and lunch every day. There’s free parking in the plaza lot and reservations are accepted at 247-0303.
Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Table for Two" restaurant reviews found here, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com.
