Where to Fat Hen, an Italian restaurant in East Somerville, attached to La Brasa. The space was formerly that restaurant’s market and cafe. La Brasa chef Daniel Bojorquez and Fat Hen chef Michael Bergin both worked at Sel de la Terre and L’Espalier and are longtime friends.
What for Carbohydrates, refined (and more). Bergin has also worked at both Del Posto and A Voce in New York, and pasta is a specialty at Fat Hen, too.
The scene A glowing emerald shoebox of a restaurant, with exposed beams, wood booths, and marble tables. Sinatra plays in the background. It’s cozy, romantic, and warm (on a recent late-summer night, literally), with candles on the table and bitters and glassware stashed on one wall. There’s a little window in that wall, through which unseen people on the La Brasa side pass cocktails. A woman with a Marcel wave in her hair and a glamorous accent smiles winningly at her date over glasses of wine and antipasti; at another table, a guest wearing a “Feed the World’’ T-shirt inhales pasta with gusto.
What you’re eating Antipasti such as “Nanny’s stuffed mushrooms,’’ with chanterelles and Crescenza cheese; tramezzini, tiny pressed sandwiches of cheese, prosciutto, and fig; and lemony anchovies with white bean dip and gloriously crisp little crackers. Pasta dishes include tortellini in capon consomme, rigatoni with rabbit sausage and fava beans, and bucatini with cauliflower, chickpeas, and preserved lemon. For your main course, perhaps chicken al mattone with farro and fairytale eggplant, or Massachusetts Bay porgy with baby fennel and tomato-shishito acqua pazza? Dessert brings the likes of affogato and peach tart with tarragon gelato. The degustazione, which includes a selection from each course, is a steal at $45.
Care for a drink? Cocktails here are a delight, balancing bitter and sweet, from the L’Avventura (Amaro Meletti, Santa Maria Al Monte, citrus, mint, and nutmeg) to the Et Tu, Fruite? (Martini & Rossi bianco vermouth, anisette, strawberry, citrus, and thyme). Italian craft brews are on offer, and Italian bottles dominate a well-selected wine list, through which the highly knowledgeable staff is happy to steer you.
Overheard Talk of out-of-country travel, pasta obsession, and jazz. “This version isn’t Frank Sinatra,’’ a woman insists. “It is! It is Sinatra!’’ a man replies heatedly. “What’s happening with that window?’’ someone inquires of a staffer. “Is your house elf back there making the drinks?’’ “This is just like that place we ate . . . where were we?’’ a man asks his wife. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,’’ she replies lovingly. A staffer delivers a cocktail: “Et Tu, Fruite?’’ she announces. “Why yes I am,’’ replies the gentleman receiving the drink. “Me too,’’ she says with a laugh.
126 Broadway, Somerville, 617-764-1612, www.fathenboston.com
Devra First can be reached at dfirst@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @devrafirst.
