Italiano serio! Saza holds festive grand opening

MADISON — What is the difference between “serious” Italian food and most Italian food?

The difference is Saza’s renowned chef, Joe DiMaggio Jr., who has been said to “care about food like Michelangelo cared about painting”.

Indeed, many of Saza’s recipes can be called masterpieces, starting with Grandma’s Smashed Best Meatball pizza to Penne Ala Vodka, Chicken Scarpariello and Ultimate 10-layer Eggplant. Or if you prefer, there are more traditional dishes with Chef Joe’s artistic flair such as baked 4-cheese ravioli, chicken picatta or marsala, and veal parmesan.

And even more festive is the open kitchen, mezzanine dining and outdoor seating with an outdoor bar.

Saza Serious Italian officially celebrated the grand opening of their much-anticipated location at Town Madison this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Madison Chamber of Commerce.

While DiMaggio himself was unable to attend, Jeff Tharp, co-owner and general manager of the Madison location was there to cut the ribbon and introduce his partner, co-owner Mark Kitchens.

“We are so happy to be here in Madison,” Tharp said. “We have been welcomed with open arms by everyone from the ABC Board to the City Council to customers themselves.

“It has been an absolute pleasure opening this restaurant and we are looking forward to serving the community for many years to come.”

While Tharp said they were still working through staffing issues as many businesses are, they are “serious” about letting people know they are open and to let them know Saza’s will be opening for lunch “in a couple of weeks”, that is, before Feb. 1.

“We opened with a soft opening on Nov. 10, which gave us time to work out any kinks,” Tharp said. “We are getting busier and busier every day as people realize we are now open.”

Sazas is situated amid Town Madison’s new entertainment district across the street from Toyota Field. Customers 21 and older can purchase alcoholic beverages and carry them outdoors to drink within the designated boundaries of the district. So, now visitors to an event at Toyota Field can stroll across the street to Sazas for dinner or hit numerous other establishments within the area in a safe and controlled environment.

“One of the things we worked hard to change in Madison these last few years is that when someone wants to invest in our city, we work to make it as easy as possible for them to do that,” said Madison Mayor Paul Finley. “Part of Town Madison’s success is the City Council making things happen.

“I recently fielded several comments about how people wished there were more places to eat in Madison. I started naming off places to eat right here in Town Madison and the one name that got their attention was Saza Serious Italian because of their reputation in Montgomery.

“With activities year around like the holiday light show and Trash Pandas baseball coming this spring, there is always so much happening at Town Madison.”