I noticed a sign up in the Chatenay Shopping Center at S.W. 104th and Penn advertising this new restaurant. Any information out there on this new place?

http://www.spagoristorante.com/

Looks like same owners as Napoli in Chickasha:

http://www.napolisok.com/

I wonder if they will be hearing from Wolfgang Puck about their name

I wonder if they will be hearing from Wolfgang Puck about their name

That's what I was thinking..

I've eaten at the real Spago, and I was less than impressed.

That's what I was thinking..

I've eaten at the real Spago, and I was less than impressed.


I have as well and at Postrio. I would imagine that back when both premiered, they were a cut above, but after so many locations the quality and novelty had to have worn off.

I wonder if they will be hearing from Wolfgang Puck about their name

Good point . . . Maybe they should change the name to Sipango Restaurante.

I don't see how that should be an issue, since spago is a common italian slang for spaghetti. I hope we will finally get a decent italian restaurant in the area.

Noticed this restaurant has opened. Anyone been yet?

was wondering when they were going to open... i'll report back after trying it out! -M

I have my fingers crossed that it will be a nice addition to southside dining.

Wow, I normally keep tabs on stuff like this as its my general haunting area, but I missed this completely! And their menu has Veal Parmagiana! Time to save up my nickels and take the family out and give it a try here in the near future!

and their menu has veal parmagiana!

ok. that settles it. i'm going tonight. -M

//edit: where did you find a menu? haven't been able to track one down online.

ok. that settles it. i'm going tonight. -M

//edit: where did you find a menu? haven't been able to track one down online.

I just went to their website, there was a link buried in there somewhere, I promise!

There is already a post to Urbanspoon, sounded positive!

had the veal parm and tried their fried mozzarella and their meatballs.

mozzarella was pretty good. not special but pretty good.

the meatballs were great. the meat was ground nice and fine and was juicy. had just the right seasonings but i could have gone with a bit more flavor. don't get me wrong, they were great... but with just a bit more flavor they would've been over the top.

allow me to preface this next part... i love and i do mean love a good veal parm. i've had plenty of bad veal parm around town, even went to a place that seemed to pass a couple of pork cutlets off as veal. i've had tough. i've had tiny portions. i've been to plenty of places just to try the veal. i've had good and bad over the years and there aren't too many places that still serve it in the metro.

spago did a great job on their veal parm. granted, the meat was a bit tougher and slightly thicker than my preference but it was a decent cut of veal and with two nicely sized cutlets it was not a stingy portion. i don't want to sound negative here... i prefer what spago served any day over the places that serve breading with a tiny bit of meat. granted, i might have just gotten a tough piece. that happens. with that said, however, the seasoning, the breading and the sauce were spot on to my tastes. the sauce has a bit of sweetness to it, which i like, but it isn't crazy sweet as places like bella vista serve. overall, i loved it. i can't say that this is best veal parm i've ever eaten in my life but spago does a really good job. can't wait to try other menu items.

besides the food, the staff were friendly and courteous without being fake and syrupy. prices weren't dirt cheap but were still within reason... expect to pay what you would at any typical italian restaurant. since i got my order to go and ran over to the grocery store while they prepared it, i didn't get a great feel for the interior but what i did see was done up very nicely. for me, this will be a great place for takeout but it definitely seems to be a nice place to dine in as well. i'll definitely be back.

-M

Thanks for letting us know. That is in my neck of the woods and I can't wait to check it out.

Dang, I live near Northeast 122nd and this place is where? Dallas? OK, slight exaggeration and I actually was in Norman today but it's a little off of my beaten path. I visit my aunt every few years, (that's why I was in Norman) so maybe I will plan lunch there. My aunt will appreciate it. MMM, thanks for the tip.
C. T.

FWIW -- Spago means string or cord. Spaghetto is the diminutive, meaning little string or cord. Spaghetti is the plural of spaghetto, hence little strings or little cords.

Here's a FWIW review of Spago's based on our visit last Friday evening at approximately 7pm.

Spago's is a drastic departure from the big, themed chain restaurants - a small, dimly lit, almost intimate Italian restauarant that, despite its stripmall presence, provides a very pleasant and decidely non-chain environment.

My wife and I arrived to a pleasantly busy but not crowded Spago's just before 7pm. We were greeted and seated immediately, and noticed the crowd picking up steadily as time passed. While there was never a large crowd awaiting a table, it was clear that word-of-mouth advertising had made this opening a much-anticipated one. Our server promptly took our drink orders (which amounted only to water), and we passed on appetizers that generally fell in the $6 range. We were given a basket of complimentary garlic rolls with a small dish of oil and balsamic vinegar. The first basket of rolls were delicious; the second batch was overcooked.

The menu of entrees had a very nice variety of traditional Italian fare, such as lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs, each for $10. My prime interest was the Veal Parmagiana ($14), and my wife tried the Chicken Limone ($12). Salads are strictly a la carte items, and I opted to pass on the base house salad at $3. Our dinners were served promptly and piping hot; my dinner included a reasonable portion of spaghetti and three smaller veal cuts. The spaghetti and sauce were very enjoyable, although I did notice just a touch of water at the bottom of the plate that suggested the pasta needed a bit more draining time before it was served - a minor criticism. The veal was moderately breaded and good, although it might have been just slightly overcooked. Overall, despite the nitpicks, the entree was very good, and I'd be more than willing to try it again. One oddity - Spago's apparently has no fresh parmesan cheese grinders. When asked if I wanted parmesan on my dinner, the server brought over a bucket with a spoon and hand-sprinkled it, rather than fresh-grating it.

My wife's Chicken Limone was generously mixed with mushrooms (which I don't like, so I avoid them :) ), but the chicken itself was fork tender and very tasty. Each of us had enough leftovers for a to-go box.

We considered the Tiramisu for dessert, but we were satisfied enough to pass for this visit.

Our total for a rare "date night" out was $26 plus tax and tip, with the caveat that we only had water to drink, and had no salads, appetizers, or desserts.

We enjoyed our meal, enjoyed the opportunity for some quiet conversation, and definitely plan to return in the coming weeks. The criticisms offered here are minor, and do not prevent me from offering a Spago's an enthusiastic endorsement.

Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to try it out.

FWIW -- Spago means string or cord. Spaghetto is the diminutive, meaning little string or cord. Spaghetti is the plural of spaghetto, hence little strings or little cords.

Thank You! (no kidding)

As a pasta lover (and sometimes hobby cook) I think I've heard that "Linguini" means "little tongues" . . ?

What about the root meaning of some of the other terms that are casually tossed around in conversations such as this . . . "Fettucini" . . . "Taggliatelli" . . . "Fusilli" . . . "Ravioli" . . .

My first visit to ANY "Italian" Restaurant involves "spaghetti" . . .
I figure that if they can't do that right there is no point in trying anything they offer that is more "esoteric" . . .

Yup, linguine means little tongues, from lingua. Tagliatelle must come from from tagliare, meaning to cut, or tagliato, its past participle. I'm not sure. Fettuccine means little ribbons, from fettuccia (I had to look this one up. Never knew that.) Ravioli I don't know about. I looked it up, bit there seems to be some disagreement about its origin. And fusilli might come from an old or dialectic form of fucile, which means rifle in modern Italian. This makes sense, because fusilli is rifled, I think. One pasta I don't find particularly appealing because of its name is vermicelli, or little worms. Yuk. I'm no expert on Italian foods, but I think these answers are correct.

For ravioli, 'to wrap' works as well as anything I suppose.
http://www.willjogforfood.com/2011/10/food-fact-friday-ravioli.html

I know the people who own this restaurant, they are very kind and work hard to provide good food and good service. They also own Napoli's in Chicka... so far the business seems to be doing well and I hope they stay around for a long time. It's nice to see another restaurant open up in the Chatenay Square. Also, if you guys don't know the hours to this restaurant it's Tuesday-Thursday 11A-9P Friday-Saturday 11A-10P Sunday 11A-9P and Mondays are closed all day.

My Mom and I really enjoyed Spago. The pasta was cooked perfectly. Love the marinara. The garlic rolls were really good as well. They serve olive oil and balsamic, but it is served in a rather deep dish and as a result you really can't get any of the yummy balsamic goodness. However, the garlic rolls can stand on their own in terms of flavor.

SoonerDave, I noticed the cheese thing too. I thought it was weird that they served it out of the metal food service bin!

I was at Zios the other day and they have stopped with fresh grating as well. They now spoon it out of a dish. I overheard another server telling a customer that they got rid of the good stuff. And he was right, the Parm was stringy and plasticky.

Yup, linguine means little tongues, from lingua. Tagliatelle must come from from tagliare, meaning to cut, or tagliato, its past participle. I'm not sure. Fettuccine means little ribbons, from fettuccia (I had to look this one up. Never knew that.) Ravioli I don't know about. I looked it up, bit there seems to be some disagreement about its origin. And fusilli might come from an old or dialectic form of fucile, which means rifle in modern Italian. This makes sense, because fusilli is rifled, I think. One pasta I don't find particularly appealing because of its name is vermicelli, or little worms. Yuk. I'm no expert on Italian foods, but I think these answers are correct.

Vito, you're right on target on fusilli... Rifled. Rifle, as opposed to earlier musket, has spiral grooves down the barrel that bullet a spin, flying straighter. Thus fusilli is spiraled pasta, and exists in our language in such words as "fusillade". "Ravioli" for sure seems a tough one... let's just wrap that one up as confused etymology. "Vermicelli", yes, worms, at their peak point often wrigglin'. Then someone re-named them "Angel Hair pasta", and took away the fun of the sqigglin'. Though, vermicelli, cut fresh from the pasta machine, lets our mouth join with angels in transport to heaven.

Tried it, this everning. It was nice, very reasonably priced and I liked the garlic rolls. It wasn't the best italian food I ever tasted but it wasn't the worst. We like the house salads - they were large, fresh and tasty. The calimari was a bit undercooked but not bad. The restaurant was nearly empty when we got there but was filling up while we ate. A yahoo on a cell phone pretty much ruined the atmosphere because apparently, he couldn't manage to bring himself to eat without talking to someone. So we all got to listen to him make five inane telephone calls that pretty much put a stop to any conversation in the rest of the restaurant. I wish management had asked him to put away his cell phone or at least step outside to finish the call but they let it ride. Because of that, I probably won't be back. He changed a nice atmosphere to something more akin to a bus terminal.

Because of that, I probably won't be back. He changed a nice atmosphere to something more akin to a bus terminal.

PQ, I'd ask you give the owners a break. As the place is still new, I think they're trying to get their reputation established, and I'd bet they'd prefer at this point not to get in a huff over one clod customer right now. Once they're a bit more established, I bet they'd be more aggressive against a buffoon like that. Your experience was very much like mine, but we had no Clod Cellphone Dude, and we certainly plan to be back.

The same rules that should apply to misbehaving children in a restaurant like Spago--not McDonalds--should also apply to rude, clueless "adults" (specifically, in this case, the cellphoney). In fact, there should be a sign near the door--perhaps right next to the menu--that clearly states the policy (e.g. No Cell Phone Use at The Table).

On the other hand, perhaps they could set apart a room--sort of like a room for smokers--for all the idiots who can't just be in a place, in the moment, but need to feed their addiction to cellphones and whatever alternative virtual reality lies at the other end of the call.

In my opinion, slightly undercooked calimari is superior to overcooked calimari.

Tried it, this everning. It was nice, very reasonably priced and I liked the garlic rolls. It wasn't the best italian food I ever tasted but it wasn't the worst. We like the house salads - they were large, fresh and tasty. The calimari was a bit undercooked but not bad. The restaurant was nearly empty when we got there but was filling up while we ate. A yahoo on a cell phone pretty much ruined the atmosphere because apparently, he couldn't manage to bring himself to eat without talking to someone. So we all got to listen to him make five inane telephone calls that pretty much put a stop to any conversation in the rest of the restaurant. I wish management had asked him to put away his cell phone or at least step outside to finish the call but they let it ride. Because of that, I probably won't be back. He changed a nice atmosphere to something more akin to a bus terminal.

Why didn't you just ask him to stop? I've done that many times before, in movie theaters, restaurants, museums, etc. Might not get them to stop, but at least you have done what you can and they know they're being a**holes. Just go to the restroom, walk by his table and say "Dude, really? The whole place is listening and you're being rude." Or at the very least, mention to your server that this guy is annoying the whole restaurant and see what they can do. Yeah, mgmt didn't step up to the plate on that and they might not have even after asking, but that would at the very least let you know what their attitude towards that kind of thing is...

Bravo!!!! (on behalf of the dining public).
(no kidding!)

(Stay tuned for alternative responses, regarding, especially, whether the bumpkin would prefer the phone at the North End of the digestive canal or the South end. =)

I agree. Not sure that it is fair to say you won't return to the restaurant because of someone talking on their phone. If it were your waiter or waitress, that might be different. If I stopped patronizing places because of someone forcing me to listen to their phone conversations, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to leave home ever again.

No diner is forced to listen to someone else talking on their phone or listening to their phone conversations.

What do you suppose would happen if I pulled a Pall Mall out of my pocket and applied a match to it?

I think the same subliminal outrage at that sort of inconsiderate rudeness should be applied to other violators of the social contract regarding restaurant dining. For the non-cell phone users . . . in a social situation. Capice?

No diner is forced to listen to someone else talking on their phone or listening to their phone conversations.

What do you suppose would happen if I pulled a Pall Mall out of my pocket and applied a match to it?

I think the same subliminal outrage at that sort of inconsiderate rudeness should be applied to other violators of the social contract regarding restaurant dining. For the non-cell phone users . . . in a social situation. Capice?

Accords to the concept of sequestering cellphoners to separate quarters. Paraphrasing Marie Antoinette: "Let us stuff them with garlic bread."

Olive Garden is real good about stuffing warm breads and cold salads to throats of cellphoners. That, plus slim ration of Romano as Parmesan cheese, and a few churns of cracked pepper. Suffices to make for a cel-free environment.