Sassy Marie's serves spunky, spirited dishes
Sassy Marie's gets its name from two sources:
The "sass" comes from executive chef Richard Horn's penchant for kicking up the spice and flavor of the dishes he creates.
The Marie designation refers to Marie Devlin, great aunt of brother and sister co-owners Stephanie and Duke Britton, who might have been a bit sassy on her own. She's reputed to have owned a Prohibition-era speakeasy a few blocks away.
The North Side restaurant that opened early last year is generally referred as the spot "that used to be James Street Tavern," the restaurant and club known for live jazz and New Orleans cuisine. It closed its doors in 2004 after 18 years.
Sassy Marie's continues in a similar vein, although the music is not necessarily jazz, and the food, while offering some Cajun influence, also ventures into other American regional persuasions.
The decor still boasts its 1896 beginnings, with dark polished wood, exposed brick and glass tulip lampshades. While exuding a casual welcome, dining-room tables are dressed up for company in layered linens and set with gleaming glassware.
Live music is on the calendar every weekend from Thursday to Saturday with a variety of jazz and blues bands. The downstairs Speakeasy usually is the home for these dates. Those who enjoy a meal can avoid the $5 cover.
But that little persuasion to a meal is hardly necessary. Chef Horn's menu is all the attraction needed.
Appetizers attract with delicate delights and big, manly plates, depending on your preference.
Gourmet Kettle Chips ($8) could happily satisfy a table of four with a pile of crunchy Yukon Gold homemade potato chips stacked with Monterey jack cheese sauce, sprinkled with peppered bacon bits and crumbled blue cheese. Green onions and diced tomato add color.
The name Drunken Mushroom ($9) caught our attention. This dish is comprised of wild mushrooms cooked in brandy with chardonnay butter. Scoop it onto the sourdough cheese French toast, but save some of the bread for sopping up the rich juice.
A soft pretzel is the basis for the Twisted Crab ($10). The pretzel is sliced bagel-style and stuffed with lump crab. Melted jack and cheddar cheese is melted on top. Don't attempt this one alone, folks, unless you plan on skipping dinner and heading straight for dessert.
Tso Good Calamari ($9) really is. Corn-dusted and flash-fried, the calamari is served with broccoli and a delightfully sticky sweet and spicy Asian chili sauce.
Entrees include a salad with your choice of House, Traditional Caesar or Southwest Caesar dressing, which includes tortilla strips, jack and asiago cheese along with the chili-infused garlic-egg dressing.
My favorite is the Berry, Chevre & Pecan Salad ($7, $4 with entree). Fresh field greens tossed in a raspberry-balsamic vinaigrette are dotted with berries, creamy goat cheese, cranberry raisins and spiced pecans.
Entrees include a number of hand-cut steaks and chops, plus fresh fish and seafood prepared to order.
Steaks, for example, can be blue-cheese crusted, or prepared with sauteed wild mushrooms and demi-glace. Fish might be wasabi-citrus crusted with sesame ginger, or cedar plank roasted and glazed with honey bourbon.
It's up to you to mix and match.
Entrees requiring less brainpower include Blackberry Pork Tenderloin ($16). The juicy grilled center-cut filet is set upon a pool of rich blackberry Dijon demi-glace. Giant-sized Oregon blackberries complete the dish.
Chicken Medallions Roja ($17) offers a Southwest, Tex-Mex twist with Sassy's salsa roja, jack cheese and lime cilantro creme fraiche.
The Big Easy makes an appearance with the N'Awlins Pasta ($23). A tangle of wide fettuccini in a Mississippi Delta-inspired garlic cream sauce holds sea scallops, lump crab and sauteed shrimp. A sprinkle of dry jack and asiago cheese tops it off.
A 'Burgh tradition goes upscale with the house specialty Lobster Pierogies ($21). The tender dough is stuffed with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, lobster tail meat, cheddar cheese and roasted garlic. The sauce is flavored with caramelized onions, chardonnay and butter. Throughout, you'll find more chunks of lobster, peas and wild mushrooms.
Desserts are so pretty, Sassy Marie's offers a separate menu with color photos. All the better to tempt you, my dear.
Rustic Amaretto Peach Tart ($6, $8 for a la mode) centers on almond liqueur-laced peach slices backed in a sweet crust. The warm, out-of-the-oven tart is drizzled with white chocolate and caramel. A must with a scoop of ice cream.
Three layers of chocolate cake under a chocolate ganache glaze is the basis of the Gran Marnier Chocolate Truffle Torte ($5.50). The orange cognac syrup makes a perfect match.
Bourbon Caramel Bread Pudding ($5) is the lightest I've ever encountered. Often, bread puddings are so condensed and packed, it's impossible to go beyond two or three bites. Served in a martini glass, the vanilla custard-flavored bread pudding arrives at the table warm and dressed with caramel sauce and Chantilly creme.
The most unusual dessert is the colorful and texture-laden Crunchberry Cheesecake ($6). It begins with a strawberry cheesecake stirred through with strawberry puree, and placed upon bright red strawberry coulis. The kicker is the scattering of Cap'n Crunch cereal with vibrant Crunchberries.
What's the best word to describe it?
Sassy.
Ticket restaurant reviewers visit restaurants anonymously. They pay in full for all food, wines and services. Interviews are done only after meals and services have been appraised. Additional Information:
Sassy Marie's Bar and Restaurant
Cuisine: American regional chop house
Entree price range: $13-$28
Notes: Reservations accepted. Full bar available. Live jazz and blues music planned Friday and Saturday nights in the basement club, Speakeasy, with $5 cover, waived for diners. Live jazz Entrepreneurial Thursday music networking from 5:30-8 p.m. Late-night 'Appy Hour' offers half-price appetizers from 11 p.m. until close. Smoking permitted in bar area.
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. Dinner: 5-10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3-10 p.m. Sundays
Address: 422 Foreland St., North Side
Details: 412-246-0355 or www.sassymaries.com
