Loosely translated, Sassi means “rock” in Italian, a fact that may give diners at the Mt. Prospect restaurant pause for reflection. What’s the connection?
Well, the stone walls, featuring cascading waterfalls, plants and fountains, are just one of the ways the eatery attempts to evoke a Northern Italian atmosphere, according to Jeff Sharko, who co-manages the restaurant with his brother-in-law, Thomas Gorski.
There are also brick walls, hardwood floors and tables topped with green tablecloths on the restaurant’s seven levels, which can seat 350 people. Not only is there a wide selection of lunches and dinners available, but diners can choose from a full menu of ambience-from a relatively quiet, cellared bistro to a boisterous dining hall.
And almost any sort of attire is suitable. “We want people to be comfortable here. We’ve had people come in here in suits all the way to shorts,” Sharko said.
The decor aside, the restaurant’s most obvious tie to sunny Italy is the cuisine. Homemade pasta dishes, including spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, manicotti and linguini, range in price from $7.95 to $9.95. There are also soups and salads, including a hot and cold antipasto that’s $4.50.
Fresh fish offerings include snapper, halibut, salmon, calamari and mussels; they’re priced at $11.95 to $16.95. An assortment of meat entrees fills out the menu. Desserts include Italian favorites such as cannoli, spumoni and tiramisu.
Sharko said the menu, established 3 1/2 years ago when Sassi opened, has undergone no major changes since the restaurant was purchased in January by George Sharko, Jeff’s father. And the food is still just as Italian as ever, though the Sharkos have a Lithuanian lineage.
The ownership change brought the Sharko family’s restaurant holdings to a total of four: Sharko’s in Villa Park, Sharko’s in Lisle, and Sharko’s West in Chicago.
Sassi also maintains a live entertainment schedule that includes a strolling accordion player on Tuesday nights and bands that feature ’70s music to Top 40 every Friday and Saturday night, Sharko said.
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Sassi, at 700 N. River Rd. in Mt. Prospect, is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Phone 708-390-0303.
