Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 22 OCTOBER 2018 CONTACT 175 North Ave., Wakefield, 781-486-3606, tonnorestaurant.com / E AT+ D R I N K / to start o the meal; homemade pastas are available in half and full portions; "secondi" courses of "pesce" and "carne" signature dishes; and decadent desserts. Grab a seat at the bar and sample some small plates with a glass of Italian wine or a signature cocktail, such as the tonno tartare, and the octopus, potato, and black olive salad. Or try some dishes from land, which include the meatballs and ricotta and the meat board with chicken liver mousse, pork pate, pro- sciutto, and taleggio, a semisoft Italian cheese. Tonno's Facebook page also features daily spe- cials. (For example, the day I am writing this piece, Tonno is featuring eggplant parmesan as the daily special starting at 4 p.m.) Italian seafood dishes such as cioppino, which is a rich sh stew, scallops la plancha (or grilled scallops, seared just right on the outside with sweet meat on the inside), and roasted cod orenganata are avorful and cooked to perfection, but perhaps the most popular seafood dish here is the grilled Tonno steak served with white beans. During the shing season, Caturano can be found out on his boat occasionally catching tuna himself o the shores of Gloucester. e seafood is so fresh because he often buys it back right o the dock and it goes straight to his kitchen. e pasta is another not-to-be-missed course as Tonno serves four pasta dishes just right; orecchiette with rabe and sausage, tagli- atelle Bolognese, done in a light fennel cream sauce, spaghetti fra diavolo, with shrimp, and bucatini alla cabonara. As mentioned earlier all pastas are house-made, and Caturano has mastered pasta making. Not to be outdone by the seafood menu, grilled steaks and chops are equally as avor- ful. e grilled ribeye is lightly seasoned—just enough avor to enhance the juicy meat without overwhelming the charred goodness. A simple side of rabe and roasted potatoes allows the steak to take center stage. Veal Mil- anese is a classic on the menu, as is the thick grilled pork chop. Classic Italian cocktails, a selection of craft beers, and a list of 150 wines that is focused on Italian varietals are on oer. Round out your evening with a "dolci," an Italian sweet such as tiramisu, cannoli, or biscotti. When asked "Why Wakeeld?" Caturano explains that he used to live in Saugus and loves the community and, well, the opportuni- ty presented itself to open a third restaurant. "We just want to be a neighborhood place serving really great food," he says. I can assure you that he has done just that. Clockwise, swordfish steak, octopus salad, and grilled bone-in pork chop PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN DEMELLO