Sushi Italiano
Home News Tribune 2009
Tastes of the world: Local restaurants mixing cuisines to create enticing dishes
Inside/outside is the game you can play when you order Alessio426’s unique sushi Italiano platters. You may think your eyes are playing tricks when the appearance of all the items said “Japanese sushi” but the taste is pure Italian antipasti.
“I don’t like raw fish,” said co-owner Fern Trabelsi, whose husband, Chef Jimmy Trabelsi, and their son created the sushi-style menu in response to her taste and that of others. All of the rolls use cooked ingredients and the ones with fish use imported Italian replacements, such as clams, fried calamari and smoked salmon.
“We use Arborio rice instead of sticky rice,” Trabelsi said. The Parma roll is a mini risotto dish, with mozzarella, roasted pepper, balsamic reduction with a prosciutto wrap masquerading as sushi.
The popular calamari roll offers fried calamari stuffed with a slightly spicy avocado puree, while the “Stoonad” roll wraps grilled zucchini around apple, gorgonzola, imported mascarpone and walnuts in a raspberry vinaigrette.
Chef Jimmy, who trained in Milan and previously worked as sous chef at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park and the New York Athletic Club, also offers a classic Northern and Southern Italian menu at Alessio426, with Sunday and Tuesday pasta night specials, Wednesday steak and salad night and Thursday prix fixe menus.
He experimented with an extensive variety of sushi Italiano, then narrowed the specialties down to a consistently popular half dozen or so. Party trays and takeout orders are frequent, but fans of sushi Italiano know they need to order ahead and allow sufficient time — each sushi roll is a tiny trompe d’oeil work of art in itself, and takes time to create.
Sushi Italiano 8.00
Spicy Calamari
Fried Calamari, stuffed spicy avocado
Parma Roll
Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Roasted Pepper
Tuna Piccantino
Fresh Tuna, green Olive, Caper, Spicy Cabbage
Affumicato
Smoked Salmon, Caper, Cucumber,
Cranberry horseradish
Stoonad roll
Grilled Zucchini, Apple, Gorgonzola, Walnuts
And Raspberry Vinaigrette
Vongole Roll
Clams, Spaghetti, Spicy Garlic, olive Oil and Caviar
