Al Hashemi has a wealth of experience in Italian cuisine. He ran the beloved Camerelli’s and Pomodori’s Italian restaurants in Tulsa for 16 years, as well as Mezza Mediterranean.
After a break that began in 2007, Hashemi was eager to return to the business he loves. “I tried to retire,” Hashemi says. His friend Robert Merrifield, who owns Polo Grill, lured him back. “He asked me if I would like to take over Tucci’s,” Hashemi says. “So here I am.”
A mural adorns the patio.
Michelle Pollard
Hashemi operated Tucci’s for several months before closing it last summer to transform the space. The newly opened restaurant Sapori — named after the Italian word for flavors — features a bright new dining room, the same popular street-front patio and a revamped menu lending a nod to Mediterranean cuisine.
The new menu includes many new dishes while also retaining some favorites from Hashemi’s past ventures.
Sapori features a street-front patio.
Michelle Pollard
“I’ll cook anything guests want from my old restaurants,” Hashemi says, adding he has made both Chicken Tequila and Seafood Puttanesca from Camerelli’s for guests, and features a dish from one of the restaurants every Thursday.
We enjoyed a family dinner on the patio on a recent spring evening, receiving a complimentary plate of bruschetta shortly after being seated.
Stuffed grape leaves in a saffron cream sauce.
Michelle Pollard
For our appetizers we started with the fritto “mister” (a play on Italian Fritto misto) a mixed plate of fried okra, shrimp and calamari with lemon aioli and marinara. The pieces were crispy, hot and perfect for sharing. Other appetizer options included the Caprese salad stack made with sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil leaves drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.
Meatballs consist of two medium-sized meatballs in marinara sauce with a balsamic drizzle. The Sapori salad, a mixed green salad with kalamata olives, parmesan and Tucci’s legendary lemonata dressing, was large enough to share amongst the five of us.
Grilled salmon with polenta and carrots.
Michelle Pollard
The rest of the menu is divided into three sections — carbs, meat and fish, and pizza — and includes four to seven offerings in each category. We ordered an assortment of dishes. The carbonara was not traditional but rather more like creamy alfredo. Other pasta dishes include saffron risotto with scallops, lamb ragu with rigatoni and seven-layer lasagna.
My husband and I shared pizza and lemonata salad on our first date at Tucci’s 20 years ago, and both were as good as I remembered. The Prosciutto Classic pizza was topped with a lot of cheese, strips of crisped prosciutto and a ball of creamy burrata that offered a fresh note.
Hashemi’s reinvention of Tucci’s pays homage to his Italian restaurant roots while inserting some Mediterranean ingredients such as saffron, yogurt and cucumber. Thanks to its inviting atmosphere, reasonably priced menu and hearty portion sizes, Sapori has established itself as a mainstay fixture in the neighborhood.
Beef medallions with mushrooms.
Michelle Pollard
“I’m here every lunch and dinner,” Hashemi says, adding that it’s a friends and family affair, not just a restaurant.
Fresh bread is sourced from Slate Sourdough bakery downtown. Hashemi hopes to feature ingredients from local growers, and a portion of Sapori’s proceeds go to a local nonprofit each month.
Sapori
1344 E. 15th St. • 918-582-3456
saporitulsa.com
11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m-2 p.m. and 4:30-10 p.m., Friday; 4:30-10 p.m., Saturday; 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday