John Ingrassia has made a real mark in the music industry through his years as an executive with companies like Columbia Records and Sony/BMG, plus more than a decade with Vector Management. At Vector, he worked alongside local luminaries Ken Levitan and Howard Greenstone. While Ingrassia concentrated on the music business, Greenstone helped the company establish itself in the culinary world through Vector Eats — but John always had visions of opening a restaurant someday.
Now you’re likely to find Ingrassia wiping down tables at his latest venture, Ingrassia & Sons Italian Deli at 461 Humphreys St. in Wedgewood-Houston. His vision of the classic Italian American sandwich shop is inspired by the beloved eateries of his past — Leggio’s on Long Island, where he grew up, Di Bruno’s in Philadelphia, where he went tocollege, and Faicco’s in Manhattan, where he lived for 25 years.
“These were places that were fun and interactive the moment you walked in the door,” Ingrassia remembers. “The people behind the counter had big personalities and lots of East Coast attitude and were always happy to introduce you to Italian food and ingredients that you never tried before and weren’t available at supermarkets. And, of course, they cared deeply about the food they were serving.”
His cozy new deli at the corner of Martin and Humphreys streets opened a little more than a week ago with lines out the door, serving from 10:30 a.m. until they run out of bread. Fortunately, as they’ve gotten their feet under themselves, the closing time has crept out day by day. Currently, you’d better arrive before 4 p.m. if you want a sandwich, but future plans include staying open until 6 p.m. so that neighborhood residents can pick up a sandwich after work and/or some Italian groceries from the stocked shelves that occupy the middle area of the 25-seat restaurant.
Photo courtesy of Ingrassia
Manning the kitchen is a longtime industry pro named Jack Trooper, who happens to be Ingrassia’s godson. Trooper grew up in Nashville and has returned home after a culinary career that included stints at Eleven Madison Park and working for molecular gastronomy pioneer Wylie Dufresne. Another neat connection to Nashville is the fact that his family once owned Bobbie’s Dairy Dip for a period.
Trooper brings his considerable culinary talent to all aspects of the sandwich shop, especially in the development of two different signature varieties of bread that are the bases of a tight list of classic and new classic sandwiches.
The first bread is a remarkable focaccia that is light and airy inside, but also sturdy enough to hold up to hearty ingredients stacked high without crumbling under the load. The second bread is a crusty hero roll sprinkled with sesame seeds. While putting sesame seeds on a roll doesn’t seem impressive, Trooper has designed a bread that actually hangs on to the seeds instead of shedding them onto your table as soon as you pick up your hero. This allows them to actually contribute a lovely nutty flavor to sandwiches like what Ingrassia calls “The Holy Trinity of Parms” — chicken, eggplant and meatball. I sampled that Milanese-inspired chicken Parm and was impressed by the crispy fry on the chicken cutlet and thoughtful touches like adding a tomato jam, peppery arugula and shaved parmesan. Trooper shared cheffy touches I barely noticed, like an extra sprinkle of finishing salt and the fact that he blanched the black Tuscan dinosaur kale to preserve its bright green color before whipping it into pesto for the chicken Parm and other sandwiches.
Working for pros like Daniel Humm and Dufresne, the young chef learned about the importance of seasoning and balancing flavors and acidity — factors that show up in details like pickled red onions to complement the fattiness of the porchetta sandwich made with rough-chopped belly wrapped in pork loin that is braised in pork stock instead of being roasted, so it doesn’t dry out. The chef is also working on a shredded pork shoulder ragu to combine his home region with Ingrassia’s.
In addition to all that bread baking, the pastry pros at Ingrassia also created desserts like a New York-style cheesecake with a biscotti crust and lemon curd glaze as well as a delightful olive oil cake made using polenta that makes me think of the best sweet cornbread ever. I know, I know. Sweet cornbread is supposed to be blasphemy in the South, but when you call it dessert, I figure it’s fine.
Other sweet treats include a Del Posto-inspired tiramisu and a twice-baked pistachio croissant that reminded me of a more delicate version of cannoli. In addition to these grab-and-go desserts, the deli counter at Ingrassia & Sons offers hot and cold prepared foods for carryout, ranging from meatballs in sauce and fried chicken cutlets to salads, roasted red peppers, sauteed broccoli rabe and a transcendent caponata.
Street parking was surprisingly available during my visit; that’s especially the case if you visit during off hours. Ingrassia & Sons is already a fantastic lunch option in Wedgewood-Houston, and as they add breakfast, expand their offerings of imported Italian groceries and prepared foods and stay open a little later, this could easily be your anytime alternative for days you don’t feel like cooking but still want a special meal.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
Dining and Cooking