Sunday Sauce

New Jersey Style Italian

Sunday Sauce is a New Jersey-style Italian restaurant that opened in November in the Humboldt area of Portland. They’ve had good press saying nice things and using words like “elevated” and “inspired.” As a result, the joint is very popular. They don’t take reservations. I tried visiting a couple of months ago on a Sunday night but was told it would be a two-hour wait. I decided to return another time, but I really liked the low lighting, music, and overall vibe. The place smelled wonderful too, which added to the desire to return.

This time, I decided to be there on Sunday at 4 p.m. when they opened. We were able to get a table right away. Their bar is small, but they’ve chosen the right bottles. I gave our server a recipe. They had to substitute one ingredient, but the cocktail turned out nice and had a savvy presentation.

Of course, we ordered the Sunday Sauce, which is beef and pork braised in tomato sauce over rigatoni, with parm and parsley. We also ordered the Chicken Parm: chicken cutlet, sauce, and mutz.

We were tempted to order the Cheesy Garlic Bread because it seems almost a shame not to with pasta, but it’s $10 and only two or three pieces with a small dish of sauce to dip it in.

The Sunday Sauce is very nice and flavorful. The meat is alright. I would have preferred it to have some zing, but I understand that most places stick with mild flavors. One thing I do wish is that the temperature would have been hotter. It was just warm. The Chicken Parm was okay, but we both liked the Sunday Sauce better.

Sunday Sauce is a good restaurant and has a hip vibe that will appeal to some. But Gabbiano’s makes the experience feel more special. If I want home-style Italian, I’ll go to Gino’s. But there’s no doubt Sunday Sauce has found its audience.