Sabatino's - Lido Shipyard Sausage Company

With only a handful of weeks left before summer is officially over, I felt it imperative to showcase a backyard BBQ favorite …sausage. Tucked away in a Newport Beach shipyard is Sabatino’s – Lido Shipyard Sausage Company. Peter Sabatino’s privately owned food factory is located next door to his restaurant where the family’s special sausage recipe, dating back to Sicily in 1864, and other food items are made fresh daily. The tubby tubes of encased meat are mixed with imported Sicilian goat’s milk cheese, various herbs and come in mild or spicy flavor.

As I left the comfort of my home in Laguna I contemplated the many dishes I wanted to try. Hungry and salivating, I walked past the outdoor hostess stand and dining patio into a lobby and storefront where a large refrigerated window display full of seafood, large coils of homemade sausage, fresh bell peppers stuffed with rice and sausage and other food items for take home beckoned.

Several of the pleasant staff greeted me and I was immediately seated. The bus boy quickly served me a small basket of French baguette slices and a delicious cup of complimentary soup. During these tough economic times I was pleased to discover Sabatino’s giving away a free cup of soup with my meal. My clam chowder was excellent - made with thick bacon pieces, tender bites of clams, dices of firm potatoes and oyster crackers. I may have enjoyed the chowder too quickly as the bus boy noticed me hastily gobbling up my soup and kindly offered another free cup (yes, I accepted)!

Grilled calamari steak limone is served piccata style with garlic, capers and fresh herbs, surrounded by lemon wedges and roasted red peppers. I am a seriously tough critic of properly prepared calamari (over-cooked, tough and rubbery calamari sucks) and my squid steaks were well prepared with a good balance of salty capers off-setting the tart lemon juice.

I rarely eat sandwiches but had to try the sausage sandwich at Sabatino’s. Peter and C’est Si Bon Bakery in Newport Beach have teamed up to create special baguettes made without yeast and very low in gluten with the end result a light, less filling bread. My Sicilian “low-fat” sausage sandwich over-flowed with fresh green peppers, onions and was served with a side of marinara sauce and a mixed green salad. One bite of the glistening, moist sausage sandwich filled my mouth with herbaceous flavors and sweet-salty cheese. I was satiated!

For my last attempt at a food coma I ordered the Pizza Sabatino – sauce and cheese pizza. With the addition of mushrooms, black olives, sausage and green peppers and made with fresh pizza dough this thin crust pie was mediocre at best. I must admit, my heart’s desire was won over by the fresh sausage, not a pizza pie.

Desserts at Sabatino’s are made fresh daily and include the “best Tiramisu around”, New York style cheesecake, cannolis and “After Dark in a Blanket” - homemade crepe stuffed with vanilla bean ice cream served with zabione crème, hot fudge and fresh strawberry sauce. After tasting many savory dishes my palate lacked the desire for sweets – my belly was full therefore I passed on dessert. Albeit, the After Dark in a Blanket teases my senses and sounds tantalizingly tempting!

My primary goal in dining at Sabatino’s was to try the homemade cheesy sausage. Fellow foodies don’t be mistaken the restaurant offers many more Italian food items from pastas, poultry, veal and seafood to a vegetarian menu. Wine and beer are available and should you decide to bring your own wine, there’s a $22 corkage fee.

Note: After my solo lunch I purchased one pound each of mild and spicy sausage and looked forward to the sights and lingering cheesy smell of grilling the fat tubes at home. After several minutes of cast iron grilling, I turned the sausages to grill the other side and noticed some crispy-chewy cheese chunks had oozed out of the meat casings and sizzled on the hot grill. As the goat cheese caramelized and hardened, I quickly picked off the crispy cheese cracklings and popped them into my mouth. The taste combo of moist and lean flavored sausage and Sicilian goat cheese was delectable!



Beer and Wine
Open daily for breakfast, lunch & dinner
Champagne brunch served Saturday & Sunday 8:30a.m. - 1:00p.m.

JETS Wipe Out CHARGERS!

Yep…thought that would get your attention! Actually, I refuse to discuss the game other than to say that the Chargers never showed up, nor did their coach. The outcome was especially hard on my hubby since he is a second generation season ticket holder dating back to 1961. In conclusion, regarding the Chargers all I can say is, “boo-who”!

On a much lighter note, I must share with you our wonderful tailgate party meal and do a review of our own food. My son always teases the hubby and me for our elaborate tailgate food, appetizers and wine…and rightfully so since in the past we have enjoyed the likes of grilled Australian leg of lamb, air-chilled organic whole roasted chickens, teriyaki organic Cornish game hens, New York steak salad, etc.

As tailgate meals go we decided the best playoff game meal should be more traditional so we opted for a special sausage sandwich with a freshly baked French baguette roll and all the accoutrement. Therefore, the ol’man made a special trip out to “Sabatino’s Sausage Company” a.k.a. “Lido Shipyard Sausage Company” in Newport Beach to purchase his prized sausages.

The Sabatino family is from Sicily and they have been making these delicious sausages since 1864. Their sausages are unique in that they are made daily and stuffed with a special goat milk cheese from Sicily and fresh herbs. You can purchase a sausage coil then cut it to order at home before grilling. That is a very fresh sausage my friends!

In my most humble of opinions, to call a sausage sandwich delicious, one must have equally tasty and prepared accompanying toppings. Therefore, we grilled green, orange and yellow bell peppers with sweet Maui onion, fresh garlic slivers and thinly sliced jalapenos, and also served sides of roma tomatoes, sauerkraut and Dijon mustard. As noted in the photo, the veggies were sautéed with a dab of butter which brought out their lovely sweetness but we decided to leave the tomatoes fresh and serve them along side the sauerkraut.
Hubby sliced up the fresh sausage roll into small enough pieces to fit within the wonderful crusty French bread (which, was also baked fresh that very morning!) and began grilling away. As the aromatic Sabatino’s sausages began to grill, you could see some of the cheese begin to ooze out of the casings of the succulent slices of yummy goodness. The cheese actually began to caramelize and turn crunchy on the grill (yes, I nibbled!).

For his special contribution to this hearty meal, our dear friend, John, chopped up a lovely fresh baby spinach salad (he even hand picked the spinach leaves that morning…what a great guy!) which included diced cherry tomatoes, candied pecans, red onion, green grapes, avocado, Craisins (dried cranberries and raisins), crumbled goat cheese and Jenny Craig Balsamic Dressing (advertisement, hey, they should really pay me for this one!). The salad was lively and full of luscious flavors. Thanks John!

For dessert we all enjoyed a grand slice of delectable Cherry Pie…what a way to end a tailgate. Although, I can not end this tailgate review showcasing the perfect sausage sandwich without telling you that with this meal we all shared some very nice wines together.

Our little group was in agreement that the 1999 Arajo Altagracia stood up extremely well to the sausage and jalapeno slices which were in the bell pepper medley leaving the 1995 Palmeyer Red Table wine as our second choice. The crispy, refreshing 2006 William Selyem Chardonnay was very nice with the spinach salad.

In addition to homemade sausages, Sabatino’s serves brunch and has a varied menu offering all the traditional Italian dishes with a touch of Sicily. They also offer vegetarian dishes for the non-carnivores out in blog land.

In any event, the Chargers may have played like chickens with their heads cut off but we decided our tailgate meal showcasing the Sabatino’s sausage sandwiches made their loss seem bearable. And the wine helped! Until next time.

Cheers!

Sabatino’s Sausage Company
251 Shipyard Way, Cabin D
Newport Beach, California 92663
(949) 723-0621
Open Daily and Catering Available