Tony Camilleri has transformed Toro Loco into Sugo Trattoria.

Baked gnocchi with tomato passata, fresh mozzerella, and basil at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

The savory aroma of sauce cooking greets guests the moment they enter the Italian restaurant at the corner of Farmington Avenue and Brickyard Road, making it difficult to recall that just a few weeks ago the menu was Mexican and Spanish.

Tony Camilleri is still pursuing a Mexican concept in West Hartford – and plans to expand that brand – but made the decision to get back to the Italian roots he grew up with, and honed during his years working with Billy Grant at Bricco, with the transformation of Toro Loco at 1274 Farmington Avenue in Farmington into Sugo Trattoria.

Arancini – crispy saffron rice balls stuffed with green peas, asiago and fontina cheese. Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

“We have the Toro Mexican Street Food, and I love the way that works for the size of it,” Camilleri said. The food is fresh, 100% gluten-free, and not too complicated to prepare in the petite kitchen at 22 Raymond Road in West Hartford, where the eatery does a robust eat-in and take-out business. “Looking at the company as a whole, that’s the direction of the Mexican concept we want to go with,” he said. He and his partners with Toro Restaurant Group plan to grow the Toro Mexican Street Food brand, but he’s always been drawn to Italian cooking.

He believes a restaurant like Sugo Trattoria fills a niche in the area. “There’s no real Italian out here in Farmington,” Camilleri said, noting that when Cugino’s closed permanently about a year ago, it left a void. “When we put Toro Loco here it was to fill a void, and I want to keep trying new things.”

Mural by Ben Keller on the side of Sugo Trattoria, 1274 Farmington Ave., Farmington. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The decor of the restaurant’s interior has been transformed with new booths as well as renovation of the 50-seat bar area. Outside, a striking mural by artist Ben Keller – who painted the sugar skull mural on the Toro Mexican Street Food space in West Hartford – features the staples of Italian cuisine (tomatoes, basil, pasta, wine) along with an image of Italian actress Sophia Loren.

The restaurant is named for “sugo” which is a fresh and simple southern Italian tomato sauce made with just a few ingredients – tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and garlic. Sugo is one of several sauces at the core of many of the dishes Camilleri is featuring on the menu.

Sugo pacheri tomato basil with evoo and parmesan at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

“I’m just trying to do some good Italian food, and do it well. Along with really good service,” he said. Many of the employees from Toro Loco remain, along with a few new staff members.

The pastas are fresh and hand cut, Camilleri said, noting that the fettuccine with roasted mushroom ragu is a must-try dish, as is the the Bolognese pappardelle (with the option of a “Sunday gravy” addition of sausage and meatballs) and on the “primo” section of the menu he recommended the baked gnocchi which is prepared in a lightly cooked tomato passata with fresh mozzarella and basil.

Sugo Trattoria’s menu will be seasonally inspired, he said, and with the arrival of autumn you’ll find dishes like cavatelli with braised oxtail as well as polpo (braised octopus in tomato stew with potatoes and olives).

Fresh bread with garlic to spread at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit; Ronni Newton

Bread comes to the table with roasted garlic cloves ready to spread, or you can opt for the rustic garlic bread with whipped ricotta parmesan, fresh mozzarella, and extra virgin oil – plus lots of garlic, of course. Other classic Italian starters include bruschetta, calamari frito, and a meat and cheese board.

A variety of salads include classic Caesar, an arugula salad with dried figs, shaved grano padano, and pine nuts, and a roasted beet salad with warm goat cheese, crostini, and arugula in a pistachio pesto. Any of the salads can become a full entree with the addition of chicken, shrimp, salmon, meatballs, or burrata.

Arugula salad with dried figs, shaved grano padano, and pine nuts at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Pastas range from spaghetti and meatballs or spaghetti sugo to lobster tagliatelle – and any can be served in a garlic bread “barca” or made with gluten free pasta.

Main dishes include chicken parmesan, chicken Milanese, salmon, a shrimp risotto with butternut squash and corn, and a ribeye served with gold potatoes and broccoli rabe.

Chicken Milanese at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Prices are moderate with most starters priced from $8-$14, salads from $9-$12, pastas from $19-$27, and other than the ribeye ($39) and an acqua pazza (shrimp, mussels and clams in a Calabrian chili-tomato broth for $36), entrees from $23-$28.

Italian house wines as well as red and white sangrias (available by the carafe) pair well with the food, and the craft cocktails also include some Italian twists such as a limoncello martini and a Calabrian dirty martini.

Bombolini are Italian doughnuts with a chocolate fondue at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

If you’re still hungry, don’t miss the bombolini – warm and sugar cinnamon coated Italian doughnuts to dip in chocolate fondue. The dessert menu also features New York cheesecake, a cannoli sampler, tiramisu, and a chocolate hazelnut budino with whipped cream, Nutella, and luxardo cherries.

Camilleri had briefly operated Park Road Pasta Kitchen, an Italian restaurant in West Hartford, but Sugo Trattoria is different, he said. While Pasta Kitchen emphasized family-style meals, “this definitely has a more upscale feel to it,” he said. It’s not fussy, though, but rather the type of restaurant intended to attract a dedicated group of “regulars.”

Sugo Trattoria is located at 1274 Farmington Ave., Farmington and is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. More information can be found online, or call 860-470-5944.

Trumpet royal mushrooms with garlic aioli and salsa verde at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The bar area at the former Toro Loco has been renovated as part of the transformation into Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

The house wines at Sugo Trattoria pair well with the new Italian menu. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Ben Keller created all the new signage at Sugo Trattoria, 1274 Farmington Ave., Farmington. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Interior of Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Interior of Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Cannoli sampler at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Bombolini are Italian doughnuts with a chocolate fondue at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Chocolate hazelnut budino at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Interior of Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Patio at Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Interior of Sugo Trattoria. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Ben Keller created all the new signage at Sugo Trattoria, 1274 Farmington Ave., Farmington. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Ben Keller created all the new signage at Sugo Trattoria, 1274 Farmington Ave., Farmington. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.