February/March 2011

By Diane Hudson

Base Camp

Sugarloaf’s beloved Italian hot spot comes down from the mount to delight Falmouth diners.

Located in the former haunts of Johnny’s Bistro, Hug’s Italian Restaurant is rapidly assembling a fan base that includes regular patrons of the original Hug’s at Sugarloaf Resort (opened in 1985 and still going strong) as well as newbies like us.

Hungry for some zesty food, we start our meal with a bottle of Chianti Ruffino ($28), chosen from the list of reasonably-priced Italian wines.

The eclectic menu champions family-style dining, with extensive options for sharing. Our gorgeous, fresh salad arrives in a big bowl, its dressing in perfect balance, with none of the acidity of a typical “Italian” dressing. It’s addicting.

My Veal Francaise ($23.95) is an ample serving of tender, boneless breast lightly battered in egg and bread crumbs, its flavor highlighted by lemon butter sauce and mushrooms. The accompanying pasta (your choice of angel hair, fettuccine, shells and penne, or linguine) is superbly al dente, smothered in your choice of red sauce or garlic butter. Unable to decide which way to dress my fettuccine, I ask to have it tossed in garlic butter with a side of red sauce, since it’s a point of pride here to respond enthusiastically to special requests.

My partner’s dream dish tonight is spinach-and-roasted-garlic raviolis ($20.95), tossed Mediterranean-style with artichokes, broccoli, mushrooms, kalamata olives, and pine nuts and sautéed with olive oil, butter, garlic, and lemon. A generous smattering of fine feta adds the perfect touch.

For dessert, the velvet tiramisu ($6.50) and classic spumoni with claret sauce ($4.50) make for a spoon-licking finale.

Asked about the unusual name, owner Beth McKenney says, “The [Carrabassett Valley] Hugs had a great reputation under that name, so I could see no reason to change it when I took it over. Keeping the same goodwill for the Falmouth venue also makes sense as our established clientele at Sugarloaf will recognize our presence here.”

Sweet, embraceable, no matter what you call it, we agree with Beth: two Hug’s are better than one.

Hug’s Italian Restaurant
204 U.S. Route 1, Falmouth
Tuesday-Sunday, 4-9:30 p.m.
781-3342