The 12 Best Pasta Dishes In NYC
Feb. 5, 2014, 1:20 p.m.
There are so many delectable pasta dishes in this city that'll turn you off your signature date-night puttanesca sauce for life. Here are our favorites.
Pasta is the best food in all the lands, and those who disagree should burn off their tastebuds with lasers and offer them as sacrifice to the Chinese deities from whom Marco Polo stole this magical creation. And though it's easy enough to make at home (but for the love of God, DON'T BREAK THE SPAGHETTI), there are so many delectable pasta dishes in this city that'll turn you off your signature date-night puttanesca sauce for life. Go carb or go home. Here are our favorites; we know you'll leave yours and some fighting words in the comments.
SPAGHETTI AND BASIL AT SCARPETTA: Few meals are more soothing than a simple pasta done to perfection, and Meatpacking eatery Scarpetta's spaghetti and basil dish is just that. Chef Scott Conant's $24 dish is comprised of mere house-made spaghetti, tomato sauce (made with REAL tomatoes, not that silly canned stuff) and a sprinkle of basil, but the dish is so fresh and packed with flavor you'll trick your tastebuds into believing they're touching something far more complicated.
Scarpetta is located at 355 West 14th Street between 8th and 9th Aves in the Meatpacking District (212-691-0555, scarpettanyc.com).
(Jen Chung)
MAFALDE E CECI AT TRATTORIA ZERO OTTO NOVE: This Arthur Ave hotspot makes a damn good pizza, but once you've had your fill of the classic margherita, their pasta dishes are not to be missed. The $19 mafalde e ceci is a delicate dish made with fresh ribbon noodles, chickpeas and pancetta, sprinkled lovingly with toasted breadcrumbs and a dash of pecorino cheese.
Trattoria Zero Otto Nove is located at 2357 Arthur Ave in the Bronx (718-220-1027, roberto089.com). There is also a location in Manhattan, at 15 West 21st Street between 5th and 6th Ave in Flatiron (212) 242-0899, roberto089.com).
MALFATTI AT MAIALINO: For fans of the super rich dish, the house Malfatti ai Maialino ($23) served up at this Gramercy ristorante is disastrously decadent, with thick pasta ribbons weaving around shredded roast suckling pig and fresh arugula, flavored with a hint of lemon juice. It's the kind of comforting indulgence you order sometimes to remind yourself that things could really be worse, and everything's going to be okay (though not for that pig).
Maialino is located at 2 Lexington Ave between 22nd Street and Gramercy Park in Gramercy (212-777-2410, maialinonyc.com).
GARGANELLI AT OSTERIA MORINI: Chef Michael White's famed SoHo spot serves a lot of tasty dishes, but most agree that the garganelli stands above them all. $22 gets you a steaming plate of rolled pasta quills gently doused with truffle butter and cream, made extra savory with bits of prosciutto and radicchio.
Osteria Morini is located at 218 Lafayette Street between Kenmare Street and Cleveland Place in SoHo (212-965-8777, osteriamorini.com).
STROZZAPRETI AT MAREA: Michael White more upscale restaurant, Marea, became one of the city's most celebrated Italian restaurants immediately upon opening, and this pasta dish is their pièce de résistance. Though a full serving of the strozzapreti runs $33, it comes with all the fixings: fresh lumps of jumbo crab and sea urchin, tossed in a delicate sauce and sprinkled with basil.
Marea is located at 240 Central Park South near Columbus Circle in Midtown (212) 582-5100, marea-nyc.com).
TAGLIATELLE AL RAGU AT SUPPER: Northern city Bologna is the gastronomic capital of Italy, making it the undisputed World Kingdom Of Good Food. And the city's signature dish is tagliatelle al ragu—known to us Americans as Bolognese sauce, get it? Supper's $17 take on the dish isn't an exact replica of what you'll find on Via Broccaindosso, but it comes close enough; the flat pasta sits in a generous, simultaneously savory and sweet stew of tomato, meat and spice.
Supper is located at 156 East 2nd Street between Aves A and B in the East Village (212-477-7600, supperrestaurant.com).
CARBONARA AT OTTO ENOTECA PIZZERIA: Spaghetti carbonara is not for the faint-hearted—this venemous dish is made with all the egg, cheese and bacon a body can handle. But if you're going to make the plunge, Otto does it right; the $11 al dente pasta is a buttery, creamy dream, sprinkled with pancetta and black pepper.
Otto is located at 1 Fifth Ave between Washington Mews and 8th Street in Greenwich Village (212) 995-9559, ottopizzeria.com).
BURRATA RAVIOLI AT VAI: For dairy lovers, this Upper West Side eatery packs creamy burrata cheese inside fresh ravioli, dousing the whole shebang in a loaded truffle oil and aged parmigiano sauce. Do note that while the $19 dish is small, it is also remarkably rich; don't leave your Lactaid pills at home, kids.
Vai is located at 429 Amsterdam Ave between 80th and 81st Streets on the Upper West Side (212-362-4500, vairestaurant.com).
SPAGHETTI LEMONE AT DINO: If you make it over to this Fort Greene trattoria, skip out on the fancy stuff. The simple spaghetti lemone—al dente spaghetti seeped in a light, tangy butter, garlic, olive oil and lemon sauce—is a revelation. The $13 dish comes sprinkled with parmesan cheese, and you'll get your own half-lemon if you need to add an extra kick to the meal.
Dino is located at 222 DeKalb Ave between Adelphi Street and Clemont Ave in Fort Greene, Brooklyn (718) 222-1999, dinorestaurantny.com).
SPAGHETTI NERI ALLA CHITARRA AT AL DI LA: If cephalods are your thing, Park Slope trattoria Al Di La's $18 black ink squid spaghetti is well worth a trip or two. Don't let the nightmarish black tangle of pasta turn you off—the noodles are dyed in the stuff of sea gods and tossed in chewy octopus confit, basil and fiery hot chili pepper.
Al Di La is located at 248 Fifth Ave between President and Carroll Streets in Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-636-8888, aldilatrattoria.com).
CAVATELLI AT FRANKIE'S 457 SPUNTINO: Frankie's has been one of our favorite spots in the city for a while now, and the family-owned restaurant's star dinner meal, cavatelli with brown sage butter and sausage, keeps us coming back. The $18 dish comes with al dente bun-shaped pasta simmered in the sweet and savory butter sauce, peppered with thick chunks of spicy sausage from famed Faicco's Pork Store.
Frankie's Spuntino is located at 457 Court Street between 4th Place and Luquer Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (718-403-0033, frankiesspuntino.com).
ENOTECA MARIA: We're cheating a little with this one, because there's no one pasta dish that stands above all the others at this unique Staten Island spot. The menus are prepared by a rotating gang of "Nonnas," Italian grandmothers who make their homemade meals with love and pride. Pastas are typically made fresh, and the Nonnas come from all over Italy, providing a mix of Napolitano, Venetian, Sicilian and Central Italian food and flair. Best of all, you get to watch the Nonnas prepare their entrees from behind a glass wall; don't be surprised if they make you dry the dishes while hounding you about bringing home a nice boyfriend.
Enoteca Maria is located at 27 Hyatt Street in Staten Island (718-447-2777, enotecamaria.com).