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It's A Great Time For Pasta In NYC
By
Nell Casey
Published Jan 3, 2017
Modified Jan 3, 2017
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By
Nell Casey
Published Jan 3, 2017
Modified Jan 3, 2017
Share
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We had warnings that poke would dominate in 2016 and did it ever. We were also told to bid farewell to pasta, as the gluten-free movement looked poised to replace traditional noodles with those made out of vegetables. Luckily, many restaurants ignored the predictions, and pasta enjoyed a bountiful year in NYC 2016.
Inklings of the pasta resurgence began in 2015, with spots like Faro, Upland and L'Amico leading the charge. Flours milled in house became increasingly the norm for restaurants specializing in pastas, pizza and other flour-based dishes, a movement likely to continue as carbs come back into the spotlight (it was also a great year for pizza).
Casa Apicii (Quentin Bacon)
It helped that 2016 was also a banner year for new Italian restaurants, with places like Casa Apicii, La Sirena and Covina making the case for approachable, familiar Italian foods with gourmet flair. La Sirena's offering a bechamel and potato version of lasagna, which hopefully means more layered/baked pastas coming soon.
Lilia (Evan Sung)
Williamsburg alone saw the opening of three new restaurants with strong pasta programs, all of which also helped to usher in a new era of fine dining in the historical bohemian neighborhood. Missy Robbins's Lilia, Barano on the south side, and Andrew Carmellini's Leuca at the William Vale all employ the pasta-making machine to great success.
LaRina Pastificio e Vino (Michael Tulipan)
Elsewhere in Brooklyn, two other new eateries make the case for al fresco pasta, debuting charming new backyards to reconsider for spring. LaRina Pastificio e Vino in Fort Greene specializes in surprising noodle options like cocoa tagliatelle and rye bucatini, for winter, while Faun in Prospect Heights is doing cozy comfort food pastas like a pumpkin tortelli with sage and spaccatelli alla carbonara.
Lady's (Paul Quitoriano)
Two late-breaking 2016 additions also showcase pasta, indicating the trend's likely to go strong into this new year. Chef Aaron Harsha's turning out handmade pastas at Lady's in Fort Greene, including ricotta-stuffed Cappelletti with a ragu made from aged meat and confit tomatoes and purses of Casoncele stuffed with short ribs with roasted sunchokes in a wine and bone marrow sauce. Dan Kluger's much anticipated Loring Place also saves room for a few pastas on the menu, like tubes of paccheri with romanesco, goat cheese and garlic crumbs.
(Altamarea Group)
Finally, pasta's most exciting trend takes out the traditional restaurant format. Pasta Omakase enjoyed a sell out run of its pop-up pasta dinners, which featured an almost exclusively pasta menu. Chef Michael White's Altamarea Group debuted a pasta delivery service geared towards making the difficult-to-transport dishes takeout box-friendly. And finally, Del Posto chef Mark Ladner left the relative safety of the traditional kitchen to venture into fast casual territory, debuting an "upscale fast food with a quick-serve restaurant, Pasta Flyer, that he hopes to develop into a chain" sometime later this year.
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food trends
pasta
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Nell Casey
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