Our Favorite Cold-Weather Pastas in New York
In all honestly, we could probably eat pasta three meals a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. But in reality, we tend to indulge our penchant for unapologetic carb loading mostly in the wintertime, so we can hide the side effects under bulky coats and billowy sweaters. So before spring induces us all to start shedding those layers, don’t miss the chance to try some of the very best pasta dishes around — from the hearty Red Wine Lumache at Bar Primi to the cloudlike Chestnut Gnocchi at Via Carota and much more.
Bar Primi
This casual Andrew Carmellini trattoria is actually dedicated to pasta, so how could it not make our list? Indeed, it’s a veritable noodle-lovers heaven, serving classic dishes, like Spaghetti Pomodoro, Bucatini Amatriciana and Calamarata Frutti di Mare, seasonal variations, such as Orecchiette with kale and celery root, Rigatoni with pancetta and cabbage, and Red Wine Lumache (large shells) with pork ragu, and even a breakfast option; Spaghetti served with kale, pancetta and a poached egg.
Read MoreAll’Onda
Although Chris Jaeckle offers all manner of Venetian delicacies at All’Onda, there’s a reason the Union Square restaurant has become indelibly associated with Bucatini and Smoked Uni. Like thick spaghetti with a hole in the middle, the housemade noodles are perfect for soaking up the umami bomb of a sauce (an emulsion of dashi parmesan stock, lemon, garlic, cream and cherrywood-smoked Maine uni), before being tossed with flat leaf parsley and Calabrian oil-toasted breadcrumbs.
Read MoreVia Carota
This utterly charming collaboration between West Village darlings, Jody Williams (Buvette) and Rita Sodi (I Sodi), specializes in effortlessly elegant Italian small plates and pastas. And the current offerings are especially well suited to winter, including plump Pumpkin Tortelli, Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, and feathery Gnocchi flavored with pleasantly pungent gorgonzola.
Read MoreUpland
Justin Smillie’s Park Avenue spot may be inspired by perennially balmy California, but soul-warming dishes such as Fusilli al Peposo are the ultimate antidote to bitter New York winters. Deliciously combining the cold weather comforts of both rib-sticking pasta and steamy stew, chewy fusilli is ladled with hunks of black pepper-rubbed beef and roasted tomatoes, and cut by a dash of brightly acidic verjus (the pressed juice of unripened grapes).
Read MoreThe Clam
It only stands to reason that a restaurant entirely focused on clams (i.e., raw, stuffed, fried and in chowder) should have a mean Spaghetti and Clams dish on the menu. And Mike Price’s West Village eatery definitely doesn’t disappoint, offering housemade, al dente pasta cooked in clam broth, tossed with crushed tomatoes, top neck clams and (believe it or not), soy, and finished off with green onions and a sprightly arugula salad, dressed with citrus vinaigrette.
Read MoreSemilla
If you’re looking for all of the satisfaction and none of the guilt that comes with eating wheat and egg-based pasta, check out the ingenious noodles crafted at the veggie-focused Brooklyn hot spot, Semilla. The toothsome ribbons of tagliatelle are actually shaved coils of aromatic celery root, the flavor heightened even further with crunchy buckshots of celery seed.
Read MoreMasseria Dei Vini
A welcome addition to Columbus Circle’s lackluster dining scene, this little sister to La Masseria Ristorante has a real way with pastas, adding clever flourishes to Southern Italian classics, such as Cavatelli with seafood and pea puree, Spinach Gnocchi with radicchio and taleggio, and Agnolotti Piemontesi; veal-stuffed half moons of delicate ravioli, sauced with a mix of musky wild mushrooms.
Read MoreCooklyn
Usually, we are adamantly against taking an ingredient as supremely delicate and utterly luxurious as lobster, and sublimating it in a gooey casserole of noodles, cream and cheese. But Cooklyn chef Anthony Theocaropoulos — who worked on the opening teams at both Eataly and Ai Fiori — uses a delicate hand (not to mention lots of lobster) in his outrageously decadent dish; tender swirls of fusilli garnished with nutty breadcrumbs and a soft-poached egg.
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