Matteo R.
Yelp
There aren't many restaurants in NYC from the Romagna region of Italy. This is a small region bordered with the Appennini mountains to the West, and the Adriatic sea to the East, mainly known for its riviera. It is also known in Italy for a popular dish called piadina. A piadina (or piada for short) is a thin, unleavened flatbread made with flour, water, olive oil or lard, and traditionally cooked on a terracotta surface called "testo". Stuffed with vegetables, meat, prosciutto, salame, or cheese, piadina is a quintessential Italian street food.
Il Passatore, which takes its name from a famous bandit from 1800, serves a rather tasty piadina con uova occhio di bue. It is served open-face with two eggs sunny side up, arugula, mozzarella, and prosciutto di Parma. The pasta dishes I've tried are all good: from the spaghetti alla carbonara (eggs, pancetta, and Parmigiano cheese), to the maltagliati al ragu' (homemade wide egg noodles with Bolognese sauce), and the tagliolini al salmone e piselli (smoked salmon and peas in a cream sauce). If you like pasta, you won't be disappointed.
Other dishes we recommend are the eggs Norwegian, cavolo e zucca hash (2 eggs with kale, butternut squash, shaved Parmigiano cheese, and roasted potatoes), vegetarian lasagna, and the burger of the day (usually Wagyu burger). We've only been here for lunch on weekends, but the food is so good and I would not hesitate to suggest this place for dinner as well.
What I like the most about Il Passatore is that the food is very tasty, and the atmosphere is very relaxed. Whether you're dining in the main area, or whether you're enjoying the outdoor patio, it's easy to just unwind and relax here. Perfect to take your family here, to catch up with a friend, or to come with small kids.
Over the many times we've come to Il Passatore we got to know the owner/chef and his family. In fact, we would often find the whole family (wife and 3 kids) here having lunch on a Saturday. They always treated us like family, often offering us dessert or a shot of homemade liqueur, and occasionally giving us to try dishes that were not on the menu.
To me, Il Passatore feels like home.