Ron W.
Yelp
This place requires booking far in advance because it is no bigger than a 5 pound bag of Caputo "00" Flour and in high demand. At 6:00 PM it was stuffed tummy to tummy like a tray of Cannelloni.
There are a few seats at the crowded Bar where you can have Elbow Pasta with real elbows in it. This is simply a simple little box packed as full as my carry-on after weeks of carrying on.
Add 10 two-tops to the 6 seat Bar plus one small communal table with someone else's cheek in your date's jowl requires that you makes friends quickly.
There is a tiny open kitchen and one dude hustling trays and buckets out the door to an offsite prep station (or a Roman Bar Mitzvah up the street).
The Staff: Two attendants attending to you. Kelly was at my side like a playful Seal deftly balancing between moving dinner along and assisting with sorting through the options.
You are allotted only 90 minutes to dine here, so practice eating to the beat. Instead of a tea candle on your table you get a Metronome and an egg timer.
The Vibe: People who like people...very close.
The Bar: Choose from 6 classic cocktails on page 1 of the Aussie/Italo Vino List. But one page is all you'll need as the choices are lovely and skillfully created.
My Americano (how did they know? I dressed like a local), had Aperol (Rhubarb Liquer...Adderall might have been better), Compari, Sweet Vermouth, Soda served tall. It was tad bitter to start wit and tasted a bit like Pertussin on the finish but like both, you can get used to that quick enough and like it.
I switched up to a glass of Cocchi Chinato Vermouth. Sweet and lively as a freshman Coed. Then, it was a Poderi Sangueneto Sangiovese which was an all purpose pick for the dinner on it's way.
Say ciao to the chow: A house made Focaccia with dried Parsley, Ricotta Salata and a drizzle of Parsley Oil had a crunchy crust and a soft crumb. Push the Ricotta inside when no one's looking at you being a heathen.
The Special Zucchini Flower stuffed with, yes, more Ricotta, and then tempura'ed was light and delightful. A quick fry is about all you can do with that so it must be done perfectly to measure up. It was. Otherwise it is a greasy limp cigar. It wasn't.
Salumi (Chef's Choice) was Culatello, Soppressata, and Prosciutto, Chef picked all my favorite food groups. Even the small version of this was ample as each offering was piled as high as a relief map of the Blue Mountains.
The Calamari came with seasonal Broad Beans (Favas to your American Cousins), came with mandolined Purple Peruvian Potatoes that remained crunchy despite being nestled among some Purple Potato Crisps, add some Squid Rings, that were so tender they must have quit swimming just to hop in the net. A squirt of Parsley Oil finished off this delectable dish.
The Gnocchi di Pepato was mixed with large chunks of long braised lean Duck, Porcini Mushrooms, and Pecorino Pepato. These gnocchs were so soft I wanted to take then back to hotel room. (To swap for the down pillows, now take your head out of the gutter.)
These feather light little puffs would have had the Medici dining with the Borgia's peacefully together on a regular basis.
The Special Tagliatelle, with Butter, Parmigiano, and a generous shaving of White Winter Truffles, (the first of the season) was outstanding. Coming from the USA I was following the Truffle season like a Bruce Brown Surf Film. Forget surfing. Year round fresh Truffles? Better to catch those.
Too full to make room for even the thought of dessert, Kelly swooped by with a sampler of Tipo-mirasu topped with a Chocolate Ganache which topped wonderful Marscapone Cheese, with Salted Caramel Sauce topping all of it. A one bite Fudge Cookie topped me off. How will I have room for my Prilosec?
Tipo-00, you're just my type.