Cacio E Pepe
Cacio E Pepe is located on 2nd Avenue between 11/12th. They have been open for 2 years now. We had dinner with a group of people there the other night.
It happened to be a beautiful night. Warm but not too hot and low humidity. Sitting in the garden behind the restaurant was a delight. Not many of those in NYC. The restaurant was hopping by the time we left. I don’t think there are an empty seat in the place including the outdoor seating on the street.
The menu was good. A mixture of salads, pastas, meat and fish dishes. Everything sounded delicious. I went with the specials of the evening. Tossed greens with fava beans and pecorino cheese. Simple, tasty and light. Not too heavy handed which I really liked. I also had the Striped Bass special. Striped bass roasted with a rich tangy tomato sauce that was mixed with olives, capers and onions. Really wonderful. I tasted a few other things that night too. Pounded chicken breaded and deep fried was juicy on the inside and crisp and not oily on the outside. On top was a mixture of tomatoes and argula salad in a light sauce. A great summer meal. The house pasta is served on top of a large piece of parmigiana cheese. That didn’t wow me. Way too much salt. The pasta with sardines, breadcrumbs and raisins was quite good.
Desserts were just OK, nothing great. Personally I have always found the meal much better than the desserts at Italian restaurants. If I am going to be in that area again, I will absolutely go back. The food isn’t off the charts but it is good and the menu is worth exploring a little bit more.
Comments (Archived):
It’s peccorino, not parmesan.
i find y our statement about dessert in Italian restaurants to be true. In fact, I’ve discovered that Italians aren’t really big on dessert. They eat their “sweets” in the morning with a latte, and then usually just eat something like fresh fruit or a nice marscapone cream over strawberries type thing for dessert after meals. Then there’s gelato for post dessert dessert.