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Cacio e Pepe 182 2nd Avenue (between 11th and 12th Streets) Range: $23–$32 per person, including wine, taxes, and tip Rating: |
Cacio e Pepe’s wine list features a small selection of wines from several regions of Italy, and many are offered by the glass. The wait staff was fairly knowledgeable about the wines, and not annoyed with our poor attempts at pronouncing the Italian names.
After ordering, we received a basket of rustic bread—crusty on the outside, moist in the middle—served with a saucer of dipping olive oil. The bread-olive oil combination is standard in most restaurants, but at Cacio e Pepe, the olive oil is infused with a hint of vanilla that gives it a creamy, delicate sweetness that works well with the bread’s plainness.
We started our meal with the insalata di spinaci, barbabietole, aracie, e gorgonzola (spinach, roasted beets, oranges, and gorgonzola with an orange vinaigrette). Although this combination sounds a little unusual, the savory, sweet, and pungent flavors blended perfectly, giving the greens some robustness.
For our primi, we selected the gnocchi di patate con ragu’di cinghiale (gnocchi with wild boar ragu). The gnocchi were light and fluffy (a texture more like mascarpone than boiled potato), and the wild boar was surprisingly delectable in a thin marinara. The meat was tender without being gamey, and the marina had absorbed its juices nicely, creating a hearty flavor.
We skipped the secondi, and went straight for the dolce—gelato al al olio di olive con cestino di parmigiano e miele (olive oil gelato drizzled with honey and served an a parmesan “basket”). This dessert sounded too unique to ignore, even though the idea of olive oil gelato was tough to imagine.
The oil used to make the gelato was the same vanilla infused oil served with the bread basket, and it flavors the gelato beautifully. Even though the accompaniments weren’t essential, the honey enhanced the gelato’s sweetness, while the parmesan crisp added a savory touch that complemented the dish brilliantly.
Cacio e Pepe is one of the handful of Italian restaurants in the city worth revisiting on a regular basis.
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