Even if you aren’t an upstart Italian restaurant, it’s easy to feel lost in the shuffle of Wooster Street. That’s how I spent part of a recent Saturday afternoon, caught in a jam-packed auto parade while trying to pin down a parking spot close to Pasta Eataliana. Once situated, I strolled past many of the well-known culinary icons of the neighborhood—Pepe’s and Sally’s, both with lines winding down the sidewalk, and beloved Italian restaurants old (Consiglio’s) and new (Zeneli, Gioia)—wondering what Eataliana, which I’d never visited, could possibly offer that would stand apart.
I shouldn’t have doubted it. Nestled on the corner of Chestnut Street, this cozy, classy restaurant serves superb Southern Italian fare with a touch of adventure. I started my meal with one of the house cocktails, the Amaretto Sour ($14), made with Luxardo Amaretto, Four Roses Bourbon, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white served over ice. A frothy concoction, sweet and sassy with tangy undertones, it went down easy and was generous enough to sip through my entire meal.
Appetizers were also abundantly portioned, with several of my fellow diners making a whole meal of theirs. The customer next to me raved about the pan-seared fresh scallops ($22), topped with arugula pesto and lemon-butter dressing. I chose the heartiest serving of tuna tartare ($18) I’ve ever eaten, with the sparklingly fresh fish served over a bed of ripe avocado, seasoned with wasabi aioli and sesame ginger sauce and accompanied by plantain chips. It was spicy, sweet and luscious, and I didn’t leave a bite behind.
True to its name, Eataliana offers a long menu of homemade pasta entrees: spaghetti, fettucine, ravioli, linguine, ziti, tortellini, orecchiette, paccheri, tagliatelle, pappardelle. I was tempted to order either the Tortellini Con Salmone ($36)—cheese tortellini and salmon in a creamy truffle sauce—or the Ravioli Ripieni Con Aragosta ($34)—lobster ravioli in a light pink cherry tomato sauce.
My solicitous waiter, however, told me that if I liked lobster I should really order the Pappardelle Aragosta ($36). Served promptly and piping hot, this deceptively simple dish, loaded with tender lobster and dotted with fresh, juicy grape tomatoes, was as rich as Elon Musk, with al dente pappardelle noodles wide and long enough to surf on.
I simply couldn’t finish it all—at least not while saving room for dessert. Instead of a Limoncello mascarpone cake ($12), a crème brulée ($12) that seemed more New York-style cheesecake than custard and a classic tiramisu ($10), I went with an oversized, dark chocolate-covered, pistachio gelato truffle ($12) imported from Italy. Served in quarters on a pillow of homemade whipped cream, with pistachios layered into the gelato and sprinkled over the top, it was a luscious bomb of texture and flavor—and another testament to what lies beyond the more obvious pleasures of Wooster Street.
Written and photographed by Patricia Grandjean.
