Tenute Rubino > Wine of Apulia > Cacio e Pepe Restaurant, New York

Cacio e Pepe restaurant, home of gusto

Born in 2004 in New York, in midtown Manhattan, between thirteenth and fourteenth avenue, lies the first eatery opened by Giusto Priola, a Palermo native who emigrated to New York in 1997. Cacio e Pepe comes from and has grown from, the legendary tradition of excellence and originality of the varied and fragrant cuisine of the Belpaese. With Cacio e Vino (opened in 2006) and Ballarò (recently launched) Priola has become a point of reference for quality Italian restaurants in the Big Apple.

Cacio e Pepe is the result of a synthesis that united Priola with partner chef Salvatore Corea, to outline, through Roman variances, an important expression of Italian cuisine. This is the starting point for the no-frills attention to detail and style that is today the hallmark that distinguishes all of Giusto's restaurants. Cacio e Pepe is the culmination of the success of an authentic Roman cuisine, extremely attentive to the quality of ingredients and committed to maintaining the integrity of the food's flavors.

Eating out at Cacio e Pepe puts you back in those quaint Trastevere restaurants, where you are kidnapped by the flavors and aromas of the dishes and the taste sends you into a sensory vortex which spirals up from deep and authentic roots. Cacio e Pepe is a small place, but a shining star of Italian taste in Manhattan. Care and attention to detail are reflected in simple dishes that delight with no frills, all-encompassing passion.

Cacio e pepe restaurant: the menu

The Roman character of the menu shines through with Tonnarelli, cacio and pepper, Bucatini all'amatriciana and Gricia paccheri, Code alla vaccinara and Saltimbocca alla romana but it will often reflect the seasonal nature of ingredients and Italian meat and fish dishes can also be found. Specifically, the menu boasts Octopus salad, Focaccia with roasted endive, pine nuts and raisins, Potato vellutata with crispy guanciale bacon. From the starters - Spaghetti with clams, tuna roe and lemon on creamed broccoli, Pappardelle alla carrettiera, tuna, chanterelle mushrooms, guanciale bacon and parsley and the classic Gnocchi with tomato, basil and melted mozzarella - among the first course dishes. Some of the popular main dishes are the Baked fillet of sea bream with braised fennel and black olives and Chicken breast with ham and fontina cheese, black truffle sauce, potatoes and sauteed broccoli. A mix of Roman traditions and Italian classics revisited are a great temptation, able to tease the tastebuds of Americans who love and would not renounce flavors of Italy.

In terms of wine, the same care and attention to detail of the kitchen is reflected in the cellar, with a selection of labels that entices the consumers' curiosity - bottles that Giusto has hand-picked and which can be traced back to special areas of production in Italy. On the Cacio e Pepe wine list you can, in fact, find wine gems like the Susumaniello of Salento or Nerello Mascali typical of Etna.

Cacio e Pepe restarant and "Vini di Puglia"

On Monday, May 9th, Cacio e Pepe will dedicate an evening to all willing to experience the scents and more importantly, the flavors of Puglia. Giusto Priola, has linked Cacio e Pepe with the famous Tenute Rubino winery, making available, in certain American cities, a selection of its finest labels in conjunction with special menus to spotlight quality and landscape.

The dinner at Cacio e Pepe will open with a Burratina based starter, Foccaccia with ham and ice cream with tomato and a Mussel sauté alla tarantina with toasted bread, complemented with Giancola - a pure Malvasia of high calibre, fleshy and rich, deep and persistent, which captivates through its harmonious complexity. The Primitivo, the Punta Aquila version with its decidedly impacting flavors and displays fascinating mineral qualities deriving from the area of production. It will marry the Orecchiette with turnip greens, anchovies, almonds and breadcrumbs and fried with Tonnarelli cottage cheese, fennel and tomato sauce.

The main dish of the evening will be matched to the main wine from the multi-award-winning Rubino Tenute winery: The Torre Testa, pure Susumaniello. The tannins of this wine are rendered noble with Grilled meat, roast potatoes and spinach with garlic and Roasted cod fillet with vegetable soup. In closing, the Ricotta mousse with candied pears and a reduction of the Primitivo with its delicate, aromatic and intense notes of the Aleatico.

Cacio e Pepe restaurant
182 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003-5734
Tel.- (212) 505-5931