Pepolino in TriBeCa, NYC
Altright, so I might have found another great Italian restaurant in TriBeCa: Pepolino. Named after a variety of thyme that grows in Tuscany, this casual restaurant serves Tuscan cuisine in a rustic setting. And this place was definitely crowded when we went on a Friday to have dinner at 9pm. So crowded that we ended up in their heated outside seating area that in fact I liked, the noise level being very low and less crowded than their two dinning rooms.
Menu wise, there were so many mouth watering dishes that I was not sure what to order. Although I could not resist trying their grilled octopus that was served on toast that was delicious smothered in olive oil and topped with a sort of tomato confit. All of this accompanied by a side of greens. The octopus was perfectly cooked for sure, not rubbery and with a nice char.
Grilled octopus at Pepolino in TriBeCa, NYC
Grilled octopus at Pepolino in TriBeCa, NYC
Then, Jodi ordered the Spaghettoni Alla Chitarra, home made square spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil. This was also very good, the pasta, perfectly cooked, had a nice bite, and the sauce was delicious.
Spaghettoni alla Chitarra at Pepolino in TriBeCa, NYC
But my dish was even better: the Fettuccine Nere di Mare that were homemade squid ink fettuccine with seafood (calamity, shrimp, squid), prepared in a tomato sauce. The pasta was succulent and the sauce so good that I literally inhaled it, even if I thought that they were a bit heavy handed on the pepper. The seafood was well cooked and there was a nice amount of it in the plate (I should mention that the shrimp were small though). Funny enough, I like parmesan with my pasta and the waiter did not recommend putting any with the seafood. As I kindly insisted, he brought me some on the side, just in case I would not like it.
Fettucine nere di mare at Pepolino in TriBeCa, NYC
To accompany my meal, I went for a glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2014 "Umani Ronchi".
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo at Pepolino in TriBeCa, NYC
Last was dessert. We went for their creme caramel that was good but just ok. I cannot remember the description, but we thought it would be a bit more decadent than that...
Creme caramel at Pepolino in TriBeCa, NYC
I should mention that, while waiting for our dishes, they brought us a bread basket with a tomato and basil flan that had a nice kick and was quite refreshing.
Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Pepolino, that I consider another great find in TriBeCa. The food and service were good and I would definitely go back there to try other Tuscan specialties. The fact that they have homemade pasta is definitely a plus as I always consider that I do not need to boxed pasta outside: I can make my own at home!
Enjoy (I did)!
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