Convivio

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
February 12, 2009

MACCHERONI ALLA CARBONARA [CLOSED]
45 Tudor City Pl
(1st & 2nd Aves)
New York, NY 10017
212-599-5045

Melissa Hom

Pasta is my passion, so all the hype about the handmade pastas at Convivio bred some steep expectations in me. I had even pinned a photo of a Convivio dish to my wall in anticipation. And this is not to mention that Chef Scott Conant’s spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce and basil at the restaurant’s previous incarnation, L’Impero, was one of my all-time favorites. I am happy to report, though, that Convivio did not disappoint. The spectacular pastas now top my list.

As the menu changes frequently, I did not find my pin-up pasta, so I tried two of their signatures: malloreddus (Sardinian saffron gnocchetti, crab, and sea urchin) and the maccheroni alla carbonara (pancetta, pecorino, scallion, egg, and black pepper). Both were superb. The malloreddus was a combination of powerful flavors, with the saffron, crab and sea urchin melding harmoniously to work with the playful gnocchetti.

Chef and co-owner Michael White understands the importance of texture in a pasta dish. In the macchernoi alla carbonara, the sauce was just rich enough in egg, Pecornio and pancetta, with the precise amount of pepper, and beautiful long, thin slices of scallions. The hand cut pasta pulled its weight with more spring than any I’ve tasted in the West. Pasta should be savored through texture.

The antipasto special that evening was gamberi (crispy Maine shrimp with lemon and caper crema). The pan-fried shrimp were so fresh that you could eat them whole with their shells. The lemon juice, caper crema and pickled onions subtly elevated the flavor of the shrimp.

The sfizi small plates, which included grilled mushrooms, arancini and spicy salame, were a nice way to ease into the meal but by no means equal in weight to the pastas and antipasto.

While I don’t usually order chocolate desserts, the tartaletta di banana al cioccalato (roasted bananas, chocolate ganache with banana sorbet) spoke to me, and it kept speaking until I polished it off completely. Banana and chocolate are a match made in heaven.

Convivio not only lives up to expectations but exceeds them in the best possible way. I can’t wait to return.

Also in Carbonara, Italian, Midtown East, Pasta