L'Artusi

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
February 20, 2009

GARGANELLI
228 W 10th St
(Hudson & Bleecker Sts)
New York, NY 10014
212-255-5757

When many restaurants are seeing downturns, it’s nice to see a place hosting a steady stream of customers. Opened in the space that once housed Maremma, Cesare Casella’s Italian restaurant with a cowboy twist, L’Artusi is the latest from the Dell’anima folks. While one visit was plenty for Maremma, I’ve eaten at L’Artusi three times in the past month, and I’m not sick of it. This one’s going to make it.

The restaurant occupies an odd two-story space. The ground floor, where there are three different bar areas for drinks, cheese and raw on one side and tables on the other, is long and deep. The second floor has both open and private dining areas, but wherever you sit, everyone’s having a good time.

And who wouldn’t with such excellent pasta and wine selections, fun desserts and cheeses, too? Twice disappointed by the crudo, I now skip that section and add cheese as a last course. The salads, simple but savory, include winter chicories with Marcona almonds and Manchego cheese, and the richer frisée with poached egg, speck and red wine vinaigrette.

The pasta menu changes frequently, often with just slight variations. The first time I had the orecchiette, it was with sausage and bitter greens, but now they’ve added salumi. I’ve had this dish on all three visits and will probably order it next time, but without the salumi, a third wheel in this mix. The spaghetti with meatballs, though a staple, is by far the least interesting. The pizzoccheri, a thick flat buckwheat pasta, was served au gratin with potatoes, Fontina and Brussels sprouts. It’s on the heavier side but very tasty. And, saving the best for last, the garganelli was served with sea urchin and shrimp in a tomato sauce. Of the four pastas we ordered, this was the first to go.

The side of cauliflower with olives lacked character and balance, so I recommend sticking to the salads over the sides. Similarly, the one fish that I tried was a sad affair. The $24 monkfish was a bite-sized afterthought topped with a limp piece of pancetta that didn’t seem to make sense after the stellar pastas. Now I just stick with the pastas, always my favorite course anyway.

Dessert and cheese are both musts. The walnut cake layered with Chantilly cream is a favorite. I’ve been pairing beers with my cheeses at sommeliers’ suggestions, and I am convinced they were made for each other. With its effervescence, bitterness and hoppiness, beer complements cheese, while wine, with its complexities and tannins, often competes.

L’Artusi is casual, fun, reasonable and pleasant. No wonder it’s still booming in a down market. We need more of this type of energy!

Also in Italian, Pasta, West Village