Tag Archives: pumpkin ravioli

Ravioli Round-Up

It was recently brought to my attention how much I blog about ravioli. So, when I typed in “Ravioli” in my blog’s search, I discovered my friend was right… I am obsessed with ordering this type of dish! So, I thought I’d do a round up of my favorites over the past couple of months so if you have a hankering or an obsession like I do — then you’ll know exactly where to go for the best plate!

1. The best ravioli dish I believe that I have had while living in New York City (and I recently ate it only a couple of months ago) was from my favorite Italian restaurant, Perbacco! Perbacco is in the Lower East Side and they change their menu seasonally, so you know that the food is going to be nothing but fresh and full of flavor! This ravioli — Ravioli di Zucca con Salsiccia which is kabocha squash ravioli sauteed in brown butter sauce and italian sausage served with amaretto foam on the side — is the perfect dish if you are after something both sweet and savory!

2. What other restaurant could have the ravioli plate down… of course it’s going to be Perbacco’s sister restaurant — Gnocco! I was able to catch this ravioli dish when it was listed as a special. Honestly there isn’t a better filling for a ravioli than either pumpkin or butternut squash… and pair that with some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and I’m officially in heaven!

3. Here we go… exactly what I was just talking about. The Butternut Tortelloni with Roast Italian Chestnuts, Sage and Parmigiano from Crispo in Meatpacking is done perfectly! And you know that this will be available to you since it wasn’t on a special menu! Yum Yum Yum I just love butternut! Super sweet, savory, and in a way totally hits that spot the same way comfort food does!

4. And in fourth place is a more classic Ravioli Al Formaggio — a ravioli filled with cheese in a pink sauce. I loved how the small West Village trattoria cooked up this dish! Malatesta Trattoria doesn’t take reservations, but your 2 hour wait will be worth it — the prices are dirt cheap and you will be saying “yum” between every single bite!

5. A hot-spot where New Yorkers could spot the Kardashians while they were filming their latest season of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, the restaurant is also known as Asellina located on Park Avenue (and can be considered in the neighborhood of Murray Hill). But the chef at this restaurant put together one heck of a special featuring a truffled ravioli… can you see the truffle shavings? They weren’t cheap with the real-deal — forget truffle oil!

6. Bar Pitti was the most recent place I ordered a ravioli dish and it was the most perfect option I could have picked! The ravioli was light and fluffy and stuffed with spinach and cheese — poured over top was a tasty butter and sage sauce that had me licking my lips! It’s a no reservations and cash only type of joint so be prepared! The wait goes fast and you’ll love the pushy (/busy) Italian employees!

Italian Food — Good for the Soul

For me, Italian food is probably the most comforting food I could ever feed myself. When studying abroad and missing home — I would head to a tasty Italian restaurant to comfort me. The best thing about cooking this style of cuisine for yourself at home is it’s pretty darn cheap, flavorful and very basic to make (at least most dishes are).

Now that I have been to Italy — all over the place actually, this past fall I got a true taste of the country my ancestors came from — I can truly say that the sister restaurants Perbacco and Gnocco here in New York City are better than 99 percent of the restaurants I ate at while visiting the homeland. That other 1 percent is actually a random sandwich shop that I fell in love with in Florence called Antico Noe. And even Perbacco and Gnocco restaurant owner Gianluca Giovanetti says that the bread in Florence is the best — the bread = one of the reasons why Antico Noe’s sandwiches are to die for.

food at gnocco in nyc

I’m sure you are all used to by now my raves on these two restaurants… The truth is, I’ll never stop blogging about them because 1. They truly are the best Italian restaurants I have ever been to in my entire life, 2. The menus change and the specials are always blowing me away, 3. I’m not the only one that loves these restaurants, reviews all over the internet says fantastic things!

So I blogged last week about Perbacco and that means this week I am writing about Gnocco, again! The other night I went for dinner with my Penn State friend Alexandra and her father who also lives here in the city. Her father actually introduced me to Gnocco — so I can blame him on my addiction for the food.

What did we order? I ordered the special — a pumpkin ravioli which was both comforting, light, and full of flavor. I was surprised at how much more potent the ingredients became once the ravioli began to cool. The flavors stood out more! It came with long gorgeous parmigiano reggiano cheese shaving on top. And yes, I ate every single bite. It would be a sin not to.

But first, we ordered for the table an unbelievable burrata cheese special for an appetizer. The burrata was probably the best burrata I have ever had in my life — the cheese was so silky, fluffy, and perfectly seasoned. The plate came with fluffy, crunchy bread that was toasted with (most likely) olive oil brushed on top. And of course there was the tomato and basil seasonings as well. In all honesty, you can’t find better cheese in any other restaurant.

Alexandra ordered my favorite pizza — the Tartufata — which includes fresh mozzarella, a truffle sauce, mushrooms, and speck. Alexandra is a vegetarian so she ordered it without the speck. The first time I had this pizza I ordered it because the table next to me ordered 2 of the pizzas (for two people) and the smells of the pizza were so divine they floated over to my table and I became a huge fan instantly without even having tasted the pizza.

The evening was filled with spectacular cuisine, amazing company, and fantastic wine. The atmosphere is so cozy and you honestly can’t get any better than Gnocco (and Perbacco of course).