Description
Danny Meyer's Roman trattoria is a thoughtful, comfortable place, where the service is pitch-perfect and the roast suckling pig has shatteringly crisp skin. Antipasti and pastas are particularly good. Don't miss the antipasta of small fried artichokes, similar to the ancient Roman Jewish dish. As for pastas, try the ultra-simple tonnarelli cacio e pepe: square-edged spaghetti with copious grindings of black pepper and Pecorino. The bucatini all'Amatriciana--named after the town of Amatrice, in the same province as Rome--sports a delicious onion-and-guanciale tomato sauce, elevated by vinegar and chilies. Best of all is the malfatti al maialino, fluttery squares of egg pasta with arugula and a generous portion of braised suckling pig leg, brightened with a lemony sauce. The kitchen has a knack for balancing rich, heavy ingredients with light, acidic flavors, keeping fatty monotony at bay.
