A considered guide to the dishes worth ordering — drawn from critic reviews, chef interviews, and what the regulars know.
Opened in 2013 by Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick on the bones of the original Rocco's, which had served Greenwich Village since 1922. The captains in maroon tuxedos aren't a costume — they're trained for months to perform tableside service from a vanishing era. Reservations open exactly thirty days in advance and are gone in seconds.
The vodka cooks down with cream and tomatoes for ninety minutes — that's where the depth comes from. Pasta is rolled fresh every morning in-house. The dish that built the empire and the one Italian-Americans argue with: too sweet, too rich, perfectly engineered.
A tableside production: a pounded-thin veal cutlet the size of a dinner plate, breaded, sauced, blanketed in cheese, then run under the broiler in front of you. Regulars order it for the table and pass slices around.
Mario Carbone's homage to ZZ Clark, the Caesar showman of his youth. Made tableside with anchovies pounded into the bowl, raw egg yolk, lemon, and parmigiano. The captain narrates while assembling.