Rocca

Chef Bryce Bonsack blends his New York know-how with Italian training to great effect in this of-the-moment eatery. Naturally, there's an assortment of pastas, skillfully made in house and showcasing classic flavors and scrupulous technique, as in spaghetti al limone, tossed with knobs of blue crab and lemon, shaved garlic and zucchini. Guests gush over mozzarella hand pulled to order in a tableside cart, but the flavor outshines the show. Perhaps most exciting of all are the displays of originality, as in a vibrant hiramasa carpaccio with green apple, capers and horseradish; and dessert is a delightful bookend to an impressive meal. Basil custard topped with an elegant brunoise of fresh apples and a layer of streusel is spot on in every way.

Distinctive details

• Mozzarella cart at the table: fresh-pulled mozzarella finished in front of you, equal parts craft and theatre.
• Pasta-forward Michelin-star cooking: the menu reads like a pasta house with fine-dining muscle, from amatriciana to crab-and-lemon spaghetti.
• A compact caviar and big-protein finish: caviar service and dry aged duck anchor the top end of the menu.

Signature ingredients

• Mozzarella, pulled to order: served from the tableside cart with heirloom tomato, basil, and aged balsamic.
• Blue crab: folded into spaghetti al limone with zucchini and lemon.
• Guanciale and pecorino: the backbone of rigatoni all’amatriciana, built on tomato sugo.
• Black winter truffles: the headline of fettuccine al tartufo, kept simple with butter.
• Kaluga hybrid caviar: offered as a dedicated service, a luxury punctuation mark to the meal.
• Dry aged duck: a big, shareable main built around depth and concentration.

What to expect

• Contemporary Italian dinner built around starters, a large pasta section, and a short list of bigger meat and fish plates.
• A table-side mozzarella cart is a signature, alongside house pastas and a small caviar service.

Dishes that define the menu (sample)

• Mozzarella Cart, heirloom tomato, basil, 10 year aged balsamic vinegar (to share).
• Spaghetti al limone with blue crab, zucchini, lemon.
• Tagliolini al ragu with beef ragu, basil, 30 month Parmigiano.
• Rigatoni all’amatriciana with guanciale, pecorino romano, tomato sugo.
• Fettuccine al tartufo with black winter truffles and butter.
• Dry aged Rohan duck (limited availability).
• Kaluga hybrid caviar service (1oz).