One of my most frequent food cravings is for a nice plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Nothing too fancy or cheffy, please. Just a big ol’ pile of pasta (it can be thicker or thinner, but it must be slurpably long and cooked al dente), smothered in a simple, bright tomato sauce, plenty of parm grated on top, maybe a few basil leaves strewn about, and as many dense and well-seasoned meatballs as you think I can handle (I can handle a lot).
There are surprisingly few places in Brooklyn that can consistently deliver the goods on this very specific food fantasy of mine — Cafe Spaghetti comes to mind — so I was thrilled when, on my second visit to the brand new and super appealing Pasta Night in Prospect Heights, my server set down this lovely plate of what the menu calls its “classic marinara.” Three bites in I knew I had hit the jackpot. This is exactly what I want when I want in spaghetti and meatballs.
And you know what? Several other things here at Pasta Night are equally good and satisfying in that most basic comfort food type of way. The gemelli, for example, tossed in a potent pesto and studded with bitter rabe and clumps of sweet sausage (plus sunflower seeds for a bit of crunch) was hefty, peppy and delicious.
Gemrelli with pesto, rabe, and sausage, $24 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
The “big ragu,” starring hefty strands of tentacly mafalda pasta and laden with a chunky beef sauce and a rich parmesan cream, was almost too much of a good thing, as were the thick snail-shaped lumache shells with hunks of squash and smoky bacon.
Malfalde with beef ragu and parm cream, $25 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
But the stealth winner here may be the gnocchi Sorrentina, an overflowing boat of wonderfully light, not-at-all-gummy potato pillows covered in that same bright marinara as the spaghetti, plus blistered tomatoes and a blanket of cheese, which gets baked until chewy. Getting through a mound of gnocchi can be a bit of a slog. Not at Pasta Night. It makes me want to try the other baked dish on the menu, an eggplant, smoked mozzarella and ricotta lasagna.
Gnocchi Sorrentina, $20 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
Pasta Night comes from the team behind Ciao Gloria, the coffee shop and cafe that Renato Poliafito opened in the fall of 2019 and turned into a neighborhood staple for breakfast and lunch during the early pandemic era. The new restaurant, which is co-owned by Joseph Catalanotti, is located literally right across the street from Ciao (it used to be a men’s clothing and barber shop called Smokey Vale), and it’s one of those exceptionally useful local spots that’s perfect for lots of occasions: with the kids, on a date, just for drinks and dessert, with a crew.
“I wanted something a little more adult,” Poliafito tells Brooklyn Magazine. “Ciao is very bright, very sunny. My design cues there were coastal Italy in the 1950s and ’60s. Like the Ripley movie. Pasta Night, though, is more rustic, more lived in, more… Southern Italy in the ’70s and ’80s. More ‘Call Me By Your Name.’”
“My parents are from Sicily and I went to Italy many times as a kid,” he says. “So I have very vivid and specific memories of the feelings and sensations of being there. I really wanted to bring that energy to Pasta Night, whether through the music, or the color scheme, or certain small details in the decor.”
Pasta Night is a pleasant hang for sure, but it’s the cooking of chef Carly Voltero, who also runs the kitchen at Ciao, that will turn you into a regular here. In addition to all those pastas above, Voltero also creates a killer “insalata di casa” from spicy greens, shaved fennel, radishes, Castelvetrano olives, and — unexpectedly brilliant ingredient alert — slivers of dried apricots. This with a basket of Voltero’s fresh-baked focaccia would make for a lovely summer supper, but since it’s getting chillier you best throw in a couple of her terrific aranci as well, the fried risotto balls crackling on the outside and exceptionally creamy within.
Insalata di casa, $12, with warm focaccia ($8), and an arancini ($12 for two) lurking behind (Photo by Scott Lynch)
There’s dessert at Pasta Night of course, shipped in from the other side of Vanderbilt from Ciao. The bosco nero is the pick here, a luscious chocolate cake topped with cream and amarena cherries, but the gelato, from Beddrina, is very good too, as is the cute cookie plate. Aperitivos cost about $14, which will also get you a glass of wine. Bottles of Peroni will set you back eight bucks. Mocktails and Italian sodas (the cherry and lime one was tart and refreshing) are also available.
Bosco nero, $10 (Photo by Scott Lynch)
“I love Prospect Heights,” says Poliafito. “Ciao Gloria was my baby and I put so much of my heart and soul into it, and I’m doing the same thing here at Pasta Night. I’m not trying to turn this into, like, 600 locations. I’m just here for the neighborhood. I just want people to come and have really great food and hang out and be in a friendly atmosphere.”
Pasta Night is located at 575 Vanderbilt Avenue, between Dean and Pacific Streets, and is currently open from Wednesday through Monday from 5 to 10 p.m., with lunch hours coming later in the fall.
The post Pasta Night in Prospect Heights is a perfect every-night restaurant appeared first on Brooklyn Magazine.
