Years ago, I dined at the original Cacio e Pepe in the East Village on Second Avenue. I can recall the server with his arm hoisting a wheel of cheese over his head as he walked through the dining room to serve their namesake dish.

That memory returned when I dined at their Upper East Side location and ordered cacio e pepe during New York Restaurant Week.

We dipped the Italian bread into one of their three dips — white bean puree, spicy red pepper sauce and EVOO — while sipping a dirty martini. Oddly the bartender garnished that drink with black, not green, olives.

We started by sharing two appetizers from their $45 special dinner menu: their flavorful meatballs in a tomato basil sauce and a lightly dressed arugula salad with pear batons and pecorino cheese. 

For entrees, we split the salmon and their signature eponymous Roman dish. The latter consists of homemade tonnarelli (long pasta), theatrically brought tableside, then served from a large wheel of pecorino cheese. So rich, so good. The perfectly cooked salmon came over grilled leeks with dollops of an unusual spicy avocado mousse.

Although stuffed, our Restaurant Week menu included desserts. We split the deconstructed cannoli and their Amaretto tiramisú with apricot sauce & espresso granita. Both were also delicious. 

I highly recommend a visit.

Cacio e Pepe
Upper East Side
1479 York Avenue
New York 10075
646 682 7676
cacioepepeues.com