Michelin-starred Rezdôra, Birthday Celebration, Gramercy-Flatiron, NYC

To get a reservation for my friend’s birthday, I found out how far in advance Rezdôra booked on Resy then grabbed the date I wanted and walked over to the restaurant to ask for the time we preferred. It was worth the effort.

If you’re not familiar, Rezdôra is Stefano Secchi’s Italian restaurant with one star from Michelin, three stars from Pete Wells (New York Times).

We opted for their regional 5-course pasta tasting ($95 each) along with the wine pairings ($55 each). To start the celebration, we each sipped a refreshing Aperol Spritzer ($15) while nibbling the amuse-bouche of mini-cannoli filled with Swiss chard and Parmigiana cheese sprinkled with spinach powder. We also ordered their Fett’una ($7 per order of two half slices of garlic bread dosed with olive oil) while we waited for the tasting to start, as one friend was too hungry to wait.

The sparkling red Fiorini Becco Rosso Lambrusco Graspaross di Castelvetro, Italy was served with the first course of mini-tortellini filled with prosciutto, mortadella and parmesan cheese in a rich capon broth that was cooked for over eight hours intensifying the flavor.

They paired the Monteraponi Chianti Classico 2019 with the spinach-based bowties in a Pomodoro classic pairing topped with Parmigiana crema. Freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano cheese was offered to top it.

Next was the Tortelloni d’ ricotta, a delicate herb-ricotta stuffed pasta finished with brown butter and sage. The Ottin, Viticulteur Encaveru Petite Arvine 2019, a medium to full-bodied white that worked well with the richness of ricotta, its high acidity cut through the brown butter. Perfection.

Next, they served an Italian super Tuscan — Capezzana Ugo Contini Bonacossi, 2016 — that stood up to the long thin noodle with a classic Bolognese sauce. It was big and bold with dark fruit characteristics, containing 80% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Tagliolini al pork ragu, from Modena, is made from scraps of prosciutto and mortadella, a touch of Parmesan crema gave it even more richness.

The final pasta course was the Anolini di parma, with a traditional pork filling of prosciutto and mortadella and ground pork topped with a parmigiana sauce and then drizzled at the table with a 25-year sweet rich balsamico. They poured the Frano Serra, 2016 Barolo with that.