Pasta Shop Named for Instagram Fails at Being Photogenic, Critic Says

Critic says the Pastagram isn’t as photogenic as it wants to be

The Post’s Steve Cuozzo checked out FiDi’s gimmicky new fast-casual pasta shop the Pastagram, which literally named itself after Instagram and claims to have designed its space and dishes with the intention of being post-worthy. But Cuozzo concluded that while the pasta is fresh, tasty, and affordable, it’s not as Instagrammable as promised: “It looks exactly like similar dishes at fast-casual spots such as Mark Ladner’s Pasta Flyer and even at generic chains like Café Metro,” he writes. The space doesn’t have any backdrops yet either, although those are supposedly coming. Instead, according to Cuozzo, there’s a monkey replica hanging from a ceiling pipe? In any case, Cuozzo asserts that “it’s excellent news that Pastagram is more successful at serving decent, inexpensive Italian dishes than it is at reaching social-media ‘influencers.’”

Danny Meyer has been ramping up his investment portfolio

In addition to recent investments in salad chain Tender Greens and Portland ice cream company Salt & Straw, Danny Meyer just backed local foods delivery service Goldbelly via his private-equity fund Enlightened Hospitality Investments. The company specializes in American regional foods, like Prince’s hot chicken in Nashville and Roberta’s pizza in NYC, so it has a local approach to food delivery.

Three stars for Oxomoco in Greenpoint

Grub Street critic Adam Platt dove into the wood-fired food of Greenpoint’s bustling Mexican restaurant Oxomoco in a three-star review that praises the smoky flavors the kitchen churns out from its massive grills. In particular, he highlights the tostadas, warmed on the grill and then topped with beef tartare, shrimp ceviche, and yellowfin tuna. Platt calls the house chicken “exceptional,” writing “it’s smoked, caked in a dark, honey-flavored pastilla paste, hung over the flaming grill until tender, and finished in the fryer for an extra crunch.”

Williamsburg Pizza might expand to East Village

The team behind popular Brooklyn-based pizzeria Williamsburg Pizza have plotted a fifth NYC location at 226 East 14th St., between Second and Third avenues in East Village. They’re slated to appear before the community board SLA licensing committee this month to seek approval for a beer and wine license. There is an existing location nearby in LES.