Times Critic Says Rezdôra’s Five-Course Pasta Tasting Is ‘Excellent’

Times critic Pete Wells just awarded Gramercy Italian restaurant Rezdôra a glowing three stars, commending chef Stefano Secchi’s “excellent” pasta tasting menu.

Wells writes that the five-course tasting was as if the chef had laid down a straight flush. He especially digs the maccheroni al pettine, served in a “smooth, almost fluffy” tomato-basil sauce, as well as the tortelloni filled with “plush fresh ricotta.”

He’s also a fan of the ragu, writing:

If we are talking about Emilia-Romagna we have to talk about ragù, and that was the next course, tossed with slim ribbons of tagliolini. Some people will find the ragù saltier than they like. Almost everyone will find it more tender and smooth than the last 20 or 30 ragús they ate.

It’s a big day for the restaurant, which also received two stars from Eater critic Ryan Sutton earlier today, who also praised the ingenious tasting.

But Wells writes that the newly opened restaurant still makes some mistakes: The stewed cannellini beans served with the black sea bass were still crunchy; the rock shrimp was tough; and a few of the original pastas aren’t as good as the classics. Though Wells recommends the olive oil cake, Eater’s critic suggests skipping the desserts as a whole. Three stars.

• At Rezdôra, a Fresh Voice in Italian Cooking for New York [NYT]
• All Coverage of Rezdôra [ENY]