the dish
Spaghetti Carbonara
When chef Marc Forgione accepted Frank DeCarlo’s offer last fall
to take over Peasant, he resolved to maintain the Nolita institu-
tion’s defining characteristics: the familiar name; the cozy vibe;
the primal, wood-fired kitchen. And as a recent dinner indicated,
so far, so good. Still, it came as something of a surprise when
our spaghetti carbonara materialized not in a bowl but inside
a lidded,quart-sizeMasonjar,whichtheserverproceeded to
shake like a Hemingway daiquiri before spilling its contents
onto a plate. Forgione brainstormed this novel delivery system
a few years back when he was invited to cook pasta for a daunt-
ing 1,400 guests at a food-festival tribute to Jonathan Waxman.
As he discovered, “it’s one of the best ways to emulsify eggyolk
into the sauce and allows you to do it tableside.”
A few more tweaks—supplementing the traditional
guanciale with braised pig’s ears, infusing eggyolks
with smoked olive oil—further distinguish thedish
from what you get in Rome. r.r.& r.p.
responsibly sourced and carefully cooked
beef with a truly special special sauce made
from mushrooms and gochujang, Yoo has
created one of the city’s best.
Even seemingly skippable starters excel
here. Chicken wings and fried calamari are
reverse engineered to maximize crunch,
then precisely seasoned and compellingly
sauced. By smoking and curing its featured
fungus, a mushroom-Reuben quesadilla
capturesthevery essenceofitssandwich
inspiration. And as far as actual sandwiches
go, there are some terrific ones. A vegan
grilled“cheese” is nearlyasgoodasa regu-
lar grilled cheese. A Vegetalian hero (made
with marinated yuba) is better than most
of its meaty counterparts. And a tuna melt
made with Pickle Guys pickles, French’s
mustard, and salt-and-vinegar potato chips
will knock your socks off. With apologies to
Eisenberg’s, it is the last word on the subject
of tuna melts.
Asian-diner aficionados woulddo well
toheedthe“chef specialties”listedon
thedinner-menuinsert,whichrecently
includedtwoimpressiveMulberry-meets-
Mottpastas:the“wontoninienbrodo,”
garnishedwithbuttonmushroomsshaved
asthinastruffles,anda Chinesetwiston
linguinewithclams.Butthesleeperspecial
hasgottobetheAsianriceandbeans,a
griddle-crispedpuckof sushiriceblanketed
withfivevarietiesofAsianbeanscooked
withhoisinandspices,dressedwithChi-
nesechileoil,andsprinkledwithjalapeños
andonions.It possessesthespiritofmapo
tofu,theheft ofsouthwesternchili,andthe
unmistakabletasteofsomethingthrill-
inglynew—agoodexampleofwhat makes
GoldenDinera beaconina neighborhood
anda cityofimmigrants,where theonly
constantis perpetualchange.
scratchpad
Bystreamliningtheunwieldydinermenu
andincorporatingunexpectedflavorsand
techniques,SamYoomakesquotidian
classicsthattastebothfamiliarandfresh.
Forthat,andthetunamelt,hegetsa hearty
“Impressive”rating.
bites
RECOMMENDEDDISHES:Mushroom-Reuben
quesadilla,salt-and-peppercalamari,
matzo-ballsoup, tunamelt,cheeseburger,
egg-and-cheesesandwich,Asianriceand
beans,ThaiCobbsalad.NOTE:Armedwith
onlya beer-and-winelicense, thecrewmixes
someuniqueandtastysojuandrice-wine
cocktails, Makgeolli
Horchata. and
dinnerTuesdaytoSunday.PRICES:$5to$18.
On the menu
at Peasant; $22;
194 Elizabeth St.,
nr. Spring St.;
212-965-9511
PHOTOGRAPH: MELISSA HOM/NEW YORK MAGAZINE
Fresh
spaghetti is
extruded
in-house.
Forthesauce,
Forgione
braisespig’s
earsand
tossesthemin
a panwith
guanciale.
ThechefaddsPe corino
Romanotothepanwith
theporkandpasta,
thenseasonswiththat
carbonarahallmark
crackedblackpepper.
“Eggsabsorb
everything,”
say
wh
yolksinsmoked
oliveoil.
A waiter shakes the jar tableside
to emulsify the yolk and sauce before
pouring the pasta onto a plate.
61
