The multi-concept pasta destination is comprised of a retail shop, a coffee and cocktail bar, a spaghetti to-go counter, and a casual dining area, A Tavola, offering an á la carte menu.
The pièce de résistance takes physical form however at The Oval–a 30-seat, open kitchen serving a fine-dining pasta tasting menu.
Here you’ll find food so authentically and mouth-wateringly delicious that it was just recently named one of the Top 50 Italian Restaurants Abroad by 50 Top Italy and is the first New York restaurant to be awarded three forks by Gambero Rosso, Italy’s top food guidebook.
Conceptualized by Giuseppe Di Martino, third generation Owner of renowned Pastificio Di Martino, and helmed by Michelin-starred chef Peppe Guida and Chef Alessio Rossetti, The Oval showcases classic Neapolitan recipes through both lunch (four courses, $95) and dinner (seven courses, $175) tasting menus.
The dining experience is fully immersive, with each course being prepared in front of guests.
Seasonal ingredients come together to create dishes such as Eliche Giganti, a spiral pasta in a beetroot sauce with goat cheese mousse and chopped almonds and Spaghettini with Mandarin and Caviar, cooked in a mandarin infusion then sautéed with Provolone del Monaco and garnished with a quenelle of black caviar.
A sweet treat of Millefoglie all’Arancia con Mousse di Arance Rosse, a dessert made of puff pastry, seals the meal and makes for the most delicious ending to a meal.
For drinks imaginative cocktails such as the Di Martini, a dry Martini made with Marconi 42 gin, dry and blanc vermouths, one infused with sun-dried tomatoes, and Fino sherry presented in a separate glass with cherry tomatoes, and the In Between, made with Paranubes rum, Pisco Acholado, Bianco vermouth, cactus pear, pineapple, lime, and mole pair perfectly with your meal.
Or, in typical Italian fashion, you can choose from one of their hundreds of available wines from France, Italy, and the U.S.
The Oval is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, and seven days a week for lunch and it’s located at 428 W 16th Street inside Chelsea Market. Reservations can be made here.