Spasso

551 Hudson St., West Village, NY

7.6

map & more

Neighborhood
West Village

Cuisine
Italian
Pasta

212-858-3838

Official Website

By Chris Stang
September 6, 2011

We’ll give you one reason, and one reason alone to go to Spasso. Pasta. Sure, it’s a slick and impressive looking West Village restaurant, and it’s probably a pretty good option for your next Date Night dinner. But there are also about six other great date restaurants within a few block radius – all with better all-around menus, and all much more suited to knock the socks (pants) off your new acquaintance. If you’re looking to hit a home run, head down the street to Extra Virgin.

Spasso is a place best utilized for a night when you’re looking to sit at the bar, get a drink, and rip into a bowl of handmade carbohydrate satisfaction. We’ve had a few of the better pastas that we’ve seen outside of a Michael White restaurant here, which isn’t surprising considering that the chef spent some time at Convivio. Let me say however, that this is definitely not Marea, and you definitely aren’t getting fusilli with braised octopus and bone marrow. Things are a bit more simple at Spasso. The fusilli here is served with a spicy pork ragu, goat cheese and mint…and it’s my favorite thing on the menu. We also liked the agnolotti with veal and burrata mezzalunas, and found a saffron and seafood pasta on our last visit that was awesome. Unfortunately after that, things get a little spotty. Entrees can be hit or miss, as can the service. The few times we’ve been to Spasso, we’ve felt like they are still working out the kinks to some extent – a sentiment that was echoed when we started Tweeting pictures from a recent meal. We heard from a lot of people that want to love this place, but can’t get behind it until it gets more consistent. The good news is that they pour huge drinks. That and some really good pasta will keep us coming back while they figure the rest of it out.

Food Rundown:

Fried Oysters
These are an excellent way to start a meal at Spasso. The oysters have been perfectly fried, and that salad on top of them is pretty damn excellent too.

Eggplant Arancini
A play on the traditional Italian rice ball, but with eggplant inside. We love eggplant, so we loved these – but know that this might not be an order for everyone.

Housemade Stracciatella Cheese
This is the thing to order at Spasso other than the pastas. You’ll want this delicious sh*t on your table at all times.

Fusilli with Spicy Pork Ragu
A pasta that you will want to eat over and over again. This might be the best thing on the menu at Spasso, and it’s incredibly simple. Order it.

Veal Agnolotti
Little tiny pasta cubes filled with veal. We love the flavor, and love eating these like a bowl of meaty cereal.

Charred Octopus
A crudo style serving of octopus with pickled fennel. We didn’t love the texture or the flavor. Try one of the other crudo options instead.