'The best pasta restaurant in New York'
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RESTAURANTS • FOUND Access
→ RETURN ENGAGEMENT: Legendary yakitori master Yoshiteru Ikewaga of Tokyo’s introduction-only Torishiki — the holy grail of grilled chicken counters — returns to NYC for a series of dinners at Torien, where he’s a partner. From June 12 to 22 (excluding June 17), Ikewaga will work the binchotan grill, with seatings at 530p and 9p nightly. The $350 multi-course meal highlights the chef’s mastery of skewered cuts like tail and heart, fired over coals more than 1000°F to achieve a delicately blistered exterior and ultra-juicy center. (If you look closely, you’ll notice that Ikewaga’s nails are partially melted from working so near the coals, a true testament to his dedication.) –Kat Odell
Reservations go live tomorrow at 4p and will disappear quickly, but the restaurant is holding 10 spots for FOUND subscribers. See the instructions at the bottom of this email to grab one.
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Hidden in plain sight
When I arrived for dinner late last month on Amsterdam near 90th St., I wasn’t sure I was in the right place. Aside from a softly glowing sign, the restaurant looked completely closed, its windows veiled behind a table-less al fresco patio.
I had come uptown on the recommendation of a cousin, who’d heard from someone high up at New York’s Italian consulate that this was the best pasta restaurant in New York. Despite opening eight years ago — and despite thinking of myself as someone generally tapped into the New York restaurant scene — it was completely new to me.
That’s because those in the know keep it under wraps. The 20 seats are routinely filled almost exclusively by regulars. And now, having experienced the place, I’m tempted to gatekeep it myself.