Massara’s Pasta Tasting Menu Brings Pasta Dishes To New Heights

There is nothing quite like 5 five-course meal of delicious carbs paired with wine.

It’s clear that New York City has a deep appreciation for Italian cuisine, and Massara, the new sister restaurant to the acclaimed Rezdôra, is poised to become a standout. Meaning “matriarch” in Campanian dialect, Massara is a heartfelt tribute to the regional flavors of Campania, with a menu crafted by Chef Stefano Secchi that draws inspiration from his Southern Italian upbringing and its rich culinary traditions.

Massara offers brunch, lunch, and dinner, each featuring a variety of Campanian delights. However, their pasta tasting menu is a particular highlight, offering five classic and contemporary pasta dishes, with vegetarian substitutions available. The optional wine pairing, which we had the pleasure of experiencing, elevates the journey.

The tasting began with Memories of “Lievito Madre,” a spaghetti dish featuring decadent squid ink and a luxurious caviar topping. The pasta is coated in a buttery sauce, offering a delightful salinity from the seafood, while dehydrated yeast adds a subtle breadiness. This course is expertly paired with Illa Marca di San Michele’s ‘Numerocinque’ Spumante Dosaggio Zero Col Fondo 2020, a bone-dry white wine made with spent yeast from the wine’s second fermentation. The wine’s yeasty notes perfectly complement the pasta’s breadiness, and its dryness cuts through the richness of the sauce, allowing each flavor to shine.

Next, we savored the Cannelloni “Tra Toscana e Campania,” enriched with black truffle and a generous ricotta cheese topping. The rich fattiness of the ricotta finds its perfect counterpart in the earthy black truffle shavings. This dish is paired with Joaquin’s ‘Vino della Stella’ Fiano di Avellino 2019, a wine whose pronounced minerality beautifully complements the truffle and effectively mellows the palate, cutting through the cheese’s richness with each sip.

The third course presented Gnocchi di Patate, a dish paired with Marco di Bartoli’s ‘Pietranera’ Terre Siciliane Zibibbo 2023. This dry white wine from Marsala, reminiscent of a Riesling without the overt sweetness, is chosen to balance the gnocchi’s sauciness and lighten its heavier notes. The gnocchi themselves are wonderfully pillowy, soaking up the sauce without becoming soggy. A subtle hint of spice lingers, creating a mouthwatering sensation that never overpowers.

Perhaps our favorite dish of the evening was the Candele, paired with De Fermo’s ‘Prologo’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2020. This highly popular dish features a rich, braised beef ragù, cooked for 24 hours to achieve an incredible depth of flavor from the aromatics and hearty beef. The candele pasta is generously coated in parmesan, creating a gooey embrace that binds the sauce to every strand. The acidity of the De Fermo red wine creates a perfect harmony with the meaty ragù.

The final pasta dish was the Bottone de Castagna, accompanied by Baracco’s ‘Altogrado’ Terre Siciliane Grillo 2016. This unique wine, with its intriguing balance of sweetness and acidity, is paired with a pillowy pasta coated in a sweet, orangey fig molasses sauce. Both the pasta and the wine offer a delightful dessert-like finish, beautifully rounding out the tasting experience.

Our experience with Massara’s pasta tasting menu and wine pairing was truly fantastic. Each dish possessed a distinct identity, and the thoughtfully curated wine pairings significantly enhanced the enjoyment. We wholeheartedly recommend this tasting menu for any occasion, promising a memorable culinary journey through the flavors of Campania.