National Pasta Day: Marea, NYC

We didn't know that the day we decided to meet after work at Marea (midtown, Central Park South & Broadway) for a casual dinner that it was National Pasta Day. Had we known, there probably wouldn't have been anywhere else we would have picked to honor this incredible carbohydrate.

Arriving at 5:00pm to grab to seats at the bar - coveted, quickly snatched up, seats. They start serving the full menu at the bar at 5:30pm which makes it a popular choice at this restaurant who's reputation and two Michelin stars make it hard to get a reservation in the dining room.

We went low key - crudos and pasta dishes. So to start, three bite size pieces of perfection. After much contemplation & discussion, we choose, from right to left, the Scampi (Pacifi c langoustine, Murray River pink salt); Ono (seared wild Pacifi c wahoo, wild mushroom, lobster roe) and the Dentice (Pacifi c snapper, mandarin orange, pistachio, carrot vinaigrette). The selection of crudos on the is stunning and diverse.

SIDE BAR: One night I'd like to go and order every single selection in a Crudo Taste Off. It would cost $407 before tax and tip and would consist of 21 different kinds, 4 pieces of each....if anyone wants to take me up on that just say the word!!!

The scampi was light, buttery soft with a cucumber it's sitting on giving a hint of crunch to offset the wonderfully mushy texture of the langoustine. Excellent.

The Ono was a more earthy flavor if you can say that about fish. The seared edges added smokiness while the mushroom gave it that forest flavor. Very nice.

And our favorite, the snapper with the citrus of the mandarin orange and nutiness of the pistachio was just perfect. Could have eaten those all night.

Then came the pastas. It's almost as hard to choose these as the first courses. We knew we wanted our favorite, the fusilli. But what else? After contemplating all we went for the agnolotti which were piemontese meat ravioli, veal sweetbreads, wild mushrooms in a brown butter. The kitchen was kind enough to split both pastas for us and serve them one after the other - our casual dinner was a three course meal!

First up was the fusilli...red wine braised octopus and bone marrow in a perfect red sauce.

This is hands down THE BEST pasta dish I've ever had. Ever, anywhere. There's something magical about the crispiness of the octopus; the decadence of the bone marrow and the perfect al dente fusilli that just creates perfect culinary harmony. I've had it four times now and it's always flawless.

The second, new pasta was the ravioli.

A much heavier pasta, the sweetbreads were tender; the mushrooms gave depth and the brown butter added a sweetness. Also an amazing dish. We were glad that they split the dishes for us - a full plate of the agnolotti would have proven to be too much for one person. In this manner, it was exactly the right amount. Full but not uncomfortable - a wonderful dinner once again.

I can't say enough about Marea. If you get the chance, you need to go. And then go again.
Jenn's Rating: 91
Michelin: Two Stars
Zagat:28-26-26