Robust sauce complements hearty bucatini pasta

Phil Lempert TODAY Food Editor • Profile • E-mail

This week we have stolen a recipe “con permesso” from Sergio Bitici, chef-owner of Macelleria Restaurant in New York City, which he owns with his daughter Violetta.

“Macelleria” means butcher shop in Italian and the restaurant fits well in it’s trendy meatpacking district location with a stylized butcher-shop interior; long wooden tables, antique meat hooks, exposed brick and original heavy oak structures result in a relaxed yet stylish atmosphere upstairs, while downstairs a romantically atmospheric wine cellar comprises a dining room complete with 16th-century walls made of stone and quartz.

At this unpretentious, authentic Italian steakhouse, one of New York’s most eminent bartenders can also be found — Sherif Neza, who made the Guinness Book of World Records for receiving the biggest tip ever and is a recognized New York personality with a following of his own.

Bucatini pasta is spaghetti-like, with a hole running through the middle of it. More substantial than spaghetti, it is often used in Roman cooking and complements a rustic, simple sauce.

About the chef
Sergio Bitici is credited with opening one of the first Tuscan restaurants in the U.S, as well as being the first to receive a three-star rating for an Italian restaurant in New York.

Sergio and his daughter Violetta make a perfect team, running Macelleria with a seemingly effortless charm while overseeing everything from the fresh espresso brewed for breakfast in the morning to the pastas that are hand-rolled before lunch in the afternoon to the dry-aged Strassburger meats that become the star of the show every night.

Customers can hand-pick their choice of prime Porterhouse, T-bone steak, rib eye, or filet mignon from an exposed meat locker.

Macelleria
48 Gansevoort Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 741 2555
http://www.macelleriarestaurant.com/

Bucatini all’ Amatriciana is served at Macelleria for $18. This recipe makes 4 restaurant servings.

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