NYC's Michelin-Starred Al Coro Now Has A 5-Course Pasta Tasting Menu
It's no secret that New York City is home to some of the top dining destinations in the world, many of which have been recognized by Michelin Guide. Today, we're talking about one such restaurant, an Italian fine dining giant located in downtown Chelsea. Since opening its doors in 2022, Al Coro has already earned two Michelin stars and a James Beard Award nomination for Best New Restaurant, per a press release sent to Tasting Table. Alongside neighbors like Per Se, Le Bernardin, Le Pavillon, and Eleven Madison Park, the impressive newcomer forms something of a fine-dining borough unto itself. Now, Al Coro is rolling out a five-course pasta tasting menu.
Inside the restaurant, a bandstand of live music fills the dining room every night. Unlike many other, smaller Michelin-starred restaurants, Al Coro is built to accommodate larger parties with 10-top tables in the main space. Structural arches and Art-deco lighting fixtures create the illusion of sections, breaking up the large main dining room into smaller, more intimate spaces. Bar and lounge areas sit at the perimeter for sipping cocktails and wine as you digest, or work up an appetite chatting with friends pre-meal. It's a fittingly spacious-yet-cozy, conversational layout for an establishment serving elevated pasta courses, a nod to traditional Italian communal meals. For added flair, the interior is decked out with velvet and chrome, emblematic of the restaurant's old-meets-new approach to elevated modern Italian dining.
So, what's on the new menu?
Bring your appetite, and a friend
The menu was created by chef Melissa Rodriguez, former executive chef of Del Posto and sous chef at Daniel, who have both also been recognized by Michelin Guide. The chef says her inspiration comes from traditional pasta dishes like vodka sauce and vongole, which she uses as a jumping-off point from which to create a contemporary reimagination. Currently, the five-course pasta tasting menu includes Culurgiones stuffed with fontina and finished with golden Osetra caviar, herbs, and lemon butter. The Linguine Alle Vongole combines red and white vongole sauces, and the Cappelletti Alla Vodka is stuffed with smoked ricotta. (In an Instagram post, Al Coro calls the dish its "ode to NYC red sauce"). The Tortellini in Brodo with Braised Greens and Black Truffle takes multiple days to prepare, and cocoa powder is the secret ingredient to the Garganelli with Duck Ragù. In short, it's a disciplined yet avant-garde menu built on the foundation of familiar favorites, keeping guests on their toes.
All pasta is made in-house by Rodriguez and head pasta maker Carlos Perdomo, who has been working with the chef for over a decade. The five-course pasta tasting menu runs for $125 per person, which is more reminiscent of a price point you might expect to find at a Bib Gourmand. Al Coro is open for dinner only, so for foodies hungry to get a taste of the new pasta tasting menu for themselves, be sure to put your reservations in ahead of time.