Directly behind the counter at A. Mercurio & Sons is an open-space kitchen from which interesting pasta-making techniques can be seen daily, especially early in the day. A Mercurio family member (starting with Andrew) has made pasta for area residents since 1942 and all those years of practice has led to pasta perfection. The selection is not ambitious, but it’s better to do less well and than everything mediocre. Favorites include spinach noodles, ricotta cavatelli, gnocchi, lasagna strips, basil fettuccine, and plain old cheese ravioli. And remember to bring some green—this is a cash-only biz.
Never mind the modest digs at Trotta’s House of Pasta in Thornwood; enter the family-owned pasta shop and check out the white board for the day’s fresh specials. Cheese-stuffed rigatoni, and basil or black-pepper pasta are popular choices, but also the seasonal ravioli (most are $9 for 18 large rounds) including spinach, broccoli rabe, wild mushroom, spinach and walnut, asparagus, lobster, roasted pepper, asparagus and crab, and Tuscany (chicken breast, artichoke hearts, ricotta-eggs, Romano cheese, sundried tomatoes, spices). The sauces are made in the back as well—pesto, marinara, vodka, Bolognese, and putanesca,
They also do delicious baked stuffed breads ($5.99/lb) and an on-point burrata ($8/½lb), that delicate Puglian gob consisting of a mozzarella shell around a soft cream-and-mozzarella center. If Thornwood’s not in your usual travels, Trotta’s has a stand at both the Pleasantville and Larchmont Farmers’ Markets (both on Saturdays, May 25 through November 23, 8:30 am to 1 pm) and the Bronxville Farmers’ Market (Saturdays, May 11 through November 23, 8:30 am to 1 pm).
Pasta
A. Mercurio & Sons
363 Mamaroneck Ave
Mamaroneck, (914) 698-4127
amercuriosons.com
Trotta’s House of Pasta
790 Commerce
St Thornwood, (914) 769-8977
