Tiny Urban Kitchen

Carbone New York City

Jennifer Che — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:37:42 +0000

New York City is a place known for notoriously difficult reservations. Mario Carbone's original, iconic, eponymous Italian American restaurant Carbone is one of the hardest to get. There are threads and articles online devoted to this topic, with titles like "[t]he hardest reservations to get in NYC right now", "is there ANYWAY to get into Carbone" and "is Carbone just outright rejecting normal people?".

Many eventually get a taste of Carbone at one of its other locations, such as Miami, Las Vegas, or overseas. We've dined many times at the Carbone in Hong Kong, and we've always enjoyed it. Although it's reasonably bookable, you still have to book at least a week in advance, especially for prime weekend spots.

But we've always been mildly curious what it would be like to go to the ORIGINAL location in New York. We think the one in Hong Kong is actually already quite good. Yet we also knew the crazy hype surrounding the NYC location. Would it be different? Better? Would it feel exclusive? Why is it so hard to book?

We finally found out during our most recent trip to New York City this past spring! It certainly wasn't easy to get the reservation. In fact, we had to go through the Hong Kong Carbone - who connected us with the New York City Carbone - to finally get a booking. It was certainly a huge favor, and we're quite thankful to Carbone HK (where we are kinda regulars) for helping us in this way.

The Vibe

First, the space at this original Carbone is quite special. There's a long history behind the space, where originally Rocco Restaurant stood for many years. The inside has a 1950's vibe, with dark wood paneling, lots of velvet, and waitstaff wearing bowties.

The original New York location is a smaller, tighter space. The alleys are narrow, and there isn't much space between tables. You almost feel like you're in a cave!

Bread, Soprasetta, and Cheese!

The meal started out very similar to what we see in Hong Kong, a delicious overflowing breadbasket full of three types of bread: garlic, seeded, and a tomato foccacia. There's pickled caulifower and soprasetta.

To us, the quality was pretty comparable to Hong Kong, and not noticeably different.

But the cheese . . .

On interesting difference was the cheese! In Hong Kong there is a dramatic presentation where the server wheels out a whole cheese wheel (on a cart) and scoops out pieces of Italian grana padano for each diner. It's a dramatic presentation, and everyone always loves it.

Perhaps due to space constraints in the New York City location, the server just brought over a much smaller cheese round (no cart), and scooped out some cheese for each of us. The cheese was still delicious, but it was different!

Another fun fact. In Hong Kong we had Italian grana padano cheese. In New York, the cheese is actually from the US! It's made by an Italian immigrant who moved to Wisconsin! He took old world techniques and made an American versions of Parmesan, which they call "American Grana."

Appetizers

The Caesar Salad is excellent, with buttery croutons, generous slices of anchovies, and fresh baby Romaine lettuce with copious amounts of cheese.

We also tried an eggplant & zuchini scapece ($32), a dish that we'd never seen in Hong Kong. The bright tart vinegar and fresh vegetables added a nice contrast to the thinly sliced roasted vegetables underneath. I especially liked the touch of chili.

Pasta

The pricy Lobster Ravioli ($56 for 5 pieces!) was nicely al dente, with a thick chewy, jet black squid ink pasta exterior. The ravioli was cheesy on the inside, and served alongside generous chunks of lobster meat in a creamy sauce.

The angel hair pasta with bottarga was deceptively simple but delicious. I loved the mild heat from the pickled chili peppers. I went back for second helpings, despite the fact that I knew we had so much more food coming.

We absolutely had to get one of their more popular signature dishes, the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka. Beautiful, thick tubes of al dente rigatoni are slathered in a rich, flavorful tomato cream sauce. We love this dish, and the version here was fantastic.

But you MUST order a side of meatballs to go with this dish. The combination of the rigatoni with the meatballs is divine, and the sum is truly greater than the parts.

The meatballs are quite big, so it's OK to share! But it's so delicious people may just each wish to have one for themselves!

Main Dishes (Good to Share!)

The Veal Parmesan ($96) is shaped like a pizza (except with a "crust" of pounded flat veal!). We often like to order this dish in Hong Kong. The New York version was just as good. This dish is great for sharing.

We also had the Dover Piccata (MP), seared in butter and topped with large amounts of cappers and tomatoes. It was quite good, though perhaps it did not stand out as much as other dishes.

The Pork Chop & Peppers ($52) was also solid. They use high quality pork, and the dish is just quite satisfying to eat.

Sides

We ordered several sides that we'd never tried in Hong Kong before.

Artichoke Hearts ($19)

The presentation of Squash Agrodolce was kind of fun. The server first brought out the whole (peeled) squash with the separate flavoring ingredients for us to see. Then, he split the squash into quarters and slathered the "agrodolce" (sweet and sour) sauce on top.

The mixture of honey, vinegar, squash seeds, and a yogurt-like cream was actually quite tasty. It almost felt like we were moving onto dessert.

In fact, we were so stuffed at that point (we packed quite a bit of leftovers!) that we just didn't have room for dessert. Yes, we had to say no to dessert.

General Thoughts - Carbone New York City

It was a bit surreal to finally be able to visit a place that is so notoriously hard to book. Yet, at the same time, it felt so normal and so familiar. I think I have to say kudos to the Hong Kong team, who have really captured the feeling and quality of the original New York location. The food is tasty, and service was good, and the whole vibe of the place is pretty special. You do feel like you are being transported by into the 1950's, and it's fun for fans of the movie The Godfather (it's one of Bryan's favorite movies!).

The floor pattern is inspired from the movie The Godfather

It's still pretty impossible to book the Carbone in New York. If you're willing to travel, at least the Hong Kong location is much easier to book, and I think the overall experience is similar. Sure, the New York location is a bit cozier, tighter quarters, darker spaces . . . but I still think the Hong Kong location captures the overall feel pretty authentically.

Must order dishes: Spicy Rigatoni Vodka with a side of Meatballs, Caesar Salad, and maybe the Veal Parmesan. I personally really loved the angel hair pasta as well.

Carbone New York
181 Thompson Street
New York, NY 10012

Carbone Hong Kong: It's amazing how impeccably Carbone Hong Kong execute the "red velvet and leather" old-world Italian-American aesthetic, everything from the spicy rigatoni to the massive veal parmesan.

Torrisi Italian Specialties: Before Carbone became the global sensation it is today, chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi were making waves in NYC at Torrisi Italian Specialties. This post from 2012 (!) covers a visit from back when the duo was serving highly creative, affordable tasting menus out of a tiny New York storefront.

Contessa Ristorante – Great Italian in Boston Opened by the same team behind Carbone, Contessa is has distinct "Carbone vibes", but is a bit lighter, brighter, and Northern-Italian leaning.

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Il Buco Alimentari New York

Jennifer Che — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:29:19 +0000

Ah Il Buco Alimentari. I fell in love with this restaurant when I first visited back in 2012 (!). It was one of those rare places in New York that we repeatedly visited, despite usually wanting to try new places.

It was just THAT good.

We also loved the restaraunt-within-a-market concept (reminding me of our beloved Roscioli in Italy). Who could have ever imagined that - 14 years later - we’d be back in New York, and Il Buco would STILL be here. Not only that, even Roscioli would have opened a location in New York City!

And we’d visit them BOTH in one trip.

Our visit to Il Buco this time was amazing

It has maintained its market-like concept, and business is as good as ever. It was fun to sit at the bar, staring at delicious cheese all night long.

The place certainly has A LOT of energy, and can be quite loud. We were glad we were seated near the end, closer to the door where it was a bit quieter.

Il Buco specializes in “house-cured meats and home baked breads and pastries." Their restaurant is centered around the concept of the Alimentari, or market, "where a multitude of local and Italian imported artisan products line the shelves, including the il Buco original product line of Italian extra virgin olive oils, vinegars and sea salts.”

Indeed, it is so tempting to purchase many of their excellent ingredients (like olive oil, for instance!), after trying them at the restaurant.

What We Ate

We started with refreshing SNAP PEAS served with smoked trout, trout roe, and sorrel leaves over a tzatziki sauce ($26).

Next was the “Cheesemonger’s choice”. The Cheesemonger actually chose cheese from Italy and Vermont! We tried an unusual “blue” cheese from Vermont that was so fresh that the blue vines hadn’t appeared yet (but it definitely tasted like blue cheese!).

And the there was this Occelli al Barolo cheese (aged for 7 months)!

I fell in love with this stunning cheese, which is wrapped in the spent skins of barolo grapes! I even searched whether I could buy it in Hong Kong, and was pleasantly surprised to find out our local Italian market, Mercato, indeed carries this cheese!

(Since our New York trip I've gone back TWICE to buy this cheese. Still can't believe I can get it here in HK.)

And then Bryan said “but we have to get salumi. That’s what they are known for . . .”

So we got a sampler plate SALUMI DELLA CASA, an assortment of Il Buco's house-cured heritage breed pork. You can get 2 for $25 or 4 for $35. Bryan wanted variety, so we splurged and got four (just for the two of us!).

You wonder how we still had room for the rest of the meal? Suffice it to say, we skipped the second and just focused on pasta for our main course!

Pasta + Sides

Classic bucatini cacio & pepe, with pecorino romano, parmigiano reggiano, and black pepper. $24

This was perfect, with chewy al dente pasta and a perfect, cheesy and peppery sauce.

Beef shortrib bolognese with wide papardelle was executed beautifully. I liked how the portion sizes were not crazy, and (surprisingly) we easily finished all of the food!

For our veggies, we enjoyed these charred TOKYO TURNIPS, which were roasted in miso brown butter and topped with arugula rabe. ($16)

General Thoughts: Il Buco Alimentari

What can I say, am I biased due to nostalgia that I had an amazing time at Il Buco? It was hard not to compare it with Roscioli, since we had just eaten at the new NYC location a few days earlier. Even though I originally loved Il Buco because it reminded me of Roscioli (in New York), this time I actually felt that the market at Il Buco felt more authentic than the one at Roscioli New York. Perhaps a "local" restaurant will feel more local compared to a transplant trying to re-plant a "foreign" concept into another city.

I loved both, and the food at both places were excellent. There was just something about promoting a (sort of) local Vermont cheese, or maybe the fact that there's a real market inside the restaurant, that just made Il Buco feel a bit more authentic and local.

I'm thrilled they are doing so well. In fact, so well that the noise level in the restaurant was a bit borderline for me to handle. I am very thankful they let us move seats to the corner of the restaurant, which made all the difference in our enjoyment of the meal. What can I say, New Yorkers are energetic people!

Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
53 Great Jones St.
New York, NY 10012

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Le Bernardin Lunch - Revisited

Jennifer Che — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:16:55 +0000

I've been a fan of Eric Ripert's Le Bernardin for as long as I can remember. There was my first full tasting meal (dinner) in 2009 (where I promptly declared it as my "favorite restaurant in the world" and "it's rare that every single course of a 10-course tasting is a "wow" dish").

Jen with Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin back in 2014

And then there were those subsequent lunches in 2014 (where he happened to be in the kitchen that day!) and in 2016, when a college friend and I celebrated our milestone birthday.

Each time the seafood was executed perfectly.

I never would have imagined back in 2016 that it would be over ten years before I would return.

Jen and Eric Ripert at 10th Annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition. Chef Ripert was a judge while Jen was covering the event as media.

Le Bernardin had three Michelin stars back then. Throughout all these years, the restaurant has maintained its high-precision excellence (and its three stars). Chef Ripert has continued to stay focused on his flagship restaurant instead of expanding rapidly, like some other celebrity chefs.

Lunch 3-course Menu

"Where do you want to eat in New York this time?" Bryan asked.

"I only have one request," I said. "Le Bernardin".

We were taking some friends to New York (their first time), and it had been SO LONG since I'd been. Plus, we wanted to show our friends some of our favorites.

Honestly, upon walking in, it felt as it nothing had really changed (despite a whole decade passing!). The space felt familiar. I could still look at certain seats and say, "I remember sitting there."

Partly due to time limitations (our friend was flying out that afternoon), we chose the 3-course lunch menu ($139). This tasting allows you to choose 2 courses plus a dessert. Typically people will choose a lighter one as the first course (e.g.. something from their "raw" or "barely cooked" sections) and then a "heavier" one (from "lightly cooked") as their second course. However, it's pretty flexible and you can choose whichever two dishes you want.

I'm happy to report that the food is still excellent.

Almost Raw

Even after over a decade, certain dishes never leave the menu. This signature TUNA dish (layers of thinly pounded yellowfin tuna over foie gras and a toasted baguette plus chives) is still fantastic.

SHIMA-AJI: striped jack sashimi serve with a sudachi vinaigrette. On the side, crunchy finger lime mini rolls.

Lightly Cooked

In the Main Course "Lightly Cooked" section, my friend ordered a Baked Tilefish which came with a beautiful stuffed layered zucchini and summer squash. On the side, a fragrant coconut green curry sauce.

One of the favorites of the table was this exquisite piece of steamed halibut served with truffled morel mushrooms and this , an amazing wild mushroom "bouillon" sauce. The sauce totally made the dish.

Bryan had ordered this one. After trying one bite, I declared that THIS was the best main course at the table (yes, we were all trying bites of each others' dishes).

I think Bryan's generally good a choosing menu items. He also chose tuna starter, which was probably the best starter . . .

I got the barely cooked salmon (with black truffles!), which was also lovely.

Dessert (or a Salad?)

For our final course, each of use chose a different dessert. I went with the housemade ice cream (I just love ice cream), which was nice. My favorite was the pistachio.

Bryan has never loved sweets, and on this particular day really didn't feel like having dessert. He asked politely whether he could substitute something savory (a cheese?). Or perhaps maybe a "liquid dessert", such as a digestif or even a coffee? Interesting, the server said that the only option they had (if he didn't want dessert), was a salad.

Bryan thought a salad was a bit weird at this stage of the meal. He thought it odd that they couldn't even offer a coffee. This at least makes more sense at the end of a meal. In the end, he forewent any dessert (technically skipping out on ⅓ of the 3-course tasting). Instead, he ordered (and paid extra for) a double espresso.

It's an interesting bigger question of what a 3-Michelin star restaurant should do in this situation. The restaurant doesn't really offer an a la carte option. Thus everybody has to order a set menu of some sort (and they ALL have a dessert course). It seems like offering a coffee (as a substitute for dessert) wouldn't be very expensive. This would at least make the guest feel a bit better about the whole situation.

Mignardises

In any event, Bryan left with sort of a sour feeling, at least with respect to the hospitality aspect of that meal.

Don't get me wrong. The food is still excellent, and we have absolutely no complaints about the rest of the meal. Overall we really enjoyed our whole experience. It was just that final "salad for dessert is your only option" that was a bit odd.

Le Bernardin
155 W 51st St
New York, NY 10019

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Roscioli New York

Jennifer Che — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 13:35:25 +0000

Roscioli in Rome, Italy

14 years ago, we fell in love with a restaurant in Rome. It was our second time in Rome, the first being our honeymoon close to 25 years ago (!). We loved Roscioli's focus on fresh, high quality ingredients. We loved how it was a high-end food market, wine shop, salumeria, and restaurant all rolled into one.

For Bryan, he couldn't stop thinking about their amazing carbonara pasta. The BEST he'd ever had. In fact, soon after our trip in 2012, I made it my mission to learn how to make it.

And I think I was quite successful (recipe here!). In fact, I still make carbonara regularly here in Hong Kong.

Imagine our insane delight when we found out that Roscioli was coming to the US??!

Roscioli in New York City?

Even better yet, Bryan and I would be traveling to New York together around the Easter holiday. For me, it had been YEARS (over a decade) since I'd been back to Rome. Bryan has gone more recently (~ 3 years ago). And yes, of course he had visited Roscioli in Rome during that trip.

The New York Roscioli tries to express the same original "marketplace" feeling as the original, displaying throughout the restaurant market products such as Roscioli's own branded sauces, jars, and more. However, perhaps due to the limits of the space, this restaurant isn't quite the real market that the one in Rome is.

Bread, Cheese, and Salumi

We began with their house baked bread and two different kinds of olive oils (which were delicious!). You can probably buy these olive oils to take home.

We started with a tasting of four cheeses ("Cheesemonger's Choice USD $34).

They had a good selection of salumi, some traditional Italian hams (prosciutto, bresaola, mortadella), as well as a tasting of four Italian-style salumi from Heritage breed pigs in Monticello, New York. (USD $48). Roscioli New York is incorporating certain local selections that you wouldn't find in Rome. The salumi were very good, though the portion size is probably more suitable for a table of 4.

We were drawn to the Insalata di Stagione ($32), a huge, voluminous radicchio salad tossed with pinenut vinaigrette, Fiore Sardo (a type of pecorino cheese), and sourdough croutons. The salad came together beautifully and was really surprisingly good!

Pasta as our main course!

Just like how we dined in Rome, we skipped getting meat secondis in favor of having pasta as our main course.

For our tomato based pasta, we went with the Amatriciana ($34), which was made with mezze maniche (like a a shorter and wider rigatoni), plus guanciale, tomato sauce, pecorino Romano DOP, and their own proprietary "Roscioli pepper blend."

The pasta was great. It was VERY al dente (some might even find it a bit too hard), and the short tubular shape nicely held onto the thick and flavorful sauce.

The Carbonara ($32) was very good! The spaghettoni (thicker version of spaghetti) was very al dente, and was tossed with eggs, guanciale, pecorino Romano DOP, and their same Roscioli pepper blend.

In New York they don't use the special eggs that Roscioli Rome uses (probably too hard to import). Yet this dish is still excellent. Bryan ate almost the whole dish himself (!).

The restaurant is not huge, and it is very, VERY popular. Definitely reserve ahead, because it will be challenging to get a last minute seating. We sat at the counter, which was pretty fun (though you can't really see the kitchen since your view is blocked by all those jars).

It was really special to go "back" to a restaurant that we loved so much. The pastas are delicious, and many of the ingredients come straight from Italy. At the same time, this location has done a nice job of incorporating certain local ingredients and highlighting local producers.

Really excited about Roscioli's decision to come to New York. Maybe Hong Kong can be next?

Roscioli in Rome where people dine inside of a tight and crowded market\

Roscioli New York
43 MacDougal St
New York, NY 10012
(closed on Mondays)

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Katz's Delicatessen New York

Jennifer Che — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:12:03 +0000

It's crazy to think that I've had amazing pastrami and smoked meat in Montreal, Boston, and even Hong Kong . . . . but not in New York City??! Not where it all started? Especially not having the legendary pastrami sandwich at Katz's Delicatessen, self proclaimed New York's oldest delicatessen, in operation since 1888 (!).

It's not as if I haven't traveled to New York before.

(yes, it's true I live in Hong Kong now, and it's slightly harder to go to New York. But even all those years while living in Boston I never tried pastrami?)

It's time to go back to New York

Wait, did you also say you've been to New York City at least ten times but have never been to the Statute of Liberty??!

Well, this past New York trip we FINALLY corrected these huge wrongs.

First, we visited the Statute of Liberty. Did you know she is the largest statue in the world?

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And YES, we finally made it to Katz's Delicatessen

It was a rainy day, but that did NOT stop the die hard fans, haha, including us. We waited in line for close to an hour (on a Sunday lunch). The line went AROUND the block! I wonder if it's better on weekdays?

Once you step inside, there's MORE waiting. You can choose to line up at the counters to order "takeaway", which you can take to any available seating you can find in the large dining area.

Or you can wait in yet ANOTHER line for table service. There is a smaller eating area with servers. It involves a longer wait, but you are guaranteed a table. Since we were a party of 5, we thought it would be hard to find that kind of seating "organically", so we opted to line up for table service (maybe an additional 15-20 minutes).

Katz's Legendary Pastrami Sandwich

OMG. What can I say? This is the BEST pastrami sandwich I have EVER had in my life. Perfectly fatty, lean, and juicy all in one bite. The flavors were ASTOUNDING.

It was also ridiculously huge. I guess a sandwich that is pushing USD$30 should be pretty big. I could only eat half, but it was insanely good. We took the rest to go, and it was still delicious the next day. (So thankful for hotel refrigerators!)

I opted for the simple plain version, but Bryan opted for the Reuben, which comes with rye bread, corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing.

My friend added cole slaw to his sandwich, which provides a nice sour and crisp balance to the heavy meat.

I just ate a pickle in between each bite.

Other non-sandwich options

Bryan ordered a knish for the table so that we could all try this very traditional Jewish potato based cake. This one is a spinach knish. I guess it was our halfhearted effort to get our "veggies."

Do French Fries (or ketchup??) count as a vegetable. Honestly, the fries were only OK. I think they might be pretty good if piping hot, but I found them to be pretty average.

Cole slaw is fine, and can help "buffer" the rich meat.

I decided to get a half sandwich and matzo ball soup. The soup was fine, but I (at least to me), nothing to write home about. I had just attended a Seder (passover) meal (for the first time!) at a home a few days ago in New York. In fact, I personally felt like the matzo ball soup I had there actually tasted better than this one!

But nothing beats the pastrami

But NOTHING beats the pastrami. And yes, it's worth coming and waiting in line for this amazing sandwich. Even in the rain.

If you're willing to wait, I do recommend trying to get a table service spot. It's less stressful not having to hover to find a spot to sit. Additionally, our server was amazing. He was an old school guy who had been working at Katz's for close to 30 years. He knew the menu by heart, and could memorize everyone's orders. We were so impressed, and it just added to the charm and authenticity of the place.

Come with some friends (it makes the line much more bearable). Come hungry. Be prepared to take some home. No worries, the staff are very used to people packing food away, and it reheats beautifully. We even made bagel sandwiches (using Liberty Bagel!) for breakfast our last morning in New York.

If you want, take some home with you. Our cousin gifted us a Katz's Summer Sausage, which we took with us all the way back to Hong Kong. THAT also tastes amazing on bagels (yes, we took home a dozen). This just means we can continue enjoying flavors of New York City in the comforts of our Hong Kong "tiny urban kitchen" all summer long.

Katz's Delicatessen
205 E Houston St
New York

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