My kids love pasta, so I’m always looking for ways to let them eat it without too much concern. After all, it’s a staple of most kids’ diets, but everything that goes into our body must be properly considered. I’m happy when I find restaurants that go out of their way to take healthy methods of making kid’s food very seriously.
Pazzi Pasta is one of these restaurants and I was recently there with my kids to try out their Southern Italian dishes. It’s unique in that not only are the healthiest, locally grown ingredients used, but it’s also family-style. Husband-and-wife team Dr. Giovanni Campanile and Dr. Sandra Cammarata joined up with their children Dan and Francesca Campanile to offer wholesome pasta dishes made with ancient grains and locally grown produce. Inspired by their family’s Italian heritage and in particular by Sandra’s mother, a gourmet chef in Italy, coupled with Dan’s ingenuity in conceiving the concept, Pazzi Pasta gives guests an interactive, healthy, family-friendly experience, all served at a New York pace.
Patrons can choose their pasta, sauce and topping, all of which are visible at the counter. Options include:
Pasta: semolina, farro, kamut, spinach or tomato, nero di seppia (cuttlefish ink), gnocchi, and ravioli; gluten-free choices available
Sauces: San Marzano tomato, ragù Bolognese, pesto, cauliflower with garlic and almond, four cheese, smoked salmon and gorgonzola (a creation uniquely Sandra’s), funghi boscaoiola (mushroom sauce), and puttanesca
Slow-cooked toppings: grilled chicken, meatballs, veg-balls (zucchini, eggplant, ricotta, egg white, wheat breadcrumbs), pan-fried eggplant and zucchini, mixed forest mushrooms, and peas and pancetta
We sampled a wide selection of pastas. I was so pleased to know that each of the noodle options contains up to 80% ancient grains for an abundance of phytonutrients and minerals, and the sauces—made from scratch daily from family recipes—include a multitude of heart-healthy vegetables. We sampled nero de seppia with salmon gorgonzola (cuttlefish ink), gluten-free pasta with puttanesca sauce & mushrooms, semolina spaghetti with Bolognese sauce and grabbfed meatballs, mushroom squash ravioli with funghi boscaoiola sauce and farro ancient grain pasta with sautéed vegies and ricotta salata. Each plate brought new, exciting flavors and aromas and my kids sampled everything before zeroing in on their favorite dishes.
A meal at Pazzi Pasta is like taking a culinary adventure through Southern Italy, without ever leaving NYC.
At the end of our meal, Dan, one of the owners and members of the Campanile family, brought out a selection of desserts to try including dark chocolate almond caprese cake, sicilian almond cookies and chocolate lava-ioli cookies, all of which melted and tingled in our mouths.
In addition to serving food, Pazzi offers pasta classes ($55 per person). They’re offering a Gnocchi Class, Sunday, June 21, 2015 at 10 a.m. and a Ravioli Class, Sunday, June 28, 2015 at 10 a.m. Each class includes hands on pasta making, wine, lunch, and a take home of fresh gnocchi or ravioli and are available for purchase here: http://makepasta.splashthat.com.
The restaurant also hosts kids birthday parties and provides activities like “who can make the longest pasta dough” and more. Call 347.916.1076 for more info.
Pazzi Pasta is located at 227 Smith Street (between Butler & Douglass) in Brooklyn, NY.
It’s open Tuesday to Sunday from 12am-10pm and is near the F and G trains.
Disclosure: Holly and her family received a complimentary meal to facilitate this review and others but all opinions are my own.