Do you crave Southern Italian food with an upscale flare but also want generous portions? Do you fantasize about the perfect red sauce, or an artichoke stuffed with breadcrumbs and melted cheese in a buttery garlic sauce? What about a dish of extra-large shrimp in a golden wine sauce? We know a place with all the classics and a few unique Italian dishes of their own invention.
In the heart of the East 80s is L’incontro By Rocco—a super authentic storefront eatery with meticulous service so meticulous that you’ll swear that the wait staff have eyes behind their heads. (If you drop a fork, leave your iPhone behind, or appear to require more olive oil to dip your homemade bread, a member of the waitstaff will remedy the situation in 30 seconds or less without you saying a word!) Portions are enough for two in most cases and sometimes even three!
MAKING THE MOVE
Owner/executive chef Rocco Sacramone has a traditional background. He was inspired by his mother’s kitchen talents enough to “go pr.” His restaurants got bigger and better each time. He tells NYL, “My general background as a chef is being self-taught and being taught by my mother. From there, I started a pizzeria and then opened a restaurant. My success is measured by seeing customers walk out of my restaurants with smiles.”
For the past 25 years, Sacramone operated Trattoria L’incontro in Astoria, a favorite of dignitaries and celebrities, and rated an astonishing 28 in the Zagat Guide. He was initially planning on opening L’Incontro By Rocco as a second eatery. However, thanks to the rent for the Astoria restaurant being raised this past spring, the decision was made to operate on the Upper East Side.
Trattoria L’incontro’s last night on May 26th had regular guests crying on their plates of homemade pasta, but many have since bitten the bullet and decided to make the trek to the new location. As a result, L’Incontro By Rocco is filled to the gills by 6:30 every night, with more than forty people waiting for a table in the bar area. The fact that some people drive from Queens and pay $50 for local parking is also a testament to Sacramone’s special cooking skills!
PASTA WITH A TWIST
Unsurprisingly, the house-made pasta is one of the stellar highlights of the L’incontro menu. Scroll down their Instagram account, and you will see a post featuring a new pasta shape nearly every day. One of the trademark pasta is known as “Sailboats”—these resemble Japanese gyoza but are half the size. NYL asked Sacramone the “backstory” of their origins. He revealed, “The story behind the Sailboat is that we use a cooking technique of the pasta dough being folded once. Folding the dough twice for the tortellini pasta creates another extra layer of pasta to cook. All our pasta is homemade on the restaurant premises. We create many specials; our favorites are the Tagliarini with Aqua Pomodoro, Seafood Bolognese, and Carabella Tortellini. They are all popular!”
The secret of L’incontro’s success is also in its sauce. Says the chef/owner, “The restaurant serves Italian cuisine with a modern twist on traditional dishes, but the Pomodoro sauce has an extra special twist—we use the ‘tomato water’ from slow-cooked Campari tomatoes rather than a thicker tomato base.”
A TANTALIZING ATMOSPHERE
When we visited L’incontro, we were not only impressed by the huge all-age crowd so early in the evening but also by the sophisticated and sexy atmosphere, which includes semi-dim lighting and chandeliers shaped like bunches of bubbles. We wanted to try various items and even test dishes that weren’t officially designated as Southern Italian, even if they had Italian names. One such dish was Insalata D’Aragosta, which is a diced lobster mix with frisee, cherry tomatoes, red onions, chive with olive oil, lemon mosto, and mango puree. This dish contains huge lobster chunks, and the citrusy dressing is perfectly refreshing.
We also shared the incredible Eggplant Rollatini appetizer, a classic recipe made with spinach and mozzarella, cooked with homemade tomato sauce. The eggplant was so warm and tender that no knife was needed, and the sauce had a rich flavor without being sweet.
We kept our pasta choice simple just to be able to more easily “taste test” the quality, and we were blown away by the Bucatini Cacio Pepe—this spaghetti-like pasta is topped with cracked black pepper and a blend of fresh pecorino and Romano cheese. We got full fast, but we were oohing and aahing with every bite!
We then shared the super popular Chicken Parmigiana, which is ultra unique because it has much less breading than the traditional recipe and is super tender due to a lot of pounding; the classy presentation included an attached large bone and just the perfect amount of fresh mozzarella and classic red sauce.
Next up was the restaurant’s famous fish dish, Filetto di Branzino. This dish features fish grilled with zucchini, fennel, mint, and tomatoes. Again, this is a healthy choice that is full of flavor.
DESIRABLE DESSERTS
Several classic Italian desserts are offered at L’incontro and we shared both the Ricotta Cheesecake and Napoleon—the cheesecake was surprisingly light and fresh tasting (not anything like dense New York Cheesecake), and the Napoleon had super flakey buttery pastry layers with a vanilla cream typical of a high-end French patisserie.
What’s next at this popular eatery? Sacramone reveals, “New items that we will introduce in the fall are stews, venison, and Ossobucco. Our dishes will also incorporate chestnuts, porcini mushrooms, and truffles.”
We will return to L’Incontro! The warm atmosphere, significant portions, fantastic quality (including prime meats and fish just flown in), and friendly chef who rounds to customers’ tables make this new eatery a winner!
For more info on L’incontro By Rocco, go to
lincontrobyrocco.com