LaRina Pastificio & Vino

LaRina Pastificio & Vino Restaurant Review:

Federico Fellini said, “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” It’s a sentiment chef/partner Silvia Barban, of AITA in Clinton Hill, takes to heart at her charm-filled Fort Greene pasta-centric spot. In the back, there’s a counter where guests can buy some of the many pastas she makes by hand in the kitchen at LaRina, like spinach lasagna sheets, lemon gigli (little ruffled cone shapes) and buckwheat conchiglie. They’d be wise to order them in the small, tall-ceilinged dining room or the patio out back, too. Black ink bucatini gets umami from Cantabrico anchovies, zing from lemon butter and crunch from breadcrumbs. Barban makes a spaghetti aglio e olio with smoked spaghetti and a shower of crushed hazelnuts --- a classic made new. There are some non-pasta dishes on the menu as well, like a bright watermelon cucumber salad with a cloud of whipped mascarpone. To finish, LaRina's chocolate cake is perfectly chocolate-y but light enough to devour post-pasta. Peruse the notable wine list; there are also five Negronis and an extensive selection of vermouths and bitters on offer.