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
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
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
