Who’s ready for Pasta Night?

Ciao Gloria gets an Italian trattoria as a sibling.

Renato Poliafito, who you may know from Ciao Gloria, is one of the most talented chefs and bakers in Brooklyn, so I am wildly excited about his new restaurant, Pasta Night, which opened last night in Prospect Heights. 

His new “fine-casual” pasta-centric restaurant was inspired by monthly pasta nights that were held at Ciao Gloria pre-pandemic—full of overloaded platters of pasta and chicken milaneses, big bowls of fresh salads, cheeses and charcuterie and of course trays of homemade desserts – shared among friends and neighbors. 

The restaurant is owned by Renato and Joseph Catalanotti, an educator by trade with a lifelong penchant for Italian food and hospitality. Joseph and Renato met during the pandemic when he was a regular at Ciao Gloria; the two bonded over their love of Prospect Heights and their shared Sicilian heritage, and decided to open Pasta Night together. 

Channeling their shared Sicilian heritage, the restaurant is a modern take on the Italian trattoria, offering a menu by Chef Carly Voltero anchored in rustic classics. If you’re hungry early, their aperitivo includes an Antipasti Board with a rotating selection of meats, cheeses, dips, and house-made focaccia. At dinner, get started with a Goddess Caesar, a bowl of housemade polpette with marinara, basil and parmesan and some fritti like Arancini stuffed with talleggio and Calamari with giardiniera and Pasta Night sauce —a salty, creamy, spicy red pepper and saffron-based condiment. YUM!

A roaster of house-made pastas anchors the menu; there’s a Classic Marinara with spaghetti and parmesan (with the option to add polpette); a Carbonara di Stagione with lumachi, pancetta, autumn squash, egg yolk, Parmesan and herbs; and Pesto Genovese with gemelli, broccoli rabe, salsiccia and pecorino. 

For when the weather gets chilly, stop in for hearty baked pastas, like the signature Lasagna alla Norma lovingly layered with eggplant, tomato, scamorza and ricotta. The baked Gnocchi Sorrentina is a nice left turn from baked ziti—gnocchi with marinara, fresh mozzarella, blistered tomatoes, and parmesan.

Who doesn’t love a good Chicken Milanese? Carly’s is a beauty, served with a salad of arugula, marinated mushrooms and shaved parmesan There’s also a Branzino special, an Italian take on the classic pub dish Fish & Chips

Of course the desserts are going to slay because they are from Ciao, Gloria – there will be Bosco Nero, a chocolate cake with diplomat cream and Amarena cherries, and Almond Plum Torte, with the additions of a classic Tiramisu and Biancomangiare, a milk pudding drizzled with honey, among others. Pasta Night has also teamed up with local gelato shop Biddrina Gelato (from the team behind Locanda Vini e Olii) to offer seasonal gelato and sorbetto, many of which can also be spruced up as an Affogato.

To drink, there are Italian wines and beers, low ABV cocktails and mocktails, as well as Italian sodas on tap and an espresso coffee service. In the coming months, a more robust cocktail menu will be available, featuring Italian-inspired cocktails utilizing local amaro producers Faccia Brutto.

The restaurant, located in a landmarked space that was once an Italian market in the 1940s, also features a small alimentari by the entrance, with imported Italian goods, oils, house-made dry pastas, and more for takeaway. 

The space was designed by Studio Parallel, and feels charming and rustic, but decidedly modern with flashes of hot pink dispersed throughout (like the restaurant’s neon sign out front) as well as pops of 1980s Italian pop art. The restaurant seats 50, including an outdoor patio that will be enclosed by a pergola for year-round enjoyment.

I can’t wait to try it, and hope to see you there!

Pasta Night is located at 575 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY. It is open for dinner seven days a week, from 5–10 PM for walk-in service only, with delivery and lunch service to start later in the fall, along with a more robust cocktail menu. For more information, visit pastanightbk.com and follow @pastanightbk.