Pasquale Jones – Nolita’s Newest Hot Spot

For those of you that know me, know that I absolutely adore Charlie Bird.  So when I heard of the opening of their sister restaurant, Pasquale Jones,  I was ecstatic.  Pasquale Jones is a brand new, upscale, super hip restaurant in Nolita with great wines, fresh pastas, the perfect pizzas, and a brilliantly curated playlist.  The playlist is composed of r&b, jazz, and hip hop and makes for a lively vibe.  The combination brings you a sure-fire hit that is trendy, fun, sexy and most importantly, delectable.  There is a lot of buzz and hype around this place, and Pasquale Jones delivers on all fronts.

When we arrived, our table was not quite ready,  so they gave us the option to sit up at the bar, which in my opinion were the best seats in the house.  The bar seating gave us a bird’s-eye view of the open kitchen and the splendid hand-made wood fired ovens from Naples.  Sitting at the bar we not only had the full attention of the wait staff but the chefs too.  We got to see upfront and center the kitchen in action, which made for the most fascinating evening.

Chef Ryan Hardy and Tim Caspare have created a menu with seasonal vegetables, pizzas, pastas and roasted meats. Almost everything on the menu had a certain wow factor. We started off with pane carasau, house made ricotta topped with lemon infused honey and served with a light crispy wafer.  Next we had the chanterelle mushroom pizza, which was probably the most delicious pizza I have ever had.  Sometimes it is just life’s most simple pleasures that blow your mind, the thin crust was perfectly crispy, with slightly charred edges, and was delicately seasoned.  Pasquale Jones really hits the ball out of the park with their pizzas.  This may be the best pizza in town.  Next Mastertramadol.com the agnolotti was light, fresh, buttery, and filled with guinea hen and pancetta.  The roasted Montauk skate wing was moist, juicy and full of flavor.  For dessert we had the baked pineapple with mascarpone gelato, olive oil and hazelnut, which was just divine.  I had two bowls, seriously.

The wine list, selected by Grant Jones(wine director and partner), is primarily made up of French & Italian wines.  The wine list is not as far reaching as Charlie Bird, but complements the menu well.  What often makes my evening special is when the wine is served in the proper stemware.  I took note of the sophisticated Zalto stemware and knew I was coming back, even if was just for a glass of wine and pizza.

Pasquale Jones is small and intimate.  This modern Italian joint is the perfect place for date night or an evening with a few friends.  Give it a shot, it is Italian comfort food at New York’s finest.