For dinner one night, we tried a place that came highly recommended. Emporio is located in the Soho district at the crossroads of Mott and Prince Street. The atmosphere was dark and cozy, making the space feel unexpectedly rural. Each table had a rustic candleholder and a candle that looked like it had been burning for hours with wax sculpturally drizzling down the side. The tables and floor looked liked they had been sanded over and over again from use. Antique light fixtures protruded from exposed brick walls. Fresh bread was brought to the table along with a nice, rich olive oil. We tried the daily bruschette with melted Gorgonzola and truffle-infused honey on top of toasted bread. For dinner, I ordered the Tagliatelle al Ragù that consisted of hand cut pasta and a traditional meat ragú. My wife ordered the spicy sopressata and mozzarella pizza, which was cooked in a brick oven. The flavors of both meals were authentic. The best way to describe our food is: it wasn’t trying to be something else. The pizza had nice, simple flavors coming through; you could taste the mozzarella, sopressata, and the fire-encrusted dough. My pasta tasted fresh and was seasoned beautifully with a meat ragú that complimented it all.
