Carmine

Newburyport’s petite pasta spot, Carmine, has a tiny menu and an even tinier dining room (godspeed if you show up on a weekend night without a reservation). But don’t let that stop you from testing the waters at this superb little restaurant, where the pastas are fresh and supple, and where the environment always feels a little like New York’s Bleecker Street in the 1990s (that’s a good thing). The cacio e pepe, made with bone broth, Pecorino, fresh spaghetti and plenty of butter, is alone worth the visit.