Massara, the sister of Michelin-starred Rezdôra, is now open in NYC

Rezdôra has been championing regional pasta dishes since it opened five years ago and to great effect: those stunning bowls of anolini di parma, tagliolini al ragu and the famed grandma walking through the forest in Emilia (Cappelletti verdi with roasted, sautéed leeks and black mushroom purée) haven’t just won the restaurant plenty of local fans but also a coveted Michelin star. And now that pasta pedigree is expanding with a sibling: meet Massara. 

RECOMMENDED: The best Italian restaurants in NYC span red sauce joints, fine dining and weeknight pizza

From chef Stefano Secchi and partner David Switzer comes the Flatiron newcomer, which celebrates the cuisine of Italy's Campania region. (For you Duolingo-heads, "massara" means "matriarch" or "head of the household" in the Campanian dialect.) For the menu, Secchi taps into memories of visiting Southern Italy as a child, with much of the cooking centered around the restaurant's wood-burning oven.

From there, he fires up pizzettes made with a “lievito madre” starter of wild yeast that the chef brought back from a family trip to the region as a young boy. Those al forno rounds includes a traditional Margherita, a cheese-free Montanara Marinara (with tomatoes and capers) and a Montanara with Crudo (with mozzarella, arugula and prosciutto.) The kitchen's wood-burning grill anchors the menu's Secondi section—including "Capra in Four Ways" (a whole heritage goat that gets braised, roasted and grilled before it's served with cannelloni) and a Wagyu steak that's grilled with flakey salt and comes served with an optional 25-year-old aged balsamic—as well as seasonal vegetables like broccoli rabe "Stracotta" (with garlic and pepperoncino) and zucchini "Alla Scapece" (with mint, vinegar and house-smoked olive oil.) 

And it wouldn't be a Rezdôra sibling without, of course, fresh pasta: Corteccia arrives with sausage ragù in bianca; candele with ragù Genovese; and “Cheesemakers Raviolini” with bufala mozzarella and basil. There's also a cold spaghetti dish, dubbed "If Pasta Fredda was Eaten in Amalfi," which pairs the chilled noodles with raw red shrimp and almonds.