Most famous for their mouthwatering Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Olio e Piú is an authentic Italian spot located in the West Village. During the warmer months, they have lots of outdoor seating perfect for all you foodies in need of natural light for your pasta shots. Unfortunately, I went in December so I couldn't take advantage of this, but the inside is just as enjoyable with a really cozy, yet charming atmosphere. It's also pretty spacious for being located in the West Village.
It's worth mentioning that they serve some pretty solid complimentary bread that comes with olives and roasted peppers. However, I recommend holding off on eating the bread until your meal comes so you can dip it in all of their delicious sauces.
To break up the long stream of Spaghetti Carbonara photos flowing through Olio's Insta location, I opted for some different pasta dishes.
The Linguine All'astice Arrabbiatta was just as glorious as it looks. It's almost an entire lobster sitting over a bed of linguine and flavorful marinara loaded with grape tomatoes and chilis. The lobster was as tender and delicious as lobster gets, beating out any lobster I've ever encountered in a lobster mac & cheese by a mile. The grape tomatoes added some much-needed texture to the sauce and the chilis brought the perfect level of heat to the dish. You definitely get your money's worth here.
Although the Trenette Cacio E Peppe doesn't have the wow factor of a lobster sitting on top of it, I actually loved it even more than the Linguine All'astice Arrabbiatta. The pasta is a served in a buttery, peppery, and slightly cheesy sauce and topped with Parmesan and pepper to taste. A sauce like this allows you to really taste and appreciate the pasta itself, and it was surprisingly light. Of course you could easily make it heavier by allowing the waiter to drown the pasta in Parmesan until you can no longer see the person across from you, and that's perfectly acceptable. Cheese is everything.
Last, but not least, veal meatballs, because how can you go to an Italian place and not order meatballs? Meatballs are very hit or miss for me, and luckily these were a hit. These had everything I look for in a meatball in terms of flavor and tenderness. They're also much bigger than they appear in photos.
What made this a complete dish was the addition of creamy ricotta and fresh arugula that I found myself scooping out of the bottom of the bowl even after the meatballs were gone.
In addition to their many pasta dishes, Olio e Piú has a long list of wood fired pizzas and other items that I'm dying to try, so it's safe to say that I'll be returning for more.