Il Passatore

Just because you have the palate of Emperor Nero doesn’t mean you have to spend like him.  In honor of holes-in-the wall that do it well, I give you Il Passatore.  It’s easy to walk right past Il Passatore even in daylight- it’s just behind a seedy looking gas station on the corner of Metropolitan and Bushwick Avenues in a limbo part of East Williamsburg.  There’s a White Castle across the street that has more traffic than an L.A. highway, and the neighborhood is just shy of the gentrified and hip Graham Avenue area.  But step inside Il Passatore and you’re transported into an Italian wine cellar: dim lighting projected onto the exposed brick walls, knick knacks scattered about give this place a cozy feel.  A tiny kitchen in the back manned by two chefs caters to the whole room, full even on a cold Tuesday night.  And it’s no wonder- items on this menu are mostly under ten dollars at this cash only Roman cucina.  Opened in 2007 by two former waiters of the West Village’s La Piadina, Il Passatore borrows its name from an Italian version of Robin Hood, and also perhaps its ethos.  Authentic Italian specialties, like daily hand-made pasta and the freshest, creamiest Burrata are practically given away at this tiny treasure.

Every meal, including brunch, comes with a basket of hand diced, house-made foccacia, so delicious and salty it threatens to spoil your appetite.  The waiters speak in soft, almost embarrassed thick Italian accents, and though they don’t speak often to you, manage to materialize with a new fork half a second after you’ve dropped yours.  A delicate shaved brussel sprout and raddichio salad is mixed with walnuts and pecorino grano, then tossed with a lemon dressing- a pleasingly tangy, tart, and crunchy prelude.  Octopus is grilled and tangled with fresh cherry tomatoes, raw onions, and celery, and is slippery with a fiery spicy olive oil.  Fresh tagliatelle co-star with mussels and white fish in a subtle red sauce, letting the fruit of the sea do the talking, and though there could have been more variety, at $14, it was still satisfying.  The surprise here, though, is in subtle nuances- a roasted pork loin is accompanied by a powerfully flavorful warm lentil and pancetta salad.  By the time you’ve finished your entree, though you are bursting at the seams, you can still (and should) have dessert, like their incredibly fluffy chocolate mousse (which they had already run out of) or a near-velveteen soft chocolate tarte.  After all that, and a $12 half carafe of wine, they leave you with the check and complimentary house-made grapefruit limoncello.  If you can’t afford a plane ticket to Italy, this is the next best thing.

Il Passatore
14 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211
Open daily, 12pm-11pm