Around the corner from Arthur Ave. on Crescent Ave., Roberto’s restaurant can be found inside a broad yet unassuming storefront under a simple green awning. If you see a light blue ’57 Fiat 500 parked outside, it means that chef Roberto Paciullo himself is in the kitchen, or outside of it, going from table to table to talk with patrons. Paciullo is originally from Salerno, a town on the Amalfi coast, but has been creating dishes inspired by all regions of Italy for nearly 40 years. When Paciullo immigrated to the Bronx by himself at 17, he realized quickly that “it’s home, [so] I stayed here.”
People often ask him how he can remember the flavors from his childhood, the ones he so effortlessly recreates at his restaurants. Paciullo responds, “you take the flavors with you; you become different, but you [still] remember.” Paciullo says that he was taught about cooking and flavors from early in his childhood. His father, who did the bulk of the cooking for Roberto and his 10 siblings, made simple but elegant dishes using fresh and local ingredients. When creating the menu for his restaurants, Paciullo follows the same main principles that he learned from his father.
First, everything’s sourced locally and daily to ensure Roberto’s serves only the freshest food possible. Paciullo sources the meat from Biancardi’s Meats and the seafood from Cosenza’s Fish Market, both around the corner on Arthur Ave. Paciullo prides himself on his daily special dishes, saying he never has to make a special just to sell yesterday’s food. Whatever you eat at Roberto’s will be fresh from that day and made with care and dedication to excellence.
The second principle that Paciullo follows is that any meal at his restaurant “shouldn’t just fill your stomach, it should be an experience.” He prides himself on the different approach he takes to creating the experience within his restaurant. This is why he encourages customers to try his creative daily specials and order their meal in the traditional Italian style, with an appetizer, a pasta dish and an entree. Even though Paciullo “[doesn’t] call it family style,” all dishes at Roberto’s are served with the intent of being shared, so you will definitely have room for all those courses!
The third rule of thumb is that, at any good Italian restaurant, there should be no sauce left when you finish your meal, so the ratio of homemade pasta to hand-crafted sauce is always perfect at Roberto’s. Paciullo’s final edict is that dishes should have no more than three ingredients. He says that too many restaurants these days are trying too hard to be different and set themselves apart, but food should be good and simple. Paciullo prides himself on the fact that his restaurants are the sort of Italian restaurants that you would find in Italy, not necessarily Italian-American.
These principles are not meant to sound strict; they’re just how Paciullo was taught to cook. To him, it’s simply how food should be eaten. And that is the essence of Roberto’s restaurant: food made how it should be. After taking the time to speak with me on a busy Friday night about his restaurant and his passion for good food done right, Paciullo shook my hand and gave me a kiss on each cheek, encouraging me to let him know the next time I come in so that he can create a unique menu for my table. The best dishes at Roberto’s include the radiatore pasta with some porcini mushrooms and tomato sauce, the truffle pasta, the steak (cooked to medium-rare perfection and served with smoked rosemary, potatoes and Shishito peppers) and Roberto’s take on a cannolo: in sandwich form and drizzled with chocolate sauce. But of course, you really can’t go wrong, no matter what you order.
