Jeanne Muchnick's 'Best Thing I Ate This Week': Pasta at DPNB in Nyack

Jeanne Muchnick, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·2 min read

DPNB Pasta & Provisions in Nyack is like no place you've been before — unless, of course you've been to Italy. The storefront, which sells pasta and other provisions such as cheeses, olives and sauces, also serves food. Really good food. As in worth crossing the Tappan Zee/Mario Cuomo/whatever-you-prefer-to-call-it for (see "Bridge-worthy" restaurants).

Chef/Owner Tony Scotto has been perfecting his pasta for years, with stints cooking at Mark Ladner’s Lupa Osteria Romana, Michelin-starred Del Posto, and chef Michael White’s Altamarea Group. It's why his Spaghetti alla Chitarra (basically Cacio e Pepe with pecorino and black pepper) and Meatball Spiedini (heritage pork meatballs served with cranberry beans and Sicilian pesto) were the best thing I ate this week. (Naturally, I also had wine.)

Lohudfood and dining reporter Jeanne Muchnick with owner Tony Scotto at DPNB Pasta & Provisions in Nyack June 23, 2023.
Lohudfood and dining reporter Jeanne Muchnick with owner Tony Scotto at DPNB Pasta & Provisions in Nyack June 23, 2023.

I'm also a huge fan of his branzino baked in parchment with heirloom summer squash, za'atar (oregano, sumac and sesame seeds) and Verdicchio wine.

Other menu items include New Jersey burrata, house-baked focaccia, rigatoni, roasted half chicken, house-baked cookies and olive oil cake.

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And if you want pasta to go it's super fresh.

DPNB, which stands for Drop Pasta Not Bombs is not, as some folks think, about war. Instead, it's about food and food insecurity. According to Scotto, the topic is something far too many people deal with, often hiding in plain sight. "Whether it's children with no lunch money or access to food outside of school, the elderly who can't get out of their homes or people who are uncertain where they will get their next meal due to an ever growing list of reasons, no one should have to live without access to food," he said.

Best thing I ate: Spaghetti alla Chitarra and Meatball Spiedini (Heritage pork meatballs served with cranberry beans and Sicilian pesto) at DPNB Pasta & Provisions. Photographed June 23, 2023
Best thing I ate: Spaghetti alla Chitarra and Meatball Spiedini (Heritage pork meatballs served with cranberry beans and Sicilian pesto) at DPNB Pasta & Provisions. Photographed June 23, 2023

"At DPNB we use what resources we can to help battle this ongoing problem by donating food, cooking or simply making financial contributions."

To that point, he works closely with The Nyack Center, Soup Angels of Nyack and Meals on Wheels of Rockland.

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Don't be surprised, too, if you see his pasta on a restaurant menu near you. Scotto services approximately 30 restaurants on both sides of the river from Michelin-starred dining establishments to mom and pop shops.

If you go

Address: 21 N Broadway, 845-353-2167, dpnbpastashop.com

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Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter. 

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Jeanne Muchnick's best thing I ate is pasta from DPNB in Nyack NY