We all know food is about taste, but sometimes it’s equally about a feeling. We all have our neighborhood haunts, places we return to over and over again, either for comfort or celebration. For me, that place is undoubtedly Manetta’s Ristorante in Long Island City.
Tucked just underneath the Pulaski Bridge entrance from Brooklyn to Queens, Manetta’s, established in 1992, remains a family-run staple in what has undoubtedly become a trendy neighborhood. I knew Manetta’s was a gem the day I moved into my new apartment nearby. I peered through the windows and saw families, undistracted by cellphones, gathered around tables spread generously with big plates of pasta and pizza. Upon entering, I saw a display of Italian products available for sale, like anchovy paste, handmade cookies and trofie pasta.
That first time in, I ordered carbonara to go. As I took breaks from unpacking, I found comfort in those chewy, unctuous noodles, coated in the eggy, cheesy sauce.
I’d continue to order from Manetta’s again and again over the years, but it wasn’t until I was moving away that I would finally dine in at my most beloved neighborhood takeout joint.
I didn’t hesitate to order the sausage and broccoli rabe pie. I’d enjoyed it years before, but I needed to know if it really was better in-house, as I’d been told. I also ordered the trofie pesto and pappardelle della nonna, which boasts homemade pasta and a porcini mushroom ragu.
The ‘za came out first, and when I took a bite, I could confirm that it was definitely better in-house. The cheese blended so seamlessly into the dough that it almost tasted like butter on bread. With thick, caramelized slices of garlic throughout, I had to physically stop myself from eating it all, only because I knew I had pasta on the way.
One of the initial reasons I was drawn back to Manetta’s was because of their trofie, a pasta varietal that’s wildly underrated. The tightly-wound spirals have origins in Liguria and are most commonly served with pesto. That makes sense since pesto is from Genoa, Liguria’s largest city. Manetta’s knows not to mess with tradition. When the trofie came out, I noticed dabs of what looked like cubed butter on top of the pasta. I went to touch one, and when I felt the sponginess, I knew instantly it was fontina, a light buttery cow’s milk cheese.
The fresh pappardelle, which is made in house, has that signature chew of fresh pasta. Loaded with meaty mushrooms in a marsala-like sauce, the dish gave me the vibes of eating a vegetarian version of wild boar ragu, popular in Tuscany.
What’s a good send-off meal without dessert? The ricotta cheesecake at Manetta’s is made by RoseAnne Manetta, one of the two sisters who run the joint. (The other, Lisa, helped advise me on what to order.)
The orange zest brightens the dense creamy cake. Despite how much I managed to consume before dessert, I almost wiped the plate clean. If plain ricotta isn’t your thing, there is a selection of rotating cheesecake flavors available on special, from blueberry lemon to pumpkin.
When I talk about my favorite restaurants in New York, I don’t often mention Manetta’s. That’s not because I don’t cherish it but because, to me, it was just a neighborhood joint. But as I wave goodbye to my home for the past several years, one that saw me through law school and so many career changes and life phases, I find myself reflecting on the places that served me comfort. And whether it came from a pizza box, a black takeout container, or at a table bathed in the sunlight, I could always find comfort at Manetta’s.
Address: 10-76 Jackson Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101
Phone: (718) 786-6171
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 3:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.; closed Sundays
Prices: Appetizers $12 to $19; salads $9 to $14; entrees $18 to $36; parms $19 to $26; pizza $14 to $21; pasta $18 to $26; fish $25 to $30; contorni (sides) $4 to $12
Takeout and delivery available; Reservations accepted, encouraged on weekends
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