Deconstructed Spaghetti Carbonara with Shrimp and Spinach

Restaurant:  2Vine, 24 Winthrop Street, Rochester, NY  (585) 454-6020
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Chef: Gino Ruggiero

What’s better than a meal at 2Vine? Another meal at 2Vine. 2Vine has officially opened for brunch, launching a delectable new menu that lives up to every expectation conjured up by the words, “brunch at 2Vine”. Sitting on the patio with a cocktail (I love brunch) on the first sunny Sunday of the spring, it occurred to me that 2Vine must have read the same NY Times article I did – there are no chafing dishes full of limp bacon here, no stations or warmers. 2Vine brings to its brunch menu the same level of quality, care and dedication we’ve grown to expect from this Rochester institution. For their opening day I celebrated by sampling 2Vine’s take on spaghetti carbonara. Fresh, handmade pasta tossed with shrimp and spinach that had been sauteed in olive oil and thinly sliced garlic and emulsified with just enough of the pasta water to create a beautifully light and subtle sauce with a delightful creaminess that belies the fact that the egg is served atop the pasta, not in the sauce like a traditional carbonara. The dish is then topped with freshly cracked black pepper and a fried egg cooked to perfection in that way that only trained chef’s seem to manage – whites still tender, the yolk a brilliant yellow, delightfully creamy and spreadable without being runny. Pioneers in the farm to table movement, 2Vine excels at simple, quality food brilliantly and lovingly executed, and their new brunch menu is no exception. So thank you, 2Vine, for bringing back brunch. We’ll be coming back for it – in season and out.
– Allison Zimmer, A-List Contributor