Il Pastaficio Adds To Downtown Dining Flavor

The short stretch of Post Road between Myrtle Avenue and Main Street is chockablock with restaurants. Italian, Spanish, Thai, Mexican — it’s all there.

Around the corner on Church Lane, there’s American, Japanese and (soon) Israeli.

Is there room for one more — another Italian, at that?

Federico Perandin says, fervently: Sì!

For several months, diners have discovered — and loved — Il Pastaficio’s takeout menu. Whether ordering to-go or buying raw pasta and sauces (with step-by-step cooking instructions), they’ve embraced the spot in a former clothing store, across from Design Within Reach.

Now — building on the success of his first restaurant with the same name in Greenwich — the Padova native has add full service, in-house lunch and dinner.

News of the soft opening earlier this month spread quickly. Il Pastaficio has established itself as one more downtown dining destination.

Perandin attended 2 international hospitality management schools in his native country. In the 1990s he changed his professional path, and became a successful advertising executive.

But he never lost his passion for cooking. Each summer, he catered for the Ferrari racing team.

As he traveled throughout Italy for the advertising and communications firm he founded, he explored regional cuisines. He was fascinated by the art of pasta making.

Federico Perandin, at Il Pastaficio.

In 2015 he, his wife and young son made a major move. They came to the US, and in 2018 he opened the small Il Pastaficio in Greenwich. (The name is a play on “pastificio,” Italian for a store that makes pasta.)

The flavorful dishes — all made on the premises (including sauces), “following traditional recipes, with no compromises,” he says — was an instant success. Customers appreciated the little touches, like organic flour imported from Italy.

Perandin began searching for space in Westport — a town, he thought, whose cosmopolitan, well-traveled residents would appreciate his approach. “People here know how to eat well,” he notes.

It took a while — and the pandemic did not help. But after looking at nearly 2 dozen different locations, he found the current one.

“It’s a mecca of culinary experiences,” he says. He appreciates the many nearby restaurants, including the traditional Italian spots.

“People love pasta,” Perandin explains. “I eat it every day.” His pasta contains no additives or preservatives, he says, so it is organic, artisanal, very flavorful — and light.

“I feel like I’m in Italy,” one diner told him. “That’s my goal,” Perandin replied.

The menu includes appetizers like homemade fresh potatoes fried gnocchi;  gourmet dishes like lemon linguine with Siberian Baerii caviar and black tea Alpine butter; lamb racks cooked with sous vide technique, creamy potato and red beets Parmanatier with roasted leeks, and roasted cauliflower in a mint and creamy goat cheese sauce.

Dinner: Wild boar handmade ravioli in a saffron sauce and hazelnut crumble. The black stripe in the ravioli is made with squid ink. 

Il Pastaficio also offers wine (Italian only, of course) and cocktails and desserts (pastries and gelato).

Dessert: Millefoglie with authentic Sicilian ricotta (imported from Italy) and mixed berries.

The décor is fresh and inviting. His chef and baker, Perandin says,  have both worked for Michelin-starred restaurants.

He plans monthly special regional dinners, and pasta-making classes (for individuals, parties and corporate team-building). Il Pastaficio also caters.

But that’s not all. Just outside the restaurant, a vending machine will soon sell fresh pasta — 24 hours a day.

Designed by an Italian company Perandin says it is the only one of its kind in the world.

“If you’re coming home late from the train station, even if our kitchen and takeout is closed, you can have fresh pasta.”

Mangia bene!

(Il Pastaficio’s grand opening is Saturday, September 30 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Highlights include tastings, music, and a raffle to win a $300 gift basket.)