Performances Magazine
March 2024
Pasta ’dena
Uovo opens in Pasadena at the Commons.
by Benjamin Epstein
Photos: Eddie Sanchez
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Vongole: tonnarelli in white-wine clam sauce
Uovo is the only restaurant in the United States that handmakes its own fresh pasta in Italy, then overnights it.
It does so almost daily — using traditional sheeting and cutting methods, as opposed to modern extrusion — in its kitchen in Bologna. The temperature-controlled international flight is part of the pasta’s requisite rest time; by the time it reaches the new location at the Commons in Pasadena, it’s ideal.
Uovo also uses Italian eggs — uovo is Italian for eggs — that are unavailable here and that result in a deep yellow noodle. Tomatoes are from Italy’s Basilicata region. Many recipes are inspired by or come directly from renowned Italian restaurants.
Uovo is bustling and date-night perfect, lit mostly by candles on the tables and twinkle lights. The best seating may be at the 18-seat oak-topped pasta bar, where you can watch dishes being prepared.
Those dishes include four pastas each from Bologna and Rome and half a dozen other classics.
From Bologna comes a beef-and-pork ragú using the 1950s recipe from the city’s renowned Antica Trattoria della Gigina. It’s dairy-free — no cheese, milk or cream.
Pastas di Roma feature a cacio e pepe using tonnarelli pasta, guanciale, Pecorino Romano DOP and 24-month-aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, and a black-pepper blend that’s also imported.
Among lighter classics are a tonnarelli with white-wine clam sauce and a refined ravioli di ricotta.
Tasting menus — the Classic, the meat-forward Regional, and richer Cheese & Truffle — each serve two, $34-$37 per person. They present three pastas plus an appetizer and dessert, both shared.
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The pasta bar and patio beyond
The Cheese & Truffle menu memorably brings both the tagliatelle in truffle sauce and the aforementioned cacio e pepe, developed with Danilo of Rome’s Trattorio de Danilo, well known for the dish.
Not from Italy: First Light Farms’ grass-fed New Zealand wagyu beef in the battuta di carne, a tartare that’s often the ideal pasta prelude.
Not on the tasting menus: superb sides such as the roasted cauliflower, ideally charred and finished with garlic, olive oil and red chili pepper.
Consistency, and tasting-menu value, are Uovo’s calling cards. A hit parade of pastas make it a taste and texture party begging repeat visits.
Nota bene:
• Pastas use beef, pork or clams, no poultry.
• The tiramisu al cucchiaio on the tasting menus arrives in a single cup, potentially awkward if you’re not close with your companion.
• Like sibling Sugarfish nearby, Uovo is a non-tipping establishment; 16% is automatically added.
• There are no reservations. Arrive pre-peak hours to avoid waits — also ideal for pre-theater dining for performances at Pasadena Playhouse or by the Pasadena Symphony.
• Ditto the Santa Monica location for events at the BroadStage.
146 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena, 626.556.7948, uovo.la
