Cacio e Pepe

This East Village trattoria has formaggio written all over it, from the smoked-mozzarella and prosciutto appetizer to the restaurant’s namesake entrée: tonnarelli cacio e pepe —pasta tossed tableside with coarse-milled black pepper in a hollowed-out round of sharp pecorino cheese. Dairyphobes can opt for bucatini with fresh sardines or an organic cornish hen baked with black olives and rosemary. Brightly painted ceramic plates enliven the otherwise unremarkable dining room; on sunny days, try to grab a seat in the brick-walled garden.