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New York has seen a lot of pasta experiments over the years. But handmade noodles tangled with pollock roe, fermented black beans and gochujang? That’s a new one.
Sono, a new Korean-Italian trattoria opening tomorrow, May 16, in the East Village, is betting that the overlap between Italian comfort food and the Korean pantry is much bigger than people think. The restaurant comes from chef Sechul Yang, whose resume includes some of New York’s most respected kitchens, including Gramercy Tavern, Oiji Mi, Maialino and DDOBAR.
At Sono, Yang’s goal is to build a modern trattoria that mixes Italian technique and Korean flavors without feeling gimmicky. The menu revolves around handmade pasta paired with fermented sauces, pickled vegetables and Korean ingredients pulled from Yang’s upbringing.
One standout dish combines bottarga pasta with Korean zucchini, pollock roe, nori and saffron butter. Another folds guanciale and fermented black beans into rigatoni. There’s also spaghetti with Manila clams and anchovy brodo alongside other Korean-inspired small plates and charcoal-grilled meats. The restaurant’s beverage program will include house-made soju, while the dining room is designed to feel like a contemporary trattoria with modern Korean touches.
Yang grew up near Seoul, where his mother owned a restaurant, before moving to the U.S. in 2010 to attend the Culinary Institute of America. Over the years, he worked under chefs including Michael Anthony and the late James Kent. More recently, Yang was part of the opening team at Oiji Mi when the restaurant earned its Michelin star and he also received Edward Lee’s Pitch Day Grant.
If your ideal dinner involves handmade pasta, natural fermentation and the possibility of accidentally ordering three extra plates for the table, this may become your new East Village obsession.