Restaurant Review: All'Onda in New York City

"I believe that Japan and Italy have a great deal in common," chef Chris Jaeckle tells me. He is proving that ballsy assertion by making delicious food at a restaurant called All'onda.

He goes on: "The roots of these cuisines take food and manipulate very little. It is based on good ingredients cooked simply. They are almost entirely surrounded by water and have mountainous regions, etc." It's enough to make me wonder what kind of wonderful and wacky pasta this guy will toss if he ever visits Iceland or Madagascar. In the meantime Jaeckle gives us parmesan dashi with tomato oil and ricotta dumplings. There's your tortellini en brodo, baby.

The broth is nutty while the tomato is just strong enough to let you know it's there. The hot soup has the same roundness as anything made with meat or MSG and the pasta's eggy filling has the density of a good American custard. If a hip spot on the Lower East Side like Ivan Ramen put it on the menu it would sell out in an hour, because it's obscenely delicious and it's probably something a stoner would crave after hitting the bong a few times — "Cheese Soup With Cheese Pudding Dumplings!"

Too bad no one was ordering it. >>