L’Incontro by Rocco, Upper East Side, Manhattan

For my first birthday dinner of the year, mom took me to L’Incontro by Rocco on the Upper East Side — a lovely Italian spot in my old neighborhood. After zero wait, we were led to a table in the back of the very crowded restaurant.

Our appetizer was the calamari, and this was one of the best calamari dishes I’ve ever had — simply fried with a wonderfully chunky house tomato sauce. The order was huge, plenty for more than the two of us, but the hell with the entree, we polished it off.

What to order
As custom, mom ordered whatever I did, over my objections. We had the Spaghettone Nduja — homemade spaghetti with spicy nduja, burrata foam, and shrimp. The Spaghettone itself was thicker than regular spaghetti, and wonderful. The burrata foam melted into the sauce, which had only the slightest touch of spice, and the shrimp were nice-sized, chopped into thirds. It’s a rich, filling dish that neither of us could finish — but leftovers from this one are wonderful.

We finished with a shared pistachio crème brûlée, and since it was my birthday, a little candle in the dollop of whipped cream on the side. Many tables around us joined in the singing, which made for a wonderfully communal end to a fantastic meal.

Service
The staff was attentive without being overbearing — they never let a water glass or drink get less than half full without a refill or a check-in. Rocco himself came out of the kitchen to chat with diners as we were getting ready to leave. Dinner for two came in at a brisk 90 minutes, but we never once felt rushed.

Good to know before you go

• Dress code: Business casual is the general expectation here.
• Hours: Closed Mondays; open evenings the rest of the week — worth calling ahead to confirm before you go, since restaurant hours shift.
• For special occasions: If it’s a birthday, don’t be shy about mentioning it — the communal candle moment is part of what makes this place special.
• Reservations: Given how crowded it gets, especially on weekends, booking ahead is the safer bet even though we got seated immediately.

I can’t say enough about the staff, the food, and the service at L’Incontro by Rocco. I’ll be back to try more of their menu.