Pasta-centric Aunt Jake's opens in Huntington

In the 11 years since they opened their first Aunt Jake’s in Little Italy, Manhattan, restaurateur Nick Boccio and his partner, chef Carmine DiGiovanni, have been through the wringer, opening and closing locations and, in the wake of COVID, focusing on group classes to satisfy an audience hungry not just for Italian dining, but for experiences.

But one thing never changed: their commitment to pasta.

When Aunt Jake’s opens in Huntington village on Wednesday, pasta will once again be front and center. The kitchen produces eight homemade shapes, each of which can be paired with one of eight sauces. Most combos are $18; none is more than $22. (On Long Island, budget friendly pasta is certainly having a moment.) 

DiGiovanni noted that his pasta does not rely on one "base dough recipe." Each of the shapes is made with its own mixture — all-purpose flour, durum and eggs for the tagliatelle; semolina, all-purpose and olive oil for the rigatoni; all-purpose, durum, eggs and ricotta for the cavatelli, and so on. Marinara, arrabbiata, spicy vodka, cacio e pepe and nut-free pesto all come in at $18. Add $2 for broken meatballs and "white" Bolognese or $4 for the Sunday sauce simmered with short ribs, pork sausage and veal.

Such prices seem even more reasonable when you consider the setting: The renovated bi-level space that was formerly Leilu (2019 to 2024) has a warm elegance, a welcoming bar and a menu rounded out with creative starters ($14 to $18) and mains ($24 to $36). Also a bargain: complimentary filtered still or sparkling water.

Boccio explained his pricing philosophy thusly: "I’d rather be busy than empty. A busy restaurant has a better atmosphere, it’s better for the customer and it’s better for the staff."

His other Aunt Jake’s, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, prioritizes pasta-making classes. "We have anywhere from 12 to 20 classes a week," he said. "Private events, corporate team building — we seat the restaurant when and if we have space." But the Huntington resident had a sense that dining, not instruction, would drive business here. "Our plan is to only hold classes Sunday through Thursday."

Classes will be held in the second-floor dining room (which can also be configured for regular service) and will cost $60. For that price you get 75 minutes of pasta-making instruction and a ball of dough to take home plus a three-course meal drawn from the regular menu.

And, speaking of that menu, DiGiovanni’s non-pasta items tend to be less traditionally Italian than the pastas. Starters include an avocado-grapefruit salad with shaved fennel, pickled red onions and sesame; roasted carrots with lemon yogurt and sunflower seeds; mussels in a Champagne-cream sauce; roast potatoes with pecorino aioli. Mains include crisp-skinned salmon with citrus gremolata and fennel salad; roasted (mostly boneless) half chicken with garlic, broccoli rabe and polenta; bone-in short rib with muffuletta relish, artichoke risotto. Desserts ($12 to $19) include a seven-layer chocolate cake whose recipe originates with Boccio’s 15-year-old son, Julian.

Weekend brunch ($16 to $22) offers an abbreviated pasta menu as well as honey-butter pancakes, French toast (made with house-made milk bread), a BEC using Taleggio and ciabatta plus a Fontina burger, Amalfi chicken salad and chicken Parm. Aunt Jake's mostly Italian wine list includes a dozen selections by the glass. 

Aunt Jake’s, 10 New St., Huntington, 631-470-3248, auntjakesnyc.com. Open 5 to 10 p.m. daily, brunch served 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.