Use Your Noodle

A guide to fresh-made pasta in South Philadelphia.

by Brion Shreffler

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Published: Apr 20, 2010

FLOUR POWER: Owner Joseph "Joey Noodles" Lomanno Jr. makes the dough the right way at Superior Pasta Company in the Italian Market. Neal Santos

[ so fresh ]

In the Italian Market, the sight of sheets of pasta running through a machine to be swept into braids lures people to a halt. Places like Talluto's, at Ninth and Carpenter, stick their pasta cutter in the window for everyone to see. Superior Pasta, near Ninth and Christian, takes a subtler approach, but has no problem drawing attention with its tricolor awning. Visit either spot — or Nino's Fresh Pasta and Matteo's Italian Foods, both further south along 12th Street — and you'll walk away with fresher-than-fresh pasta that approximates what you'll eat in the motherland.

It starts and ends with three simple ingredients: high durum flour, fresh eggs and water. But what separates fresh-made pastas and the dried stuff you get at the supermarket, as any master will tell you, are flavor and feel. "It has an unmatched texture and cooks in a fraction of the time, and because it's more porous, it holds the sauce better," says Talluto's manager, Dave Brown, of fresh-made.

"It's such basic elements becoming something so elaborate," Pina Carabello of Nino's says. Her mother and father jumped into the pasta business several years after running a grocery store near their present 12th and Mifflin location for 35 years.

It takes skill to ensure someone eating your pasta can truly taste that egg and that flour. Also relying on a mastery of paradoxical texture — the best pastas somehow boast a pillow-soft bite and a welcome firmness at the same time — South Philly's pasta-makers maintain a healthy relationship with numerous local restaurants (good luck getting that list), as well as with the community.

Each establishment follows a similar production schedule, with particular items made fresh at certain times throughout the week. Being located in the Italian Market allows these purveyors to incorporate various fresh ingredients of high quality into their products.

What's more, most fresh-pasta makers have a high turnover that ensures that their items haven't been sitting very long in a refrigerator or freezer. (Superior owner Joseph "Joey Noodles" Lomanno, for one, is always quick to point out what was just made, or to let you know what will be coming out in the next hour or two.) Though neither Nino's nor Matteo's offer a made-to-order pasta option, their friendly staffs are great at guiding you toward whatever pasta was most recently pressed into life.

Here's our guide to the top selections available at South Philly's best fresh pasta shops.

905 Christian St., 215-627-3306, superiorpasta.com

Founded by an Italian immigrant in 1945, Lomanno took over Superior in 1999, leaving a job in the corporate world.

Cannelloni. It doesn't take long to realize why Superior calls this their "hidden treasure." Lomanno swears there isn't any veal in his blend, so there must be something magical about their combination of beef, ricotta and fresh herbs. Buy when fresh and coat with olive oil, spices and Parmesan, and let it sit in the oven for a few before heating to completion with marinara. You'll have one of the best dinners around — and one of the most affordable, too, working out to roughly less than $4 a serving.

Hot Pepper Linguine. An infusion of pepper flakes ensures that this pasta will stand out in any sauce. The heat comes through in varying waves.

Cavatelli. These little bands of pasta, enriched with ricotta, are slightly twisted, with a shallow ridge (think macro-chromosomes you can eat). Superior's make for many a hearty dish, with the little knots perfectly engineered to soak up marinara.

Gorgonzola Eggplant Ravioli. Though not the ingredients you'd expect blended with ricotta in ravioli, this incorporation of Gorgonzola and eggplant is a winner.

Goat Cheese Ravioli. Deep, robust notes and creamy textures — think boucheron, or the similarly rich, aromatic Capricho de Cabra. Perfect with Superior's vodka marinara.

944 S. Ninth St., 215-627-4967, tallutos.com

Joe A.M. Talluto, with the help of his son, Joe Jr., carries on a tradition started by Joe Jr.'s grandfather at one location in Southwest Philly in 1967. Numerous locations sprang up in the 1980s, including the shop on Ninth, as well as a production location now located not far from the airport. The imported-from-Italy pasta machines they use at the Italian Market shop are simply " bigger, more efficient versions of what grandma used to use," says manager Brown.

Pappardelle. These noodles hold tight, with just the right amount of pliancy. Step out of Talluto's and grab a pound of lamb from Esposito's and you're on your way to a great ragu.

Spinach Ricotta Crepe. Subtle hints of spinach, a thin, soft-unfolding layer of dough (referred to as a "crepe" since it's more delicate than its harder-shelled counterparts) and a ricotta rich with milky flavor helps to evoke — with marinara, of course — the Italian flag.

Pumpkin Ravioli . You can taste the amaretto and the rich spice blend married with whole-milk ricotta and Parmesan. If you don't have any sauce, enjoy them pancake style, with melted butter, maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon.

Agnolotti. These basil agnolotti make for one of the tastiest pasta appetizers around. The pesto is so rich and nuanced that they're perfect with olive oil, pepper, oregano and Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top. Talluto's also features them cold in a stellar pasta salad.

1218 Mifflin St., 215-467-0659

Wicker baskets line the shelves behind Nino's counter, holding the bread they bake fresh daily — rolls specifically for nearby Fuel, Italian long loaves for Lucky 13. An adjacent room holds a legion of 20-plus-year-old pasta machines of Roman origin, including a mixer/pasta extruder fit with custom die cutters — for shapely pastas like fusilli and rigatoni — that look like specialized brake rotors.

Shrimp Ravioli. A robust flavor permeates this ravioli with hearty chunks of shrimp that doesn't restrict the ricotta. Hearty enough to sing through a rich vodka sauce.

Spinach Ravioli. The earthy spinach flavor in these creamy ricotta ravioli pops on the palate; tastes like the pasta-maker just came back from the farmer's market.

Fusilli. Pop in when they have this fresh. Soft and pliant, it surprises with its excellent firmness after its prescribed cooking time (20 minutes) — which, like the walk down to Nino's, is well worth it. Its richness of flavor makes it a standout, as well as its ability to rope up sauce, chicken, mushrooms, spinach or whatever else you want to throw into a hearty dish.

1214 Ritner St., 215-467-7644, matteositalianfood.com

In 1995, Robert Matteo Jr. took over this business, founded by his father, former sheet-metal worker Robert Sr., in 1976. This small shop feels like a deli, with bread bins along the floor by the counter. Continue to the glass case where they keep the ravioli, tortellini and other assorted pastas and you may just catch sight through the glass partition of the mozzarella they prep fresh every day.

Roasted Pepper Ravioli. Parmesan, ricotta and roasted pepper group-hug to your benefit, with the last flavor coming through in the right measure.

Cheese Ravioli. This creamy ricotta ravioli deserves a seat at the table with the big boys of Ninth Street. Ricotta and mozzarella get equal attention here.

Lobster Ravioli. Since balance is everything in blended ravioli, flakes of lobster meat — employed to overkill by most — allow for an even balance of flavor, which Matteo's augments with their rich ricotta and a backing of Romano.

(editorial@citypaper.net)

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