Acqua at Peck Slip offers solid pasta dishes in an area without many great options. Located in South Street Seaport, the restaurant is aptly named as it attempts to evoke the water with it’s breezy, light, and somewhat nautical, woody ambiance. It’s a nice setting, particularly when the sun is out and the doors are open and there are a few outdoor tables as well.
The pasta here is pretty good. The classic spaghetti pomodoro is homemade with fresh tomatoes and basil. The spaghetti is cooked al dente and a bit more like bucatini in shape and size. The sauce is pleasant, but is shy of flavor. The texture of the sauce isn’t as thick as I’d like it to be and is somewhat runny, but everything is homemade and good enough to happily eat.
The gnocchi al limone e grana, on the other hand, is a pretty wild, crazy flavorful dish. There is just no other way to describe it. It is a homemade spinach gnocchi in a celery, ginger, and lemon sauce. I cannot say it’s great, but it is one of the most interesting things you’ll have. Once you see that on the menu, you’re compelled to try it even though it may not be the tastiest thing on there. As a huge gnocchi fan, this is the most unique one I’ve had, but neither the texture nor the taste was fantastic. The gnocchi was a bit firmer than it should have been and the sauce was strong, tart, and zesty. Good to try once.
If you go for lunch, they have a lot of lighter options, like paninis and salads, although I will say that the salads don’t look very appealing to me. Many seem to be just a large pile of various greens, somewhat reminiscent of rabbit food.
Funny thing though. One time, our waitress, while nice, was quite intoxicated. Pretty much the whole restaurant was talking about it and I’m not sure why management didn’t do something about it. She was slurring words and wobbling.
Still definitely one of the better options in FiDi.
