Anthony’s Place: Chocolate Ravioli – The Bite

THE BITE: Born out of last week’s heat and chef/owner Anthony Sette’s fertile mind, Anthony’s Place (2110 Avenue X) has come up with a new dessert that screws with the rules – chocolate ravioli ($7), which just happened to debut the same day as my 25th wedding anniversary.

Mrs. Bite has a sweet tooth. For her, no meal is complete without dessert. An anniversary dinner needs to be special and Anthony’s Place stepped up to the challenge with this unique dish. Mrs. Bite was very, very happy.

To make the ravioli, Anthony takes his store-made pasta dough, fills it with a mixture of Nutella and marshmallow, cuts it into the traditional ravioli shape and deep fries them. He then tops the ravioli with a cascade of powdered sugar and a criss-crossing of chocolate syrup.

I watched my wife’s eyes light up when the waitress served this. Since it was our anniversary, she broke another rule and shared her dessert. Biting into the chewy ravioli, the hot chocolate filling filled my mouth. The flavors of hazelnut and chocolate overwhelmed my senses. There’s something magical in the mix of hazelnut and chocolate. Adding the marshmallow didn’t change the taste, but lightened the Nutella filling giving it an almost airy texture that contrasted nicely with the pasta.

The chocolate ravioli is not available on the menu. For now, Anthony tells me, it will be making frequent appearances on the “specials” board. He also tells me that even if it’s not listed, he usually has the ingredients available to make these to order. But, I’m hoping that enough Sheepshead Bites readers will seek out the chocolate ravioli that he adds them to the menu.

Anthony’s Place, 2110 Avenue X, (718) 743-8099.

The Bite is Sheepshead Bites’ weekly column where we explore the foodstuffs of Sheepshead Bay. Each week we check out a different offering from one of the many restaurants, delis, food carts, bakeries, butchers, fish mongers, or grocers in our neighborhood. If it’s edible, we’ll take a bite.