By Alex L.
Two weeks ago, my lovely Alumni Partner Lily Su took Alex S. and I to lunch at a small Italian restaurant in Pioneer Square. The restaurant, Il Corvo, which means "the crow” in Italian, offers three different handmade pastas each day and opens only for lunch. You’d wonder how a restaurant that provides only a few menu choices could survive. But everyday, the tiny restaurant is always filled with customers with a line of people waiting along James Street, extending all the way to 3rd Avenue. Upon tasting the pasta for the first time, I would have to agree with The Stranger: the pasta is “really, really good.”
The three-dish menu concept of Il Corvo was mentioned in the book Modern Romance, which Alex S. read the day after our first meal at Il Corvo. The author, Aziz Ansari, was drawn to the limited choices offered by the restaurant. While the world forces us to make myriads of decisions, many of which do indeed benefit us, the sheer quantity can sometimes overwhelm us. Perhaps the fewer choices we have, the happier we would be.
The three-dish menu concept of Il Corvo was mentioned in the book Modern Romance, which Alex S. read the day after our first meal at Il Corvo. The author, Aziz Ansari, was drawn to the limited choices offered by the restaurant. While the world forces us to make myriads of decisions, many of which do indeed benefit us, the sheer quantity can sometimes overwhelm us. Perhaps the fewer choices we have, the happier we would be.
In addition to providing a unique menu, II Corvo provides consumers with pastas of the highest quality. Mike Easton, the former chef of Lecosho, and the former owner of Bizzarro in Wallingford, is the chef and owner of the restaurant. Easton makes his pasta with vintage hand-cranked machines, tops it with made-to-order sauces, and serves it to each customer for under $10 per plate.[1] By sacrificing the number of options on the menu, and focusing on the three distinct pasta each day, Easton is able to ensure that each pasta he makes is “really, really good.”
Easton’s successful and characteristic way of operating Il Corvo sheds light not only on managing thriving restaurants but also on our way of life. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities and the choices you have, take a step back, focus on one thing at a time, and do it well.
Picture: Maccheroni, with Braised Beef, Black Pepper and Red Wine (July 20th, 2015)[2]
[1] http://www.thestranger.com/locations/7583593/il-corvo
[2] http://ilcorvopasta.com
Easton’s successful and characteristic way of operating Il Corvo sheds light not only on managing thriving restaurants but also on our way of life. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities and the choices you have, take a step back, focus on one thing at a time, and do it well.
Picture: Maccheroni, with Braised Beef, Black Pepper and Red Wine (July 20th, 2015)[2]
[1] http://www.thestranger.com/locations/7583593/il-corvo
[2] http://ilcorvopasta.com