The Red Hen

The Red Hen builds its Italian-American identity around pasta made in the house, cooking over wood and ingredients from the Mid-Atlantic. In Bloomingdale, that combination produces a neighborhood restaurant with a definite culinary center. The restaurant names Michael Friedman and Michael O’Malley as proprietors and Robert Cain as executive chef; the present kitchen carries that established approach into a changing seasonal menu.

The most enduring reference is the mezzi rigatoni with fennel-sausage ragù. Tomato and garlic form the sauce, while fennel pollen and Pecorino Romano finish the dish. As an introduction to the restaurant, it makes the relationship between pasta shape and a substantial sauce especially clear.

The rest of the pasta section gives the seasonal program substance. The current menu combines small dumplings with corn, chanterelles and shishito peppers, and pairs dark linguini with clams, fennel and toasted garlic. Another pasta follows tomatoes through a lighter preparation. These combinations put produce alongside the house’s more robust cooking and make it possible to choose a meal with several registers.

A table need not order pasta alone. The dinner menu also includes grilled short rib, a breaded pork preparation with tomatoes and mozzarella, and halibut with corn and peppers. Ricotta on grilled bread provides a different beginning from a seafood appetizer. The largely Italian wine list adds another layer without changing the central proposition: this is a restaurant for diners who want a recognizable main course and the freedom to decide the meal’s length. The pasta is the organizing thread, not a compulsory tasting script.

Sources: The Red Hen: current identity and team · The Red Hen: current dinner menu · The Red Hen: pasta and culinary approach · MICHELIN Guide: The Red Hen · The Red Hen: Google Maps listing