I’m not sure if there is such a thing as a spectacular spaghetti/ linguine con vongole. It’s such a common dish and the recipe is, as are many Italian pasta dishes, rather standard and hidebound. If it’s elevated it’s no longer spaghetti con vongole. Having said that, the not very traditional version served at L’Emporio Armani Caffè in St Germain des Prés was, for me, outstanding. One usually doesn’t expect excellence in the haunts of fashionistas and therefore surprising as well as outstanding. But a warning: it includes a sprinkle of “bottarga sarda”/ dried and grated mullet roe and egg sac which, for many Americans, will be a new and unusual taste even if it is rather common in Italian and other Mediterranean cuisines.
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