The Classics: Le Cirque’s Pasta Primavera

The venerable New York City restaurant Le Cirque is famous for many things—the airy dining room, the power-lunch crowd, the decades-long string of New York Times critics who issue reviews, both glowing and less so, as a rite of journalistic passage. But one thing remains wonderfully immutable: the Spaghetti alla Primavera, a cream-laced pasta dish with vibrant vegetables and toasted pine nuts. Don't look for it on the menu: you have to know it's there; if you request it, the kitchen won't say no.