Pasta Kitchen

08/12/08

Small, Local Italian Eatery in Shopping Center, Good for After Church, or a on Hurried Weeknight

by AReviewerToo at Citysearch

To start, OH MY GOODNESS, does this place smell AMAZING! Sadly, however (yes, there is a but), the place doesn't really stack up in my opinion. I've spent years smelling the wonderful aromas, always hoping. I will say, though, I'm never thoroughly disappointed. The food is definitely of a solid average quality; sometimes above average. Most recently, I had a pasta special (it's always on the menu, can't think of the name). It was penne in a creamy pesto with spinach and garlic chicken and sundried tomatoes. I ordered mine without the tomatoes. I am a fan of creamy pestos, but this was a little too watery; the pesto and the alfredo sauce that it was combined with were not, pardon the repetition, combined properly. It was not a smooth finished product. The tomato cream sauce, which I am also a huge fan of, suffered from the same problem, but, I felt, had better flavor. it had a definite, but not overpowering, sweetness to it; what I'd expect from a tomato cream sauce. I would have also preferred more garlic in each sauce. I was told that the alfredo sauce had a lot of garlic, however, I did not taste much garlic in the creamy pesto. I really felt that the creamy pesto should have been more flavorful overall and thought it was possibly not seasoned properly, so I added salt and a little pepper which did not increase the flavor; just lent a slight saltiness which was gladly welcomed as it was some additional flavor. Their house salad was not enjoyable to me. It tasted similar to a light Caesar dressing, but definitely not Caesar - which would have been good had it been Caesar. The garlic bread, on the other hand, is above average and a great dipping accompaniment for the two creamy sauces. Now, I haven't had their chicken Caesar sandwich in years, but I remember it as being very tasty and satisfying; one of my menu favorites. I'll have to try that again soon.

• Pros: Great customer service, bright interior with T.V., community feel. Good Chicken Caesar sandwich and garlic bread.
• Cons: Dining room can feel a little drab sometimes, food smells better than it is.

07/20/06

a good cheap eat

by rachel1215 at Citysearch

They give you the option to pick n choose your sauces and pasta and your selection of meat. With reasonable prices, this is a good place to come back to over and over again. The place is a little dark and depressing--take-out is a good option to as the food keeps well after it gets cold.

I use to always come here after church for dinner. I like to get the tomato cream sauce pasta, with a caesar salad on the side--both delicious.

• Pros: price, pastas and sauces, caesar salad
• Cons: atmosphere