Pastabilities

User Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

My husband and I ate here last night for my birthday. We found a lively bistro atmosphere, with an eclectic mix of 30-40-somethings in trendy clothing alongside jeans-clad guys in baseball caps, women in work clothing and a sprinkling of older folks in suits, ties and dresses. Typical worknight urban mix. It was Thursday, around 7:30, and we waited 30 minutes for a table. A glass of wine at the bar was $6.

The noise level was barely tolerable. Still, the mood was festive and the decor enjoyable though a bit dim for older eyes (I had to read the menu aloud to my husband, and he's only 54). We had high hopes.

After the much vaunted bread with hot oil sauce, which was spicily tasty and appropriately limited, we had the "West of Utica Greens" which were delicious. Hopes were therefore high for the next course.

When the entrees arrived, his plate (he ordered tenderloin, $23) was attractively piled with food whereas my dish (pink vodka cream sauce with shrimp over fettucine, $21) simply looked like a pile of pasta with four grilled shrimp tossed on top with a careless smattering of dried parsley. Although the sauce was tasty enough, there was a jarring contrast in presentation with my husband's plate, made especially annoying given the small price difference between the two entrees. Hubby loved his meal and cleaned his plate; I ended up with leftover pasta that was notably flawed (in cooking, the fettucine had formed hard clumps--somebody wasn't minding the pasta pot, a sorry reflection on a place whose very name promises outstanding pasta). The shrimp were okay but not great. I tried to focus on the sauce flavors but overall felt pretty meh about the dish. It was distressing when hubby's plate was whisked away while I was still eating--mid-forkful, in fact--making me feel awkwardly rushed.

Since it was, after all, my birthday, I chose to have dessert... a rare indulgence for me. The "gelato of the day" sounded promising--I love gelato--and on inquiring the flavor, was told it was "lime." Envisioning a creamy, rich citrus gelato, I was stunned when presented with a white soup bowl containing two hard white snowballs lacking any adornment whatsoever. The lumps turned out to be a sorbet--the lime taste was overpoweringly tart, with uneven sweetness (some bites were sweeter than others) and the texture was hard and granular. No dairy was present and the clear meltwater was obvious proof. This was difficult to eat as the hard balls simply rolled around beneath my spoon. To say that I was dissappointed is an understatement.

Our waitress, though efficient enough, was unable to answer simple questions about the menu, having to shout to other wait staff for answers. Service had a frantic quality--a waiter who refilled our water glasses did so with perfunctory swiftness and left puddles on the table.

The rest rooms are one-person affairs. I elected to use the men's room after waiting too long for the designated ladies' room. What I found inside the men's room was disgusting... a large puddle had spread from beneath the urinal into the toilet stall, and the room stank of cheezy urinal cake, making the room smell like a truck stop. This was a nasty contrast with the otherwise elegant decor. I later remarked on this to hubby, who commented, "most guys have low standards when it comes to rest rooms." Poor excuse.

To sum up: the meal began well but slid inexorably downhill from there.

To sum up: I recommend the appetizers, urge caution on the entrees, and suggest going elsewhere for dessert. Don't expect to have a quiet conversation. This is a "see and be seen" kind of place where the food is uneven and pricey, and you don't always get your money's worth.

Caveat emptor.

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User Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I got one of my favorite menu meals here and it was one of the worst variations I've ever had which really soured my experience. Overall atmosphere and prices are OK, but food is actually not great.

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User Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The bread and dipping sauce you get before your meal are FANTASTIC! The pasta dishes themselves are just "okay" but it's worth it to go for the bread and dipping sauce.

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