Portions play a factor, as does the “comfort-level” of the restaurant, which is grouped in the ambience category. Being crammed tightly into a space or learning that the gentleman next to you had a prostate exam that day would tend to lower this score. Lastly, the diversity of the dining patrons will be evaluated. In fairness, restaurants cannot control completely the diverse nature of its clientele. However, let’s face it, we are often more likely to dine at a place in an environment befitting our cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Thus, this criteria will be evaluated as well. Additionally, I will note if there are vegetarian options and also whether choices are available for the lactose intolerant.
Pasta da Pulcinella
Have you ever inquired about something, only to wish midway through the ambiguous explanation that you hadn’t done so in the first place?
That is one of my very few complaints about the quaint, charming, cottage-turned- restaurant, Pasta da Pulcinella in Midtown.
Upon arriving at my table, my attention was immediately drawn to the scads of 8 ½ by 14 inch pictures, presumably from a book, that festoon most of the wall space inside this cozy eatery. The pictures resembled “cone-head like” men in various parts of a town from an era long ago.
As my waiter, dressed with a fedora as all of the wait staff is, expounded upon the confounding artwork, I grew immediately disillusioned with the reply. “It’s a book by Giovanni Somebody Somebody showing idealistic life….blah, blah, blah.” As I later found out after tuning him out due to the boredom of the reply, apparently the questioning of the décor of the room is pretty commonplace. Hopefully, others understood the uninspiring explanation better than I did.
Aside from the puzzling pictures, Pasta da Pulcinella is an excellent choice if you are looking for solid Italian cooking that is straightforward and unpretentious. Many of the recipes have graced the menu for over 15 years, and the result is a memorable dining experience that will not massacre your budget.
For starters, you can’t go wrong with the restaurant’s traditional Caesar salad, though surprisingly many eateries manage to botch this. Not here, fortunately.
My first trip I indulged on the ravioli stuffed with lobster and cheese in a champagne cream sauce, which was magnificent.
Another meritorious selection is the ravioli stuffed with chicken and mushrooms in a spicy tomato-basil and cream sauce. I couldn’t determine if I liked this dish or the lobster ravioli better, as the two were both superb. The piquancy of the dish was a pleasant addition to traditional ravioli that one might normally see in an Italian restaurant.
The spinach tagliatelle Bolognese, which I was told is a traditional favorite of the house, is a winner for those who prefer more traditional meat sauce pastas.
Quantity-wise, the most filling dish would have to be the chicken cannelloni. These Italian crepes are filled with spinach, chicken, and ricotta cheese—topped with tomato-basil sauce and a gorgonzola mushroom sauce. My friend, Tre’, who accompanied me on my second visit, was barely able to make a dent in it after the Caesar salad and tasty warm bread. It’s also an outstanding value at $15.
Finish off the evening with a delectable piece of raspberry cheesecake, and it will not be a surprise that the overall praise is effusive for this “blink and you almost miss it” Midtown gem.
With the exception of the surprisingly sizeable cannelloni, portions appear to be substandard at worst and average at best. However, much to my surprise, once you begin to indulge, initial appearances are belied, and I actually reached the precipice of satiety even with my voracious appetite.
Despite its Midtown location, the older, mostly Caucasian clientele resembles more of what you’d expect to see, frankly, in Buckhead, and my guess is they were regular patrons, judging from the banter I witnessed back and forth with the waiters.
Several vegetarian dishes are available, including linguine with tomato, pesto, or garlic cream sauce that is served with mixed vegetables.
I would highly recommend this place, especially as a good first date restaurant, due to its budget friendly prices and pleasing cuisine. Reservations are probably a good idea, due to the relatively small dining room and outdoor patio seating. And speaking of seating—and here’s one opportunity for improvement--the hard backs of the indoor chairs are horribly uncomfortable.
Don’t let that deter you, though. This place is definitely worth the trip, and the food is outstanding!
Dining Category: Casual Dressy to Dressy
Food: A+
Service: A
Portions: B
Entrée Prices: Range from $10-$20 with most around $15
Ambience/Comfort: C+ (Sorry, the chairs are just too hard to be comfortable or else this would be an A.)
Diversity Of Dining Patrons: Could use improvement
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Options For Lactose Intolerant: Yes
OVERALL GRADE: A
FINAL COMMENT: Expunge the chairs, and there’s not much to dislike about this place.
That is one of my very few complaints about the quaint, charming, cottage-turned- restaurant, Pasta da Pulcinella in Midtown.
Upon arriving at my table, my attention was immediately drawn to the scads of 8 ½ by 14 inch pictures, presumably from a book, that festoon most of the wall space inside this cozy eatery. The pictures resembled “cone-head like” men in various parts of a town from an era long ago.
As my waiter, dressed with a fedora as all of the wait staff is, expounded upon the confounding artwork, I grew immediately disillusioned with the reply. “It’s a book by Giovanni Somebody Somebody showing idealistic life….blah, blah, blah.” As I later found out after tuning him out due to the boredom of the reply, apparently the questioning of the décor of the room is pretty commonplace. Hopefully, others understood the uninspiring explanation better than I did.
Aside from the puzzling pictures, Pasta da Pulcinella is an excellent choice if you are looking for solid Italian cooking that is straightforward and unpretentious. Many of the recipes have graced the menu for over 15 years, and the result is a memorable dining experience that will not massacre your budget.
For starters, you can’t go wrong with the restaurant’s traditional Caesar salad, though surprisingly many eateries manage to botch this. Not here, fortunately.
My first trip I indulged on the ravioli stuffed with lobster and cheese in a champagne cream sauce, which was magnificent.
Another meritorious selection is the ravioli stuffed with chicken and mushrooms in a spicy tomato-basil and cream sauce. I couldn’t determine if I liked this dish or the lobster ravioli better, as the two were both superb. The piquancy of the dish was a pleasant addition to traditional ravioli that one might normally see in an Italian restaurant.
The spinach tagliatelle Bolognese, which I was told is a traditional favorite of the house, is a winner for those who prefer more traditional meat sauce pastas.
Quantity-wise, the most filling dish would have to be the chicken cannelloni. These Italian crepes are filled with spinach, chicken, and ricotta cheese—topped with tomato-basil sauce and a gorgonzola mushroom sauce. My friend, Tre’, who accompanied me on my second visit, was barely able to make a dent in it after the Caesar salad and tasty warm bread. It’s also an outstanding value at $15.
Finish off the evening with a delectable piece of raspberry cheesecake, and it will not be a surprise that the overall praise is effusive for this “blink and you almost miss it” Midtown gem.
With the exception of the surprisingly sizeable cannelloni, portions appear to be substandard at worst and average at best. However, much to my surprise, once you begin to indulge, initial appearances are belied, and I actually reached the precipice of satiety even with my voracious appetite.
Despite its Midtown location, the older, mostly Caucasian clientele resembles more of what you’d expect to see, frankly, in Buckhead, and my guess is they were regular patrons, judging from the banter I witnessed back and forth with the waiters.
Several vegetarian dishes are available, including linguine with tomato, pesto, or garlic cream sauce that is served with mixed vegetables.
I would highly recommend this place, especially as a good first date restaurant, due to its budget friendly prices and pleasing cuisine. Reservations are probably a good idea, due to the relatively small dining room and outdoor patio seating. And speaking of seating—and here’s one opportunity for improvement--the hard backs of the indoor chairs are horribly uncomfortable.
Don’t let that deter you, though. This place is definitely worth the trip, and the food is outstanding!
Dining Category: Casual Dressy to Dressy
Food: A+
Service: A
Portions: B
Entrée Prices: Range from $10-$20 with most around $15
Ambience/Comfort: C+ (Sorry, the chairs are just too hard to be comfortable or else this would be an A.)
Diversity Of Dining Patrons: Could use improvement
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Options For Lactose Intolerant: Yes
OVERALL GRADE: A
FINAL COMMENT: Expunge the chairs, and there’s not much to dislike about this place.
posted by Thomas | 5:37 PM
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