« The Original Taco House | Main | First bento in the new place! »

July 25, 2005

Pastini Pastaria

Pastini Pastaria
1506 NW 23rd
Me: Cannelloni Frutti di Mare ($8.95)
Him: Ziti Vegetariano ($5.95)
Us: Chocolate Tartufo ($4.95)

I finally remembered to take pictures of our meal--but some of them were a little late! Here's the cannelloni, already chopped up into pieces before I remembered to grab the camera:

This cannelloni was great comfort food, and the sauce absolutely begged to be sopped up with the Pearl Bakery bread. Nothing challenging, a little fishy-tasting. Just good basic Italian. Note the plate: "pastaria" has an "e" where it shouldn't. I would have cried if I'd ordered these plates--but the overall effect is kind of charming.

The Spousal Unit's Ziti Vegetariano was, again, very good basic food. He found the vegetables a little overcooked. I found the raw basil to be a bit green and jarring--though he really enjoyed it. And yes, those are his arms.

Again, I was far too late with the camera here. The Chocolate Tartufo was the highlight of the meal. The cake was very nearly a pudding, and fantastic when paired with the ice cream. Suddenly, the SU was unhappy he'd finished his entire meal and was full. But he made room somehow for a few bites.

Great things about Pastini:

• More than half the pasta dishes are vegetarian. To see this in a mainstream restaurant blew us away.
  
• Portions are human-sized. I'm sure I've mentioned a few times how I hate to be piled with more food than any human can or should eat in one setting. Pastini gets it right.

Pastini is a family restaurant, and we saw several come in while we were there. The setting is easy-going, the service is very good, the prices are extremely reasonable, and the food is what I'm craving when I think Italian. This one's a keeper.

Posted by Cat Connor on July 25, 2005 07:24 PM

Comments

There sure are a lot of Italian restaurants in Portland. I think it has pretty much become a comfort food.

Posted by: Dennis on July 30, 2005 05:51 PM

We went to the Pastini at the (rather) new Bridgeport Village yesterday for lunch, and I giggled when I saw the plates with the misspelled name. Seriously, wouldn't you have sent the damned things back to the manufacturer? I'd guess most diners aren't paying attention to the rim of the plate when they're hungry, but still... Our lunch was great - the tuna salad and bruschetta della mamma (appetizer) were massive, but my panino was the perfect portion size. I think the highlight of our meal was the calamari fritti - perfectly cooked and not oily. So, so good...

Posted by: Jessica on August 1, 2005 10:26 AM

Post a comment

Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember info?