I happened to walk by while picking up a take out order from next door, and the first thing that popped out to me was the sign that said, "Feed me pasta and tell me I'm pretty." Well, with a tagline like that, of course I had to stop and look at their menu, where I realized these were the folks who served pasta in a garlic bread cone from a food truck I had seen on Instagram at some point. And now they have a store front.
Plus, carbs INSIDE MORE CARBS??
I still had some time before my other take out order was ready to be picked up, so I stepped inside to take a peek. Clean, sleek decor with a sort of modern diner vibe, I grabbed a seat at the counter where I could leisurely watch the cooks and owner prepare the food, read the menu and see what folks were eating.
It's not an extensive menu, which I liked. No feeling of being overwhelmed with choices, just nice, solid standards like chicken alfredo, spaghetti with meatballs, penne ala vodka with shrimp, lasagna, and options for sides, desserts, and of course the garlic bread cone instead of a bowl for the pasta.
The cooks were methodical in preparing each order, carefully pouring sauces into pans, moving back and forth around each other to take dishes in and out of the oven to toast bread, melt cheese, and generously dusting each dish with parmesan cheese, or drizzling balsamic vinegar over their signature focaccia bread.
I knew I had another take out order to pick up, but I'm also a night owl and knew I'd have to reckon with a "middle of the night" meal before morning, so I figured I might as well grab something extra now, and I can always reheat this or my other order later.
I ordered the chef special of the week, (the special changes from week to week), a baked manicotti and added a side of meatballs, and also added an order of lasagna. The lady at the register taking orders was friendly, patient while I figured out what I wanted, and informative in the best way. For example, she said they made everything in-house, with the exception of the pasta, but the bread and sauces? All made by them. And the focaccia bread? A special recipe developed by the owner/head chef during his days writing in high-end Italian restaurant, which, as a special for their opening week, they're offering to customers while they waited for their orders for free.
I've had focaccia bread before, and though it's meant to be airy, it often ends up being a blend of half airy/half dense, and power crispy, part soft. The focaccia here? Toasted in the oven before being sprinkled with deliciousness, it was evenly crispy all over, and the bread inside was truly light and airy throughout, so much so that it was like biting into a crunchy cloud, with a sweet, tangy-savory flavor that enhanced the bread, but didn't overwhelm.
The pasta, I tasted after I brought it home, and I wasn't disappointed. I was told their portion sizes are generous, and they did not lie. I thought two orders would last into maybe leftovers to heat up for lunch the next day, but after tucking in, I realized that ONE order was easily equivalent to TWO meals. And the pasta/sauce/cheese ratios were just right, where each component complement the others without overwhelming. You could taste the frames of the ingredients, and the care that went into making each dish.
Definitely adding this to my rotation of places to eat, and DEFINITELY going back to try their New York cheesecake. As a New York transplant to Vegas, clearly I have to see if their cheesecake deserves to be called "New York cheesecake" - but so far, nothing but high marks for this addition to the Vegas restaurant scene read more