Friday, June 30, 2006

Pasta Nostra

Pasta Nostra
116 Washington Street - Map
South Norwalk, CT
(203) 854-9700
Pan-Italian Gourmet Cuisine

Housed in Historical SoNo (South Norwalk), Pasta Nostra is a dynamic and inviting gourmet Italian restaurant. The waitstaff and chefs are extremely friendly and helpful and you get the sense that their mission is to ensure your delighted satisfaction. What's particularly interesting about Pasta Nostra is not that the food is excellent and delightful every time, but rather that their menu changes regularly. Unfortunately, they're only open Wednesday through Saturday evenings and they are a dinner-only venue.

Upon approaching Pasta Nostra, walking along Washington Street, you get a sense of a quaint, little town. They have cute boutiques and stores along the street. Additionally, there are a number of other restaurants there as well, which appear to be trendy and interesting. And don't worry, if you're looking for some nightlife too, there are a number of bars that you can take your pick from.

As far as decor is concerned, Pasta Nostra took a minimalist, cafeteria-chic approach: tile floors, simple tables with stark white tablecloths. It's set up in an open-kitchen style configuration, which lends a fun appeal to the gourmet dining experience. They also have some interesting art pieces hung up on the walls.

However, where they lack in decor, they more than make up for in quality of service and food. Their dishes never fail to impress, even to my critical palate. On this particular occassion, I and 6 other friends patronized this restaurant so we can share in a common experience. While it's impossible to predict what they're menu will hold, rest assured that you will always find something interesting to order, and if you're not that much of an adventurous eater, there are some good ol' traditional dishes as well - let's not forget, Pasta Nostra does pasta best!

They immediately brought to the table freshly baked bread that was cut into slices, and served us small dipping bowls full of their Italy-imported extra virgin olive oil. This oil is exceptionally delicious. I have never had such flavorful olive oil prior to Pasta Nostra. It had a deep green tinge, even unusual in the higher-end extra virgin olive oils which are primarily yellow with a hint of green. The oil tasted so distinctly of olive it was remarkable. When you dip the hot slices of bread into the oil, and watch as it is absorbed into the nooks and crannies of the white cloudy flesh, painting it with a beautiful green color, you can't help but savor it's heady flavor.

To accompany our meal, I chose a bottle of their Vigneti di Foscarino Soave Classico 2003 bottle of wine. To quote Nicole, a friend and fellow diner, "The wine and the olive oil, they're having a conversation in my mouth!" The wine was served chilled, and had a clear light cream to yellow color. Mineral-rich flavors balanced out all our meals with noted grassy aromas. It was truly delightful.

I originally was interested in ordering their Melon and Prosciutto antipasti - a dish of various varieties of ripe, sweet melon with their 24 month Parma ham, however, they were out of melon, but one of the chefs suggested I order their Bresaola, Arugala, Tomato and Provolone antipasti - an appetizer that was comprised of thinly sliced air-dried beef, fresh slices of tomato, a mound of fresh arugala, and a few slices of provolone cheese. I was not disappointed with this option. The beef was sliced paper-thin, almost like prosciutto, but lacked the softness one normally finds in prosociutto. It was flavorful, light, and had a slightly sweet after taste that was pleasant. When eaten together with the provolone, I found it to be perfectly balanced with the firmness of the cheese, it's mildly sharp flavor, and the saltiness went particularly well with the bresaola. The tomato and arugala lent a wonderful texture and flavor to the combination, juicy and watery, and a hint of peppery-ness from the arugala.

Another particular antipasti dish that I found to be outrageously delicious and worthy of special note was their Citrus Tuna with Blood Oranges from Sicily. Blood oranges are a novelty to begin with, and have such a beautiful and deep purple color, that went perfectly with the raw slices of big eye tuna. This dish was seasoned with freshly chopped cilantro which not only served to beautify the dish, but lent an excellent counterbalance to the sweetness of the blood orange. Additionally, hints of cumin and garlic were prevalent in the dish, and most surprisingly - hot pepper which helped to tie all the flavors together to round them out. The presentation and flavors of this dish were delightful - and you couldn't help yourself from putting another forkful into your mouth. The smooth texture of the tuna is the first thing you notice, but then the sweetness of the blood orange envelopes your tongue, transporting along with it the savory aromas of the cumin and garlic, and then the last kick of hot pepper hits you in a not overwhelming way, but more of a novel accent.

For the entrée, I ordered the Baby Chicken with Gnocchi di Patate and Artichokes. The presentation of this dish was stunning. A whole chick, stuffed with fresh parsley was cooked to be perfectly crispy and seasoned on the outside, and juicy and tender. Aside it, there were small bit-sized pieces of tender gnocchi smothered in a parmigiano cheese sauce and topped with small chunks of roasted artichoke. The woody flavor and aroma of the artichoke went deliciously well and balanced out the smooth and milkyness of the parmigiano coated gnocchi. While the chicken was delicious, there was nothing exceptional about it. However, this dish, when savored with the wine was transformed into something else. The flavors of the chicken changed subtly to an interesting meld of flavors, almost tasting richer and more robust than alone.

I sampled the Chard Ravioli with Sicilian Tomato Sauce and that was an interesting pairing of basil garnished ravioli with the distinct chard flavors - pleasantly balanced, and the heady tang of the tomato sauce buffeted the flavors of the basil and the chard independently but to one harmoniouos end.

Dessert was a fun adventure in and of itself. I ordered the Tiramisu which was layered with mascarpone and crushed roasted hazelnuts. Texturally, it was such a fun experience, pairing the creaminess with the rough texture of crushed nuts. The flavors melded nicely, with hints of nutmeg and espresso. It was a delight. I also sampled their hot chocolate cake that was served with a scoop of vanilla gelato. It was chocolaty, creamy, and very rich - almost overwhelmingly so, but the gelato served to temper the flavors and round them out to something more manageable. I also requested their inteligentsia espresso which came served in the cutest espresso cup that was decorated with figures in dancing poses. The espresso was one of the best I've ever had - strong, dark and very bitter. It was prepared to have an appealing brown froth on top.

Overall, this experience was a fun and exciting one. We each loved sampling each other's dishes, the environment was comfortable and lax enough to allow us to be relaxed and have an overall good time. I recommend visiting this establishment for something new and delicious, and never disappointing.