New Restaurant Pastagina - My Take
There’s been a lot of buzz about this restaurant in the downtown blogging community - the anticipation of it’s opening centered around jokes about it’s rather funny name (”I want my ‘gina!”, etc. was heard often). Many bloggers joined for a dinner shortly after the restaurant opened and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the food and the good times (see links HERE). I love pasta and was really looking forward to trying the “perfectly al dente” pasta churned out by their special pasta cooking machine.
Today I stopped by for lunch to try it for myself. The restaurant is on Center St. in Little Tokyo, just 1 door north of 2nd St. It is a very clean and bright place, with a few tables outside on the sidewalk.
The first (and really only) thing that I didn’t like was the very small options available on the menu. I had the idea that it would be a place where you pick a pasta from a large variety (they only have 3 kinds- no Fettuccini! and no whole wheat or spinach…). Then I figured you would select a sauce (marinara, bolognese, alfredo, etc), and finally, add a meat if you desired (meatballs, sausage, shrimp, chicken). But that was not the case. They basically have 14 pre-selected options (see menu below) and you select one of the 3 pasta types.
I selected the “#7 Meatballs” and it was extremely tasty and a generous portion. The prices are very affordable too. But make no mistake about it- this is definitely a “chain” type restaurant, not a “mom-and-pop” Italian cafe where the meatballs are the size of baseballs and the garlic is so strong you will reek for days. This place, with it’s sterile look and feel, should be right next to Pinkberry as they have about the same atmosphere.
Will I eat there again? Absolutely- it’s great to have this option in Little Tokyo. Does their pasta beat the “Dixie Chicken Penne” at Pitfire Pizza? No way (but in all honesty my meatball pasta today was better than the Turkey Meatball pasta at Pitfire and cheaper).
You should definitely try it- and it’s “dog freindly” with the outdoor seating, which is a big plus. They don’t have a very impressive web site (no menu) so I scanned the menu- click on link below to see it.
Thanks for this posting, I just came across this restaurant today. I will try it probably tomorrow and I think I’m going to try #7 as well. I guess their website is still be worked on, so thanks for scanning the menu too.
November 6th, 2007 at 1:11 pmMmm, now I’m getting hungry for the #7 again. It was tasty, although just different from what I expected. I’d be interested to hear your opinion.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:05 pmIt was great, but now they’re getting cheap. They went from offering Parmesan cheese straight from a hand-held electric cheese grater, to the stingiest portion of parmesan cheese in a tiny cup. Extra parmesan: 75 cents. From one extreme to another - I have to wonder what other cost-cutting measures they’ve taken. A message to the email on their site comes back, “sorry, no mailbox by that name.”
November 27th, 2007 at 10:18 pm[...] Pastagina: I’ve had a craving for pasta too, and I like Pastagina ‘to go” - I get 2 orders of their pasta, as it is great microwaved (that is if I don’t eat all 2 servings at once). I hope they stay in business, but they are pretty dead when Isis and I walk by…. [...]
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September 29th, 2010 at 7:42 am