#pastabar

[jasmineway]

Pasta | Bar // 7-26-2024

So many good ideas, executed with precision... yet not necessarily executed well.

I want to premise that I wanted to love this restaurant. As a longtime Valley once-local, Pasta Bar was an aspirational goal for me years before I finally made it through the door. It was advertised as a Pasta version of Scratch | Bar. As someone who loves fine dining and pasta (but rarely gets the latter at the former) this was exciting, a way to enjoy my two loves.

What I will say is there a very big difference between the Pasta Bar experience, and even the Pasta Bar presentation... and the actual cohesiveness of the food. I had a good time... I had a great show... I had amazing bread... the meal itself, though?

Hmm.

Much like a splenectomy that somehow resects the liver... the greatest preparation skills mean little if the materials used are not ideal for what's necessary.

Arrival

You'll find the restaurant via a subtle plaque on frosted glass on teh second floor of an unsuspecting shopping complex, in a quiet corner in Encino.

Welcome

You are let in to a small holding area, in a bar that overlooks a prep kitchen quarantined from the actual 'dining room' / chef's counter. We were each offered a welcome cocktail and three amuse bouches, my favorite of which made reality the 'cube food' fantasy of early 2000s infographics.

Main Dining

After our brief foray into the tasters with some of our many chefs hosting us that night, we were shown to our seats in the main dining room, all lined shoulder to shoulder with fancily dressed neighbors and circled around the kitchen.

Martha's Sourdough cultured butter

I will say it may have been a mistake to start with bread, because this bread was so good it may have ruined half the meal for me (spoiler, it was not). Each pair gets one loaf, and there's no room for seconds as they make them all right before dinner service so god help you if you breeze through it too fast and crave more.

Salad wagyu, herbs, ponzu

I ate every bite of every plate served to me this evening, but even my plant-loving friend could admit this was a creative take on 'salad.' It kind of looked like a salad, if a bloody mary decided to become savory. It was fine, but was much more beautifully plated than it was gracefully edible or flavored.

Crudo pistachio, calamansi, caviar

I was given a tuna alternative, and whatever I ate was delightful. Ignoring the mild tryptanophobia from the sauce decorations, it was light, fresh, and clean-tasting.

Raviolo king crab, macadamia, tom kha

This was our first 'pasta' dish in the evening, and the first sign that I may have misinterpreted the restaurant's namesake. There was a Bar, yes... Pasta, yes... but Pasta, singular. This would become a theme.

Side note: most everything looked beautiful, but I am not sure if I was feeling the crab-with-macadamia-with-no-sauce in a ravioli over here.

This would be a recurring theme--everything cooked to perfection and absolutely beautiful, but I'm not sure I actually liked many of the plates.

Cavatelli mole, secreto, poblano

Another beautiful, vibrant, flavorful, lovingly assembled... pile of interesting. It looked great. It tasted vaguely spicy. I don't dislike mole. I was not expecting the petals to be crunchy. Not unpleasant, but it did seem more apt for Meteora than 14 courses of theoretically pasta. Disappointingly, no pasta (another recurring theme).

Cappelliti mushroom, dashi, escarole

Okay, plural pasta, finally making an entrance. This dish was beautiful. It tasted okay. It felt like a sharp disconnect from the previous plate, which took me out of the experience. Despite my classic mocktail request, palette cleansers were strongly needed between the bold but somewhat incongruous creations presented.

Tagliolini truffle, uni, brioche

This was spectacular. I hate uni, and even without the uni, this was great. My server only told me after serving it (to me and my fish-allergic friend) that the uni alternative is far better than even the uni. Why not lead with that fact and offer it, or just not mention it unless brought up? Dish hurt slightly by fomo. I did eat minimal uni.

Striped Bass zucchini, tomato, coconut

This was a fish... wrapped in a blanket... made of vegetables. It was very pretty. It tasted better- than-okay. That's all I have to share about it.

Lamb cherry, cipollini, merguez, truffle

This was considered a pasta dish. A pasta dish! Yes, those microscopic beet-shaded accents indeed, were considered to constitute a pasta! What are they doing. It was so beautiful, the artistry in the plating was there... but the tastes and ability to spear the full experience into one bite on a fork was just, not. I overall enjoyed this one, but wished I hadn't had to chase it around (and lift my plate to angle the contents for leverage) to consume it.

Bone Marrow black currant, raspberry

Bone marrow... she tends to like that one, you may be thinking. Except, I don't know if I've ever had bone marrow served as a dessert. Firstly, even as a person used to bones and internals, this was too visceral for me (scooping it out of the bone did not help). Second, ice cold, the gelatinous undertones take on a less pleasant mouthfeel. Thirdly, whatever ice-cream/raspberry/mousse emulsion this thing was whipped into tasted vaguely of toothpaste and was not doing it for me. 1/10, truly.

Gelato geranium, strawberry, pink peppercorn

This one, praise be, was fine. The peppercorn was an odd but non-obtrusive choice. Strawberries were a delight to dig into. The color palette was the same as the last dessert, but it's amazing how much 'not making you feel like you're scooping out someone's dismembered limb' does for a tasting experience.

Caviar brown butter brioche, smoked banana

Okay, we're going from cold-goop-with-berry-fruits to... salty caviar. Once again, a flow that's confusing. My family would be delighted to spot the cameo of Michael Aram, and hearing the ingredients read out to me I could see a bananas-flambe inspiration to look forward to.

Unfortunately, it was another cold ice-cream-style thing, which didn't taste bad, but personally, I didn't think the caviar went well with the sandwiches at all.

Menu in Summary

Perhaps its my adamant commitment to avoiding spoilers, or my overall less varied palette than some of the cutting edge choices in the kitchen, but, unlike a lot of fine dining, I truly don't think you'll still enjoy your food if you are not a very adventurous eater. From what I've heard from friends who have been several times, I think this particular evening was more of a Scratch | Bar rather than Pasta | Bar menu. And that matters when you're advertising the latter.

Overall Impressions

Every chef was very nice, every host was gracious, every plate plated beautifully, every drink served neat. Honestly, there's a lot to love about this place, and I genuinely enjoyed my time interacting with the chefs and other diners. However, at the price point it's at, I think the food was just... not bad, but, not for me. At least not at this time.

Thank you for the wonderful team for putting this together! I hope to be back, but possibly for a night when there is more actual pasta :)

[jadewestwriter]

god is real and he made pastabar

[ikno-iroc]

#PastaBar #OleMiss #AlphaPhi (at College Hill, Mississippi)

[lindalici0us]

Life is full of magic and pasta 🤍 #enjoythelittlethings #pastabar #tastebudssatisfied (at Pasta Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWgQMusJ4Yw/?utm_medium=tumblr

[raiinbows-and-me]

[itsphilo]

We have just realised that February is almost over! We have been so busy we haven't even noticed that it has passed. Ah well, take a look at just one of the exciting projects that have been keeping us busy: new design for “Mamma Mia! Pasta”, a new pasta bar in London . . #portfolio #portfoliooftheday #layout #instadaily #graphicdesign #design #landlordpack #brochure #smallbusinessowner #pasta #freshpasta #pastabar #london #italy #puglia #kent (at Gillingham, Medway)

[miquisteps]

📷 #LasSorrentinas 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 🍝 #PastaBar 🗺 Plaça de Sant Pere, 5, 08003 Sant Pere, Barcelona, Catalunya #pasta #CuinaItaliana #italianfood #08003 #SantPere #CiutatVella #Barcelona #Catalunya (at Las Sorrentinas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCozEfcHoUb/?igshid=1w6btlbhs1qwk

[foodleasure]

🍽 Mezzelune Tacchino 👌 _____ #timeforpasta #pastamania #bestpastaintown #pastaislife #instapasta #mezzelune #pastaday #italianrestaurant #🍝 #pastafan #pastarecipe #italianstyle #pastagourmet #pastagram #ilovepasta #cheeseypasta #whitepasta #fancypasta #pastabar #pastapasta #italyfoodporn #pastaaddict #greatpasta #pastalove #clujrestaurants #cravingforpasta #pastaporn #dailypasta #pastalover #specialpasta (à Tortelli Pasta Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2mu7N7FBKf/?igshid=169tlz87d5z06

[whatingridate]

Yummy dinner at Pasta Bar

[vodka-bot]

I find it so weird when adult-spaces/places where the YOUNGEST person there is going to be like 16 censor swear words in songs. I was at the gym ans they censored the word weed????

[johanbuts]

#pastabar #leuven #hotdog #statue #big #bighotdog #thebakeoff #pasta #vlaamsbrabant #gay #gayboy #gayguy #gayman #gaybear #gaystagram #instagay #iphone https://www.instagram.com/p/BwziYZ7JVEy/?igshid=sdcaqrswzidd

[piaccabacci]

Thanks to @tamero_pastabar_restaurant in #Florence for this delicious day.😋 think about it on your next romantic date folks ! . . . #restaurant #ristorante #tameró #firenze #florence #tuscany #toscana #food #photography #foodporn #foodphotography #pastabar #stilllife #piacca #piaccaphoto (at Tamerò PastaBar Restaurant) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvPJVqnAiAE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vf9r4fmuxq5u

[hosiephoto]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by h o s i e (@hosiephoto)

Lunch at Cento Pasta Bar DTLA @centopastabar #centopastabar #dtla #pasta #pastabar #italian #italianrestaurant #food #foodie #foodphotography #videography #photography #photographer #videography #videographer #cooking #downtownlosangeles (at Cento Pasta Bar)

[thefancypantsreport]

Dreams do come true. 🍝 #pastabar (at Barzotto)

[ochtendstorm]

4, 9? :)

4: 3 things I love: Mijn katten, mijn vrienden, mijn gezin :)

9: My best first date: Ik veronderstel dat dit gaat over dates die ik al gehad heb, dus ik denk dan toen ik met iemand naar een kattencafe ging en een pastabar en er vooral veel gepraat en veel gelach was :)

[casettadipasta]

Pasta bar open Monday through Friday 11:30-2pm. Visit us at 300 2nd Ave SW suite 112 across from the Pix Theatre in downtown Albany. www.casettadipasta.com 541-666-2900 #pastabar #pastalover #creamypasta #wevgotstuff #letsdolunch #letsdodinner (at Albany, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPm6drql4uC/?utm_medium=tumblr