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| About Us | | Acclaim | | Holiday Events | | Recipes | | Job Opportunities | Acclaim "Best Italian",
"Best Service", "Best Family Friendly",
"Best Power Lunch", "Best On-A-Budget",
"Best Girls Night Out" Zagat Survey "You "can't beat the crowds, and you can't beat the value" at this "reliable" Rockland County Italian trio "that hits the spot" with "home-cooked flavors" and "huge portions" that ensure "you always go home with a doggy bag" ("save room for their ooey-gooey desserts"); add in a "down-to-earth staff" and the only "negative is the noise." The Journal News 1998 Rockland's The Courier By: Peter Blakeney **** You know you're where the elite meet to eat when Assistant Superintendent for Business, Anthony Cashara of the Clarkstown schools, is sitting at an adjoining table, holding court with those who are enthralled at his prowess as a business superintendent. In fact, you know that you're where the elite meet to eat when you're at Pasta Cucina because you can see more movers and shakers there in an hour than anywhere else, except at Lock Stock & Barrel at the other end of town. I had long heard of Pasta Cucina. One of our particular friends, Michael Guarino, had been recommending the place since it had opened, saying that the food was excellent. However, when I last essayed the restaurant with the aid of Madam Mere and my sister, Frieda McClennan, we were unceremoniously left at the doorstep for an hour, and even then told there was no room for us. Thus it was something of a minor miracle that I almost literally bumped into a yellow Mercedes the other day, only to find it driven by Clarkstown's own answer to Jim Farley, none other than Clarkstown Democratic Chairman Paul Adler. Now, those of you in the know at Community Media remember that Paul Adler is a great judge of food, principally because his wife Mary is one of the best cooks this side of heaven. Since I've been trying to get into Pasta Cucina for the longest time, I accepted Paul's invitation to join him for lunch, and we were immediately and courteously seated. Shortly after we were seated, in came Ernie Salerno, the owner of Nanuet Chrysler Plymouth. Adler told me "You see this guy - this is Ernie Salerno. We call him the car king because he owns the greatest car dealership in Rockland County." Salerno embraced Adler as if they were long lost brothers, and the conversation quickly moved to Salerno's weight loss, the car business, and business in Rockland County. Adler and I listened with rapt attention as Salerno talked about the business, which is obvisouly a great love of his. Afterwards, Adler told me "I and my family have bought a lot of cars from Ernie Salerno, and we've never been disappointed. It's simply a great dealership." Our reveries were interrupted by the arrival of our waitress, who was very pleasant, though certainly very businesslike. She gave us our menus, told us about the specials, and left us for a moment to ponder our fates. Although the day was hot as blazes, I opened with the pasta e fagioli, followed up with the calamari, and finished off with the tortellini en brodo. Paul started off with a nice sized seafood antipasto, and finished off with the ravioli stuffed with garlic, which was a special on that day. From first to last, the service of our waitress was good, though not entirely masterful. Indeed, the next day we met Anthony Cashara just in passing, and Cashara told us that he had problems with his waiter service as well. Notwithstanding, our service was certainly adequate. My pasta e fagioli arrived first, and it was an extraordinary soup. Though the day was exceptionally hot, the soup was equally hot and hearty, bringing to mind my favorite retort about eating soup in hot weather. When I was just a kitten, I worked for the Hon. Benjamin A. Gilman as a Lyndon Baines Johnson intern in Washington. There - no matter how hot it got - Navy bean soup was always available, and one day I asked one of the folks behind the counter why they had soup on the hottest days of the year. "Son, by that question you marked yourself as somebody who knows nothing about Washington," the old waiter said. "Back when Joe Cannon was speaker of the house he came in here one day looking for Navy bean soup, despite the fact that it was 100 degrees outside. Being so hot, we didn't make any and speaker Canon said 'tarnation, I had my mouth set for Navy bean soup.' Since that time, we've had it on the menu everyday, come hell or high water." Thus, I am always filled with admiration for a restaurant that has a soup available to serve those who - like speaker Cannon - like their soup no matter how hot the day may be. The excellence of the soup was a very pleasing memory as the appetizers were set down. My calamari was certainly good, though the portion was huge - indeed, enough to share among three or four people. Now, those of you in Clarkstown remember that Paul is not a big eater at all times, and so my offers of Calamari fell on deaf ears. Rather, Paul rhapsodized about his meetings with Jerusalem Major Ehud Olmert, and tried to sign me up to buy several Israeli bonds. I told Paul it was a rule never to discuss business with dinner, and he said "business - what's business - I'm asking you to help Israel." With that appeal I couldn't disagree, so I signed up for a bond, gladly buying one today, which I told him I would pay for on Tuesday. Our talk then turned not unusually to politics, where we discussed the chance of Dr. Vijay Pradhan and other lesser luminaries in the Clarkstown political constellation. We also mourned the absence of our dear friend Nick Longo, who when last heard from was bellowing like a bull moose through the fastness of New City, looking for more homes to assess. After all, it is Longo who is the maven of Italian restaurants - who are we mere mortals to judge in his absence. Notwithstanding, judge we must, and Paul said his antipasto was "quite good." Shortly after our appetizers were swept away, Adler began to talk about what really gives him joy - his family. Little Sammy was up to his old tricks, and we were about in the 15th chapter and 10th verse on what Sammy had done this week when our entrees arrived. As with everything else in Pasta Cucina, the entrees were oversized. Now, I'm not a fan of tomato sauce (the ubiquitous "red sauce") but the sauce was done so sweetly and so well that it really seemed to be done by the hand of a master chef. The tortellini themselves - little dough balls - were delicious, and the portion was simply huge. Adler said that his garlic ravioli was "simply the best" and offered to give me some, but since garlic holds an enmity to my system such that my eating of it causes every particular hair of my head to stand like the fretful porpentine, I eschewed the offer. By the time we had finished our lunches, we were really truly full, but what is lunch without dessert and dessert we had, Adler selecting the tiramisu, and I choosing the lemon sherbet, to cleanse the palate. Both desserts were simply delicious. I forgot to mention that our drinks of choice were diet Cokes all around. From first to last, Pasta Cucina was excellent. Though I had been led to expect a gastronomic house of miracles equal, let's say, to Cafe Panache in Ramsey, I did not find that. I did however find a restaurant that knew what it was about, and a restaurant highly valued by many educated palates. If you're going to have lunch at Pasta Cucina, prepare to set aside an hour to an hour and a half. Also prepare to set aside - if you both have the full lunches - about $51 before tip, which is what our lunch cost me. Since it wasn't Paul Adler's birthday, I paid. Paul only pays on his birthday. From first to last, an enjoyable experience, and a restaurant worth seeing yet again. Rockland
Journal-News By: Elaine Bissell *** 1/2 Once you get through the crowd around the front door at Pasta Cucina in New City, then once you get a table, everything else is a clear run - sometimes with a bit of the Indianapolis Speedway thrown in. For the chef's Rigatoni Bolognese or the Penne Alla Vodka Fungi, I would fight my way through the most horrendous special sale day at the Nanuet Mall. But let me digress. About reservations - I have strong feelings about restaurants with a no-reservations policy. Pasta Cucina will accept them only for parties of six to 10 persons. That practice does not have the good interests of the diner in mind. It's a policy by owners to protect the restaurant against noshows and in many cases to speed the flow of cash and patrons. I say cut off the no-shows (often they're just slow-shows) if they arrive more than 15 minutes late. Once you're actually seated at Pasta Cucina, the cosseting begins. Service is fast but polished. Though specials are posted on a blackboard on the wall, it's often tough to read without binoculars, so listen closely while they're reeled off. Starters This kitchen has a chef who honors the vegetables in the minestrone, which I have begun to believe is something of a separate art. So often it comes in a dreary overcooked state. At Pasta Cucina, the vegetables were crisp with body, each emerging in its own identifying flavor that blended harmoniously with the good brown stock and seasonings. Another fine soup is the past fagioli, actually lovely and light while fully substantial. Two wonderful but simple appetizers were the grilled portobello mushrooms and grilled eggplant, the first those large and almost fibrous textured caps, and both enhanced with herbs and balsamic vinegar. They're light starters, neither too filling or rich if you're thinking of one of the large pasta dishes or Cucina Specialties for the next course. Entrees Somewhat heavier is the grilled sausage that comes from Arthur Avenue where it is stuffed with pork and cheese and the biting tinge of Italian parsley. And not too much, but just enough parmesan cheese adds an element of richness to the baked stuffed mushrooms with their savory breadcrumbs and Italian seasonings. My only quarrel with the very large salad (served with all pasta dishes and Cucina Specialties) of several crisp lettuces was the vinaigrette. Too tart for me, maybe not others. Poor me! Torn between the penne alla vodka with its wild mushrooms (funghi) in a vodka-spiked creamy pink sauce and the tender little ravioli stuffed with minced eggplant, tomatoes and cheese in a brandy cream sauce, I decided on the latter. But so lavishly sating are two other entrees that you'll be glad if you first ordered the lightly grilled portobello mushrooms or eggplant. First is the Chicken Margarita with its whitemeat breast of chicken sauteed in a deliciously rich but light brown gravy and topped with mozzarella, black olives and artichoke hearts. Second is the Veal Saltimbocca, that classic of all veal dishes, where scaloppines are sauteed in white wine then pooled in a brown sauce and topped with mozzarella and prosciutto and served on a bed of fresh spinach. Follow-up A nicely balanced wine list features four white wines and two red by the glass ($3-$3.75) or carafe ($7-$9.50), including a Chablis, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel and Chardonnay in the whites, and Cabernet Sauvignon or Chianti in the reds. Do order the homemade tiramisu with delicate little ladyfingers immersed in espresso and amaretto with that wonderful mascarpone cheese custard in a cup. There's also a delicious chocolate mousse cake and fresh homemade cannoli. As judged against other restaurants in this category, Pasta Cucina takes three and a half stars. Dining with Bill By: Bill Boydston
It was 6:30 on a Tuesday evening when we decided to go out for dinner. Typically a slow evening for any restaurant, so why did we have to wait for 30 minutes to be seated? Simply because the restaurant was Pasta Cucina. Owned and operated by two brothers, Randy and Scott Peili, along with the chef-owner, Sam Kaoutarani. These three have created the ultimate in dining by making you feel as if "you're going to grandma's house to eat." In speaking with Randy, he explained they provide good Italian cuisine and plenty of it. Their prices are moderate and their service attentive to your needs. Because of the volume of customers, they have food delivered every two days which allows them to prepare food fresh and made to order on a daily basis. As we sat looking over the menu, the aromas of roasted garlic and herbs gently floated throughout the dining area. This created a desire to want to order more than I should. Jill, our waitress, reviewed the specials for the evening and skillfully enticed us to try her "favorites". We were first served the popular family style salad, lightly tossed with the house Italian dressing. The bowl contained enough for four when their were only two of us. We then moved on to the appetizers. Our choices were mozzarella cucina and the hot antipasto. The advantage of the antipasto was that I was able to sample several of the menu's hot appetizer selections, such as the clam's oreganato, stuffed mushrooms, eggplant rollantini, artichoke hearts, and even shrimp and mussels. I found the eggplant to be an excellent blend of flavors. The mozzarella was fresh and served in a most usual way with prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and touch of balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The evening's fare included Rigatoni Alla Vodka, sauteed with fresh tomatoes and vodka and specially seasoned with a light pink cream sauce. However, I chose the Shrimp and Broccoli Rabe over Linguine. The pink shrimp were cooked to perfection, tender and juicy, sitting atop the bright green broccoli rabe with sauteed garlic over linguine. The preparation of each dish was commendable with a great presentation. Dessert, what can I say? I rarely order dessert and instead sample everyone else's, claiming to save them from added calories. This time I over did it by devouring the Tartufo, consisting of vanilla & chocolate ice cream with hazelnuts and cherry inside covered with a hard coating of chocolate and served with whipped cream. When it comes to the wine list I found the selection was limited. The list offered an average table wine at $13 per bottle to a good Chainti at $19 per bottle. Our choice was the Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, listed as a soft burgundy with a crisp taste at $13. I found it to be a fair table wine for its price and it certainly matched up to its description. Pasta Cucina's menu prices range from $4.95 to $6.95 for appetizers, $4.95 to $6.50 for salads and pasta specialties from $7.95 to $12.50, Cucina specialties and daily specials range from $9.95 to $14.95. To Wendy and Anthony, who wrote to me last week asking if they should spend their money, I would have to say yes to this restaurant, but keep in mind, patience is a virtue and you will need to spend sometime waiting to be seated. On a weekend night your wait could be over an hour because reservations are only accepted for groups over 6. But again, all good things are worth waiting for. Cocktails are available in a small bar area while you wait. I wish to congratulate the owners of Pasta Cucina for their insight in developing a restaurant that meets the needs of their customers in fine food, service, and at a moderate price. Until next month, remember you are your own expert when it comes to dining out. With this in mind you need to evaluate our restaurant reviews to fit your needs and culinary taste. Enjoy yourself and make sure it is with great food and friends. | Return to Top
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