Emma's Reviews

A new section of this humble blog featuring my opinion on Seattle eating establishments and providing a way to hone my Seattle Metropolitan-nurtured review writing skillz and procrastinate writing the thesis which is now due in less than ONE WEEK.

Pasta + Co., University Village (and other Seattle locations)
The quality of baked goods in most Seattle coffee shops is abominable. Pastries are supposed to make you forget their prosaic yeasty beginnings through great flavor and light fluffiness. The heinous muffins and so-called “scones” distributed by Issaquah-based Mostly Muffins to what seems like every coffee establishment in the region are heavy and chewy, making it a chore rather than a pleasure to ingest the 20,000 or so calories each of them no doubt contains.
At Pasta + Co., I was only lucky enough to taste one tiny taster sample of the sweet, nutty and subtle white chocolate brownie, but it was enough to convince me that this place is something different. The chocolate cupcakes topped with huge swirls of chocolate frosting nestled among the other sweets in the glass-fronted case ensure I will soon be making a return trip.
But Pasta + Co isn’t even primarily known for its desserts but for its, well, pasta, along with other Italian and Mediterranean entrees. I had the “house pasta,” a lemony blend of elbow noodles and breadcrumbs tossed with a light cream dressing, which was yummy but smacked suspiciously of mayonnaise, a taste I try to avoid at all costs. I also ordered one-half pint of rapini, a broccoli-like vegetable salad, as a side dish, encouraged by the reasonable price ($4.10) of the pint of pasta – only to find while handing over my debit card that the very small container cost over five dollars. And although I enjoy strong flavors, it was much too bitter for me to handle. No worries, though – I walked back into the store and the friendly staff were cheerfully willing to exchange it (pointing out that they did, in fact, offer tasters). I got a grain salad instead, which was adequate, made with fresh vegetables and dressing.
One of the best parts of Pasta + Co. is the little treats they have on hand for customers. This is the first time I had actually bought something at the store, but I had been in at least twice before for a complimentary chunk of Beecher’s absolutely delicious flagship cheese on flatbread. On this occasion they also offered excellent eggplant caponata with ciabatta bread, the aforementioned brownies, and – tucked to the side of a counter – more ciabatta with a wide array of oils and vinegars for testing. I tried the orange and avocado oil, which was, despite the name, not sickening but lovely.
Pasta + Co offers to-go salads and entrees, a variety of pastas that you can warm up at home, desserts, original cookbooks, and pre-packaged sauces, cheeses and spreads. It is expensive, and it’s not the place most people can afford to buy a nightly dinner, but the food – rapini excepted – is tasty, the staff are helpful, and the samples are plentiful – making me feel I hadn’t wasted my money.

UPDATE: I returned to Pasta + Co today for a delicious pint of hazlenut tortellini with feta cheese, artichokes and chives, the best entree I've had there yet.

Grade: A.