While I was on the West Coast, I decided to "swing by" LA to visit my good friend Vivi as it had been a long time since I had been to visit her family. She moved to Pasadena a few years ago, which I had never really spent a lot of time in. It's a lovely suburb and seems like a good place to raise a family. She doesn't live too far from the Old Town section, which is their main strip/area with lots of chain shops and restaurants.
Since I was only there for less than 24 hours and she had 4 kids, we had to make this a quick dinner. She had mentioned that this was one of her husband's favorite places so we figured why not? And who doesn't love Italian food? From what I understand, it's a fairly large chain in the West Coast and it's kind of got this Cheesecake Factory feel to it - and I don't mean that in a terrible way. It's just that it's a large cavernous restaurant, with a large extensive menu and large plates to go along with it. There is a time and place for places like these. Food wise, we started with the beef carpaccio and I went for a penne a la vodka because that is one of my all time favorite comfort foods.
The beef carpaccio was thinly sliced and served with capers, arugula, parm and lemon. It was nicely done and I had no complaints about it. The same could be said for my penne a la vodka - no complaints. It was served with bits of bacon in it to really make it even more cozy and comfortable. It was a huge dish but of course I finished the whole thing - although it was a struggle. The thing about this dish is that it was clearly not some authentic Italian experience (I'm pretty sure the pasta wasn't home made) but you know what? That was ok. I've definitely had better traditional experiences but in terms of a chain restaurant in the 'burbs of California, I don't have a lot of negative things to say about it.
This was a tough one to review because 3.5 forks seems like it may be harsh but it's really more like a 3.75 fork place. The waitress was very friendly and it was a nice quiet place to catch up with old friends. I can see why my friends like coming here but I wouldn't necessarily say it's a destination restaurant. But if you are in the area and need a place to eat, I would think about this place. The patio area looked especially nice if you can go when there's sun out. Total bill: I don't know, my friends very gracious paid
Photo Credit: Yelp
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