I'm not sure about you, and I'm not sure about me either for that matter, but the thought of pasta stuffed in a sandwich peaks my interest.
It was late one night that I saw this on some really stupid tv food show, but the sandwich really caught my attention. Yeah, sure, the owner has a story about how he was 9 and dreamed up this idea and used to make them at home and yatta yatta yatta, not sure how much of it I'm buying, but it is CERTAINLY enough to draw me out of the house to check it out, and it's not a far drive so let's roll!
First, beer me!
It's located in a mini mall on Midway near the Broken Yolk. A nice selection of beers on tap, fairly comfy booths, a few tvs located throughout. My expectations are set fairly high right about now, and I'm super hungry, this is looking, and smelling pretty good!
So the whole idea centers around pastas of various types, stuffed to order inside an italian role, presented on cool stands that hold the sandwich vertical.
We peruse the menu and while were trying to decide the waiter asks if we need some help making a selection. We begin a discussion on the meatballs, because we are near to selecting the spaghetti and meatball one, obviously, and the waiter informs us that they have a vegi version and the meatballs are from Trader Joe's...at which point I start to pucker... Why would they not make them here? What else are they getting at Trader Joe's, or elsewhere for that matter??? Hmmmm, I'm on high alert!
We end up ordering the fettucini with alfredo sauce, adding broccoli and sausage, and....
The spaghetti and meatballs
Both are packed super full and on top are lots of sausage pieces and a few meatballs, on their respective sandwiches.... Bursting might I even say. I'm so stoked right now!
And then we eat
And then we realize that the only sausage and meatballs are the few on top and the rest of the sandwich is pasta and sauce, which isn't bad but to pay the extra couple bucks for the meat we were expecting a bit more than a few pieces on top. Kinda lame.
And we keep eating and we start to realize, both from the flavor and the view of what's going on in the kitchen which you can view from the dining room, that they aren't actually cooking anything here. Sure, they're boiling some pasta, but they don't make the bread and aren't making the sauce, nor the meatballs nor sausage. They are opening jars and slopping it out.
Boo!
This is the classic scenario of someone that has an idea but really doesn't know jack shit about cooking or running a restaurant or making good food. Just a great idea with poor execution. If you like the flavors of "Home Town Buffet" or if Walmart had a restaurant the flavors here might just be right up your alley.
For me, I want to shove my Torpasta (that I didn't finish) right up
the owner of this place's alley!
Go somewhere else for lunch
Better yet, have one of these!
DVA
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