Pasta Plus

Rating: 3.5/5
22 S Central Ave
St Louis, MO 63105
(314) 727-1001

Having given up Bear’s Den for Lent, we were in need of a convenient, reasonably priced restaurant for dinner. We had heard good things about Pasta Plus, and as it satisfied both our criteria, we hopped in a car and took the five-minute drive over to Clayton.

We had some doubts when we saw the place; a small room and a takeout desk were all we saw at first glance. When we entered, however, we found ourselves in a pleasant atmosphere of soft music and chatter. The room was well-lit and we really liked the traditional Italian restaurant tablecloths with red and white checkers: It made us feel like we were in the Godfather, minus the death. On the wall were two pictures of the Soprano’s cast standing in front of Pasta Plus, which was pretty neat.

The service was excellent considering that Pasta Plus is much closer to fast food than to gourmet. The employees seemed truly glad that we were there, especially the man who appeared to be the owner. He kept asking us if there was anything he could do for us. Feeling more comfortable, we began to peruse the menu.

The first thing that caught our eyes was the hot wings and, as we tend to do in unfamiliar circumstances, we quickly ordered some of them. Customers have the option of getting their wings various ways, including plain, with honey barbeque sauce or with the much-hyped Frank’s red-hot sauce. We chose to have bull’s eye barbeque sauce on ours, which was delightfully tangy. The combination of sweetness and spice worked well and hit our palates just right. Our mouths weren’t burning, but at the same time they weren’t complaining of boredom. The wings had been fried as well, which gave them a really nice crunch when they were bitten into. Pasta Plus’s wings were a starter that we would get again.

Not long after we finished the wings, we got the rest of our food. Pasta Plus offers pizza whole or by the slice. In hopes of one day wearing skinny jeans, we ordered but one meager slice of sausage pizza. Truthfully, it wasn’t that great. The cheese was kind of hard and after the first bite the cheese and topping came off, leaving the dough with just tomato sauce. Our guess is that the pizza was sitting around awhile before we ordered it.

The chicken rigatoni was perhaps the biggest disappointment of our meal. To start with, this woeful entrée had no visible chicken. Now maybe we confused the peas and rigatoni for chicken, or the marinara sauce was so euphorically good that our minds were in a state incapable of noticing chicken, but somehow we doubt it.

Not only did we overpay for what turned out to be a vegetarian dish, but the sauce was too sweet. We kept searching for some kick when we took a bite, but never found any. The mushrooms and peas in the sauce couldn’t do enough to make up for this, despite them actually tasting fresh. The rigatoni wasn’t cooked through and something tells us that it probably wasn’t made that day.

Another one of our party chose a more promising dish that can be found at every “Italian” restaurant in the States but exists nowhere in Italy: chicken parmesan.

This meal was a little more substantial. The sauce, though also a marinara sauce, wasn’t overpoweringly sweet. We really liked how flaky the breaded crust of the chicken was. The meat was nice and easy to cut through, giving us an early indication that the chicken was going to be tender and delicious, which our taste buds confirmed. The dish also came with fully cooked pasta and some bread, both of which were enjoyed with great satisfaction. The chicken Parmesan was a great choice, both well priced and filling.

An adventurous member of our group went for the pasta carbonara. This dish blended bacon, mushrooms and a creamy white sauce together into a unique meal. Traditionally this meal is very heavy due to the large amount of cream, making life after the meal a nightmare. However, at $5.99 a plate, and being great believers in instant gratification, we decided it was worth a try. Surprisingly, Pasta Plus’s version of this dish was a little lighter than what we were accustomed to.

Flakes of bacon spread throughout the pasta provided little nuggets of salty joy, while the cream sauce spread over fresh spaghetti carried with it the faint taste of egg. We really enjoyed this dish, and the sinking feeling in the stomach that we feared so much never arrived. Maybe it was the mushrooms.

Pasta Plus was overall a very positive experience. Though it will not blow you out of the water with its food, it is very reasonably priced and has extremely friendly, expedient service. Also, the restaurant delivers to students at Washington University. So if you don’t want to get up but you’re tired of Chinese food and Domino’s, give this place a try.

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