Pastaio: Mediterranean Cuisine and Fresh Pasta

Lead by two Johnson and Wale Grads, this unassuming pasta outlet nested between federal hill and west end offers plates with New England and Mediterranean influence.

On a weekend evening around 6 pm the restaurant had a quaint, yet casual ambiance. Staff was friendly and attentive.

Full Menu

Complimentary bread & homemade garlic oil

Bread was fine – and accompanied by rather fresh tasting garlic oil – an innovative and low cost alternative to olive oil.

Two “small plates” led the way…

Roasted Garlic Panisse: Parmesan aioli, tomato sauce

Panisse refers to deep fried, chickpea flour cake. Each piece was delicious, lightly battered not too oily. Tomato sauce was very fresh, not too overpowering, just a tad beyond basic, with basil added. The parmesan aioli was not too heavy, and the parmesan made it interesting.  Favorite dish of the night! Beef tartare was very fresh and soft with a delicate flavor, and had no trace of stringiness that might afflict lesser versions. Good execution.

Beef Tartare: Pickled fennel, charred lemon aioli

Beef tartare was very fresh and soft with a delicate flavor, and had no trace of stringiness that might afflict lesser versions. Good execution.

Followed by two large plates…

Rye Spaghetti: Guanciale, spring onion pesto, cacio e pepe

Pasta was freshly made and cooked well al dente, and the underlying sauce was well made. The cured meat used for the sauce was excellent. However, the dish was let down by an excessive amount of pasta – a few small parts were soaked with flavor, most other parts were not. The pasta portion size was too large to accommodate the limited amount of “Cacio e Pepe” sauce. Disappointing – though it could be easily fixed by simply using less spaghetti.

Local Fish of the Day: Haddock from Boston, MA (fregola, fennel, fish broth)

The piece of haddock fresh, and tasted like the fresh ocean. Great execution – it was soft, tender and perfectly cooked. The skin was, however, removed. And yes – the dish suffered from the same issue as the pasta – too much grain and vegetables. The juices of the fish was muted, though it occasionally shone through. Use of fennel was a nice touch. Again, easily fixed: Just use a fraction of the non-fish ingredients.

Special drink of the night…

Blood Orange Spritz

Only $8, drink was refreshing, light and balanced with a sparkling wine base. If you prefer, add in the grapefruit and crush it to add the fresh flavor. The wine menu tilted to Spanish, Italian and South American picks, with many affordable bottles from $30-$60.

Like other restaurants in Providence, the ingredients used were very fresh. Pastaio had great potential, and used many great ingredients. However, it somehow fails short due to unbalanced ingredient ratio: Mains had too much carbs added – perhaps to inflate portion sizes – that led to a diffuse taste of the dishes, causing many of the mains to lack the flavor oomph.

Check out Pastaio’s full menu here http://pastaio-pvd.com/#menu