After enjoying my time and food at Pasta Beach, Newport, I was looking forward to seeing what the Boston location had to offer.
My first trip was with a group of five friends. Seated outside at a large round table in the furthest corner of the long, wrap around restaurant patio, we were looking forward to our meal after perusing the menu. Dishes of the most delicious and fresh Tomato & Mozzarella Salad followed by thin crust tasty pizza was shared among us. Service was very slow and at some points a little painful. Our first waiter disappeared and then our second waiter, who was very nice but seemed incredibly overwhelmed by his tables. There appeared to be an overall confusion to the service.
Service aside, there was something about Pasta Beach that had me wanting to return. It was definitely the food but I also liked the feel of the place. Located at the corner of Rowes Wharf, this large Italian restaurant has a welcoming feel to it. We were told that everything in the restaurant is from Italy from furniture to ovens and even the chef himself. Whereas the Newport location is tiny, the Boston location has a long bar that seats about 20 people on high wooden stools, a large restaurant that is whitewashed and clean looking and a huge patio that you think is only at the front entrance of the restaurant but you soon discover it wraps all the way around the restaurant to the Boston Harbor.
On my second visit we were seated outside at the front of the restaurant, which looks at Atlantic Ave and gives you clear views of the city. Weather was perfect and balmy with a shush of the ocean in the background adding a feeling of being on an island somewhere.
My dining companion is a friend of the manager so we were in for a little bit of a treat. Our waiter was the same person as last time and greeted us with a very warm smile and a comment about remembering me from before. We started with some wine, a wonderful dry rose, perfect for patio dining.
As we were looking at the menu some complimentary dishes of swordfish pate on crusty Italian bread and steamed mussels was delivered to our table. A creamy taste of mild fish worked fabulously with the toasted bread, I think I had about four pieces, probably more. The mussels were a little too fishy for me but the broth was delicate and lovely.
Now a little too full for a big meal, we continued with sharing some menu items. We started with the Parma & Parmigiano. Strong flavored cheese over an abundance of thinly sliced nicely salted prosciutto.
We then shared the grilled salmon. A wonderful, perfectly cooked, fresh salmon with a slightly charred skin that I really liked, accompanied by crunchy zucchini and tomatoes and an unusual grilled red wilted warm lettuce, quite different and really tasty.
We continued our time sitting outside enjoying more wine and watching the pedestrians walk by and just generally enjoying the gorgeous evening.
The fun for me will be in trying more of what Pasta Beach has to offer, both with more outside dining and inside as the weather cools. They need to fine tune their waiter service, especially around timing and ongoing service such as drink orders, but with good food they have and more customers that will arrive on this assumption it will hopefully improve the service side of the business.
There is something good here and I think once they have worked out the kinks it will be great.
OH, this place has been on my list to try for a very long time, and your picture of the swordfish pate has just convinced me!!
FYI – I do love going there for breakfast in the morning. it is very quiet since not very many people know they serve such a good and cheap continental breakfast.