THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603130703
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: BY DONNA REISS, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: Long : 113 lines
WITH ITS sophisticated Italian food and its well-lighted informality, Pasta e Pani is even better in its new, larger location.
Only steps away from the original site on Laskin Road near Birdneck Road in Virginia Beach, the restaurant has retained the best features of its former home: plaid table covers, fine olive oil and balsamic vinegar shakers on every table, casual mood and exceptional food.
Notable improvements include comfortable extra space between tables, a larger waiting area, plenty of parking out front and more attentive service.
Owners Angelo and Maria Serpe have kept their high standards for ingredients and preparations.
Born in Naples, Italy, Angelo Serpe has cooked in Italy, in New York and, since 1989, in Virginia Beach. His expertise shows up in fresh pastas, lush sweets, classic sauces and lighter variations.
Behind the open kitchen divider, his staff is visibly busy chopping, slicing, stirring, grilling and sliding pizzas into the wood-burning oven.
Over the seven years since opening, the Serpes have expanded their menu as well as their dining area. A 1990 menu shows only four appetizers and four pasta first courses. Now there are a dozen antipasti and eight first pastas. From a limited menu of main dishes have evolved several dozen, plus nightly specials. Risotto, the Italian specialty rice dish, is always available. And a dessert cart of homemade sweets is hard to resist.
For openers, Tuscan bread and tomato soup was so chock-full of primary ingredients that it seemed more like a stew than a soup - more a small meal than an appetizer. A lighter opening was clams sauteed with garlic, bits of tomato, white wine and parsley; the stock was flavorful enough for dunking edges of country bread.
House salad made with romaine, plenty of radicchio and sliced fresh mushrooms was thinly glazed with mild, creamy dressing. Plenty of other options were offered, from bruschetta with mushrooms and tomatoes to prosciutto with melon. Several starters included mozzarella or goat cheese.
Seafood starred in a number of pasta dishes, and for fans of ragu bolognese, the famous red sauce, one dish poured it over fettuccine. We're partial to Pasta e Pani's specialty dishes made with fresh flat noodles, including taglierini al pepe nero of black pepper pasta with pancetta ham and spinach, which we've enjoyed on many previous visits.
Homemade ravioli stuffed with mascarpone and spinach dressed in sage-lace butter has in the past been a splendid meatless meal. This time, however, we chose a more fundamental spaghetti alla puttanesca, a splendid merging of preserved and fresh ingredients: diced tomatoes, capers, garlic and parsley sauteed in olive oil and garnished with slightly puckery shiny gaeta olives. Risotto of this day featured chicken, mushrooms and Parmesan cheese cooked in a buttery stock that makes a creamy, rich and flavorful choice.
Meats and poultry are prepared on a rotisserie or mesquite grill. Salmon and veal appear in several preparations. My companion ordered a pleasing off-menu special of veal slices in a light brown sauce with mushrooms and carrots, accompanied by creamy sliced potatoes. My salmon alla griglia was grilled, sprinkled with lemon, garlic and parsley, and served with a crispy tomato-stuffed potato stack and grilled squashes and eggplant sliced lengthwise. Chicken and shellfish also are available in several preparations.
Pizzas come in a number of combinations, including tomatoes and other vegetables, ham and mozzarella. Five dishes labeled ``cucina leggera,'' are low in fat and calories and accompanied on the menu by approximate nutritional information.
Order Italian ice creams or, better yet, tiramisu with its espresso-soaked ladyfingers and sweet mascarpone cheese. Or try a Napoleon - layers of puff pastry filled with chocolate chip-dotted cream. A version of chocolate sin cake was more like a traditional cake than a mousse or fudge; the excellent cannoli had a slight flakiness in the pastry tube.
Most of the 2 1/2 dozen wines are Italian, eight of them served by the glass. From these our server suggested San Leonino chianti classico and Corvo di Salaparuta, which suited our dinners well.
Quality ingredients, simple but interesting preparations, hearty bread and salads, and lush desserts are the continuing hallmarks of Pasta e Pani. The extra space and improved service are bonuses. In addition, the reasonable prices are tempting: risotto was $11, the veal special $15, the salmon $15. Many pasta dishes were less than $10. Pizzas ranged from $7.95 to $8.50.
MEMO: Reviews are based on a single unannounced visit by a party of two or
three, unless otherwise noted. The Virginian-Pilot pays for the
reviewer's meal and those of the guests.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
ROY A. BAHLS
Fettuccine Mari E Monti at Pasta e Pani in Virginia Beach includes
shrimp and chicken.
Pasta e Pani's new site has more space between tables and a larger
waiting room.
Graphic
BILL OF FARE
Pasta e Pani, 1069 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, 428-2299.
Cuisine: Italian specialties, emphasizing a variety of fresh
pasta, veal and salmon, fresh herbs, light sauces, homemade
desserts, pizzas baked in a wood-burning oven, and a few light
selections with nutritional information.
Atmosphere: casual and upbeat, sometimes bustling open dining
areas; open kitchen with warm brick and colorful tiles.
Prices: Dinner starters from $3.95 to $7.95; main dishes from
$8.50 to $24.50 (average $12); desserts from $2.50 to $4.25.
Hours: lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday; dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday,
from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 5 to 9 p.m.
Sunday.
Reservations: recommended.
Smoking: none.
by CNB