Comments on: Review: Pasta Mia

By: amy lynn

amy lynn — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:44:39 +0000

i was not impressed by the service, the food, or the staff at pasta mia. i got there early but hungry with my friend and his family. we were the first group ushered into the restaurant. we waited thirty minutes for water, thirty more for bread and an hour for salad. two of us are vegan and so we politely asked the waitress which vegetarian items had cheese. she gladly asked the chef and came back explaining that the items we had ordered could be made without cheese. even better, she came back and explained that her son was vegan for a year before going back to her home country (assuming argentina because of her description) and she knew all about it. sure enough, after our outrageous wait of two and a half hours, the food comes out and it’s chock-full of cheese. i explained that i could not eat it to the gentleman who served it to me. so then i see the waitress again. she brings the chef out to yell at me and keeps saying that she told us it had cheese. i could not believe the attitude. i asked for the same dish as my friend and it came out in 10 minutes. the pasta and the sauce are mediocre at best. i’ve had better italian food at macaroni grill. i’m all for supporting family owned businesses, but not this one.

By: BS

BS — Sat, 10 May 2008 04:56:30 +0000

the line issue has always bugged me. It’s totally a herd instinct. There’s no good reason why they can’t take reservations or take your name at the door and tell you how long it’s going to be. Well, there is a good reason, so that people form a line at the door, and more people get on the line after that.

By: Terry

Terry — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:48:49 +0000

OMG
some family member will be upset that I spelled appetizer incorrectly!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Terry

Terry — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:40:55 +0000

The staff here reminds me of a chain of Pappas restaurants. They serve hugh portions. My last visit was very enjoyable because the waiter did not give the the “is this all your are ordering?’ after a hugh appitizer and $9.00 glass of wine.

By: Stefan

Stefan — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:30:33 +0000

I have to disagree that there is no such thing as bad pesto…there is plenty out there. Totally agree on the lack of good Italian though. Otello’s, just south of DuPont on Conn isn’t bad for the price. I have a mental block against high priced Italian places. I don’t care if you make the pasta by hand it’s still just pasta and there is no reason to be charging $30 for it

By: belmontmedina

belmontmedina — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:11:21 +0000

I ADORE pasta mia. The line sucks, they’re kind of pasta nazis, but it’s totally worth it. I feel like I’m eating my Italian grandma’s food.

If I had an Italian grandma.

That being said, Al Tiramisu on U street is my new go-to for Italian food.

By: gansie

gansie — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:30:54 +0000

thanks for the detailed report, liza. i’ve also been terribly curious about this line-obsessed place. i usually get my pasta indulgences taken care of at Dupont Italian Grill. but pasta mia’s been on my list for YEARS.

By: jane

jane — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:26:18 +0000

I’m sorry, i think you need to stay home from pasta mia. you clearly are overthinking it and your list of complaints is really frustrating. It’s simple, it’s good, and if you think of it like the small family business it is you might feel more understanding about their rules.

By: JoeHoya

JoeHoya — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:07:14 +0000

“Cash Only” is less a rule than a statement. Maybe it’s their protest against the credit card companies’ transaction charges that eat into already thin profit margins. Or maybe it’s a way to facilitate turnover (no need to wait for the charges to process and then come back for your signature).

Of course there’s always the chance that a cash-only policy is indicative of a less-than-dilligent approach to reporting sales for tax purposes…

By: Liza

Liza — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:30:13 +0000

Yeah, come to think of it, I can’t think of an amazing Italian place I’ve gone to in DC - There is a place called Luigi’s at 19th and L, which is pretty decent.