Paciarino

So my mother is in Maine visiting her favorite son. (Ba-ha-ha-haaa)  Where else can I take her to show the true flair of what's good, unique and truly inspiring about the luncheon scene here in Portland?  Paciarino of course!!!

My 12 year old son Gabe is also with us and about to find out that spaghetti and lasagna are only a fraction of what great Italian cuisine has to offer.

When you first walk in to Paciarino, you might be a little thrown by the fact that you will make your dining decision prior to being seated.  The hostess will tempt you with the types of home made pastas-du-jour as she describes the daily offerings, neatly and uniquely scrawled on a chalkboard at the front counter.  If one were to look directly to thier left at this point, they would see the chefs working diligently in the open kitchen, which is also highly visible from the street through a very large picture window on the front of the building.

We selected the following items: Mom opted for the seasonal Pumpkin Ravioli, I chose the Goat Cheese Ravioli al Pomodora and Gabe the Fettucini (sans sauce, add lots of fresh Parmesean Cheese!)

We were then seated after making our beverage selections and (as this wasn't my first encounter here) everyone else was delighted to have our entrees delivered in very short order.  After all, when you are working with fresh made pastas and home made sauces, preparation time is greatly reduced.

I think the first words out of my mom's mouth were: "Wow.  This is more like a dessert than an entree."  The flavors of the pumpkin blended with the amaretto cookie and nutmeg as the filling for her Raviolis were amazing!  If anything, I though that the pumpkin could have been a little stronger, but the overall flavor profile was fantastic and very satisfying to say the least.

My Goat Cheese Ravioli was equally delightful, perfectly cooked, tender and flavorful.  The Pomodora (red) sauce was neither to sharp or too sweet and accentuated the mild flavor of the cheese within each hand-crafted ravioli.  There is truly a master behind the creations coming out of this kitchen.

My son, who is quite simple in his choice of foods still (but I'm working on him), didn't stop eating his Fettucini for a moment.  Well, except to take another piece of the home made bread that came with the meals. 

Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of Paciarino is the fact that if you have a favorite pasta or sauce (or two) that you absolutely would love to be able to have again at home, everything they offer is already packaged neatly in coolers and on display for you to go home and have fun with again!

My recommendation for Dessert: Tiramasu.  Enough said.  You HAVE to try Paciarino's Tiramasu folks!

I give Paciarino 4 stars today.

Until next time!

Ciao!

~ Joe