Mirko Pasta Review

For a late lunch/early dinner, my mother and I made a last minute decision to go into Mirko Pasta  as opposed to the pizza place that was in the same plaza in order to try something new.  

First Impressions

The outside had a simple and clean design to it.  Inside followed the same scheme.  The place is small yet very open.  The kitchen also is open and viewable from the dining area which I could see three chefs working inside.

Within seconds of entering, we were greeted and shown to a booth.  The table had a rather unique look to it as well.  It was wooden but seemed to have a kind of clear liquid plastic that was poured over the top so you could still see the wood underneath.  Once we were seated, the waitress filled the two 4 ounce glasses with water and left the jar on the table for us to refill our glasses as needed which is something I personally enjoy because there have been many a times where I have had to wait for a server to come to refill my glass.

Menu Appearance

The menu was a simple, with one side for lunch and one side for dinner.  I should note that their lunch menu is only available Monday - Friday.  There was also a separate one-fold wine menu on the table.  

The menu was set up so that you could pick what type of pasta you would like with prices ranging from $4.50 to $5.50 and then below, you chose what type of sauce you wanted which was another $5.00.  There were also special dishes listed, which was what my mother chose from.  

The waitress told us all the pasta was made right there and therefore had no preservatives in it.  We both ordered (see below) and they brought out some very hot bread that had to have been fresh from the oven and olive oil to dip.

Bread with Olive Oil

The Meal
I decided to order bruschetta as an appetizer which included three slices topped with tomatoes, seasonings, etc.  It also included a little salad on the side which my mother notes was a nice size and good. The plate looked very presentable as seen below:

Bruschetta Classica

The actual bruschetta, I didn't get to eat right away because they also brought out the salad I ordered at the same time.  When I did finally take one, after I had eaten my meal, it was delicious.  My salad, insalata di spinaci, consisted of spinach, raisins, goat cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing.  It was very presentable and tasteful, though the dressing did accumulate at the bottom of the plate which made the last few bites a little strong.

Insalata di Spinaci

Within only a few minutes, our main entrees were brought.  I chose gnocchi with their pomodoro sauce (traditional sauce with basil) and my mother chose a specialty dish consisting of butternut squash filled ravioli and a mascarpone cream and radicchio sauce.  While my gnocchi looked a little plain on my plate (but it's gnocchi, so not much you can do to pretty that up) it was still very delicious.  I had a bite of the ravioli and while I wasn't a fan of the sauce, the actual ravioli was very good.  It also, as my mother pointed out, was not all pasta and little filling.  The actual ravioli was very thin letting you enjoy the filling as well.

Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

Tortelli di Zucca

Overall Impression

This is definitely a place I will return to in the future either by myself or with others.  

• Atmosphere:  The place seems to be a place that you can enjoy with a few friends, a nice family dinner, or solo.  
• Staff: Our waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable about all the menu items.  In the middle of dinner, I had finished my pop (or soda), and the waitress placed another on the table without me even having to request one.  After dinner, I asked her if the place was a chain or not and she explained the history of the place without hesitation.
• Price: For the two of us, the total came to about $33.00 which wasn't bad since we both we full afterwards which deterred us from going to get frozen yogurt afterwards.
• Speed: As I mentioned before, the food came out so fast, I didn't have time to try the appetizer or finish my salad before our entrees arrived.  This may have also been due to the fact that we were not there during peak hours, and there was only two other tables occupied when we arrived.