The Pasta Factory
By MidMoDiningGuide.com Staff
July 2011
The Pasta Factory has made the move from downtown Columbia to a new location on west Broadway (just across from Hy-Vee). They've kept their signature favorites on the menu, but relaxed the atmosphere a bit. The MidMoDiningGuide.com crew visited during a busy weekday lunch hour to check out the new digs. We noted a smaller space that's less impressive without the allure of the old brick building's interior, but the owners have done a great job bringing some of the old style into the new location: stained glass, interesting wall art, rustic details and those beautiful belt-run ceiling fans still charmed us. We actually found the more casual Pasta Factory a welcome change – we tend to prefer an impressive but un-stuffy meal. White linen napkins and spot-on service with a helpful attitude helped round out the experience.
The MMDG team ordered four different entrées, all were lunch-sized portions. Here are each of our meal reviews, in our own words:
Tortellini with Mushrooms & Garlic with House Salad with Housemade Mayfair Anchovy - 3.5 forks
My meal smelled so good when it arrived! The meat-and-pork-stuffed tortellini was really complimented by the garlic-y sauce with mushrooms and peas. I really enjoyed (and ate nearly all!) of my meal, but I do think I'll order something different next time. The sauce was good, but kind of wore on me over time – I think I would have preferred a sauce with more than just a garlic flavor. I did appreciate that there were no obvious chunks of garlic in the sauce like I've seen in some other restaurants. Next time I think I'll go for Italian Sausage & Green Pepper Lasagna. My salad was really enjoyable, with just the right amount of dressing. I'm not a fan of traditional Italian dressings so I went for the anchovy-based Mayfair sauce on the suggestion of my server. The sauce was creamy and delicious but did not taste exactly like caesar dressing, it was really more creamy and flavorful, and especially tasty with the artichoke heart. 3.5 out of 5 stars
Grilled Chicken Parmigiano - 4 forks
My meal came out served in a steaming hot pasta boat and was warned by our server to let the dish cool for a lithe bit before digging in. It was so difficult sitting there looking at the melted mozzarella cheese piled on top of the chicken and spaghetti that I only waited a few seconds before taking my first bite. Delicious! The chicken was perfect and with the mixture of cheeses and marinara sauce this was a great dish. My only complaint for the meal was that it was difficult to cut the chicken when it was sitting on the pasta. If this meal was served on a full plate instead of the pasta boat I would've given this 5 forks.
Eggplant Parmigiano - 5 forks
The Eggplant Parmigiano was absolutely delightful. Having never tried
eggplant, I was hesitant, but the waitress explained it very nicely and made
it sound appetizing. She didn't disappoint in her description that it was
kind of like fried zucchini, but slightly sweeter. The fried eggplant was
baked in marina sauce and topped with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Yum.
I even dipped bites in ranch dressing to make it even more delightful. Five
out of five forks!
