homemade pasta Archives - Pechluck's Food Adventures

Perfect Pasta at Maccheroni Republic

May 24, 2019 by Pechluck 2 Comments

While I was in LA a week ago helping to host my youngest sister’s baby sprinkle, my 2 sisters and I, as well as my brother in law and niece, went on a lunch excursion downtown to Maccheroni Republic.
Maccheroni Republic in downtown LA offering homemade fresh organic pasta

There are so many delightful eats in LA, and Maccheroni Republic stands out for its homemade pasta being made fresh and that it is all organic, made with organic flour and organic semolina. I wanted to order the whole menu. In fact that’s partially why we went with us 3 sisters, to give the opportunity for my LA resident sister to rationalize ordering even more pasta!

It was a mind-blowing pasta meal. I hold the same opinion as my sister that if this was closer to me I would definitely be a weekly regular. There’s enough on the menu plus throw in the daily specials to keep you coming back all the time for favorites and what’s new.

Menu at Maccheroni Republic in downtown LA offering homemade fresh organic pasta

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Travel Tagged With: Agnolotti di Osso Bucco, butter cream truffle cheese sauce, downtown dining, downtown la, downtown los angeles, family friendly restaurant, fresh pasta, homemade pasta, Italian cuisine, Italian Restaurant, LA Eats, LA Foodie, LA pasta, Los Angeles Dining, Los Angeles Eats, Los Angeles food, Los Angeles Foodie, Los Angeles pasta, Los Angeles Restaurant, organic pasta, pasta, Pasta of the day, Pesto pasta, Ravioli di Zucca, Rigatoni Pom 'Amore, Spaghetti Moringa Alla Checca

Pasta at Rick Gencarelli’s Grassa

July 31, 2013 by Pechluck 11 Comments

Grassa offers another option in the now super delicious West End area of Southwest 12th and Washington, right next to Lardo (both by Rick Gencarelli, and who I’ve been visiting monthly for their chefwich collaboration for charity) and Racion, and also just across the street from Ruby Jewel and Cheryl’s on 12th, also a block from Jake’s Famous Crawfish, Tasty n Alder and Gruner and if you just walk a block more, Petunia’s Pies & Pastries and Saint Cupcake Galore. You can go to Ringler’s Annex for a whiskey, rum, or bourbon flight besides the usual McMenamins beers, but I’m keeping my eye out also on the in progress Multnomah Whiskey Library. This 3 block radius is kicking!

When I heard Rick was opening up a place devoted to pasta, it was at the top of my must try list, and I was happy I was finally able to go this past weekend. As soon as you walk in the glass door etched with their signature eagle, you are at an ordering counter.

A chalkboard that extends up to the high modern workshop loft ceilings with the menu. We decided to go with food only this time, since I had dragged F over here (well, I did give him 3 multiple choice options I had filtered down, so he did get to pick at the end) after an Oakshire Barrel Aged Beer seminar at the Upper Lip (you can read great coverage of that event from a post by fellow blogger Kris at Beer Musings from Portland).

Rick Gencarelli's Grassa menu, Portland PDX

After ordering, you are given a number and seat yourself in the airy space that makes it seem like you are sitting in an extension of their kitchen prep area, or in a cooking class, a combination of industrial modernity and functionality. Look at those extension cords from the ceiling over those prime seats looking into the kitchen and right in front of the pasta machines!

I don’t know how I could resist the temptation of not picking a bite out of those trays of pasta to the right either. Recipes were jotted on a chalkboard – I will try to ignore the amount of butter in the garlic bread I am about to eat.

Rick Gencarelli's Grassa interior Recipes jotted on a board- I will try to ignore the amount of butter in the garlic bread I am about to eat- at Rick Gencarelli's Grassa interior

I started out with the garlic bread.

Grassa, garlic bread, from Rick Gencarelli

I went with the pasta dish of Radiatore with tomato braised chicken, crisp skin, ricotta, basil. I loved the play on textures with the shapes of the radiatore and savory braised chicken and saved my last bite to be one of those bits of crisp skin.

Radiatore with tomato braised chicken, crisp skin, ricotta, basil, from Grassa by Rick Gencarelli

Vegetarian F had the Bucatini wtih hazelnut pesto, zucchini, mozzarella crema and I was jealous. I love pesto. The pasta was toothy and the hazelnuts gave it some crunch while the mozzarella was the embrace of liquid love on top.

And yes, in case you were wondering, Grassa translated means “fat” in Italian, so he’s still celebrating it, and I’m right there with him!

Bucatini wtih hazelnut pesto, zucchini, mozzarella crema and Radiatore with tomato braised chicken, crisp skin, ricotta, basil, from Grassa by Rick Gencarelli

Filed Under: Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: bucatini, chicken skin, fresh pasta, garlic bread, grassa, hazelnut pesto, homemade pasta, Italian, pasta, pdx, portland, radiatore, rick gencarelli, tomato braised chicken, west end

Dinner at Tabla Bistro

December 21, 2011 by Pechluck Leave a Comment

A dinner at Tabla Bistro on Dec 16, 75% motivated just because their homemade pasta dish of Tajarin is so loved and was accompanied by such enticing pictures by Portland Monthly’s Eat Beat recently. You can order a prix fixe for only $28 that yields your choice of one appetizer, one half order of fresh pasta, and an entree off their main menu.

For us, the starters were beautiful orders of Fall Vegetable Salad with turnip greens mousse, feta, market vegetables, mustard seeds and the Sous Vide Egg with sunchokes, speck, watercress coulis, chanterelle cream. I suppose we could have ordered bread and butter (additional $3) to wipe up the sauce, but we didn’t.

Tabla Bistro, Fall Vegetable Salad with turnip greens mousse, feta, market vegetables, mustard seeds Tabla Bistro, Sous Vide Egg with sunchokes, speck, watercress coulis, chanterelle cream

For the fresh pasta course, the half order of Tajarin with truffle butter, parmigiano reggiano. The pasta here are really very delicate and gentle, and should not be missed as part of your meal. For the mains, another half order of pasta, this time Chestnut Cavatelli with braised lava lake lamb, fiore di sardegna pecorino, and the vegetarian Bob’s Red Mill Polenta with maitake mushrooms, brussels, sprouts, salsa verde.

Tabla Bistro, Tajarin with truffle butter, parmigiano reggiano Tabla Bistro, Bob’s Red Mill Polenta with maitake mushrooms, brussels, sprouts, salsa verde Tabla Bistro, Chestnut Cavatelli with braised lava lake lamb, fiore di sardegna pecorino

Dessert included Winter Squash Cake with candied walnuts, maple caramel, creme fraiche and either housemade blackberry gelato or salted caramel sorbettto to give us a break from all the richness of their offerings during the meal.

Tabla Bistro, housemade blackberry gelato Tabla Bistro, housemade salted caramel sorbettto Tabla Bistro, Winter Squash Cake with candied walnuts, maple caramel, creme fraiche