Penne Pomodoro
11661 Preston Road
Dallas, TX 75230
(214) 368-3100
http://www.pennepomodoro.com/
Price: $-$$
Since this dinner was for a large group of people, I wanted to find something that most people would like to eat. Can’t go wrong with Italian…everyone loves pasta! So I found out that my first choice had closed down, but that turned out to be the best thing ever because I discovered this place. I went in one day just to check the place out and really liked the setting. I was put in contact with the general manager, Toni, who was just the nicest lady to work with. She was very accommodating to my big reservation and assured me that they will do the best they can to make our dinner a great experience. :)
The day of the dinner finally came! I was a little nervous that the food wouldn’t be good since no one had been here before. But after the appetizers, I wasn’t too worried anymore.
We were in 3 separate tables since there were too many people, so I will only be blogging about my table.
For appetizers, we got the Calamari Fritti (served crispy with spicy marinara sauce & spicy tomato aioli). $6.95~ The calamari was pretty good, like most other calamari I’ve had in other places. The squid was tender, slightly chewy, with a good amount of breading on the outside.
We also ordered the Focaccia Bread (made with rosemary, garlic & cheese, and baked). $4.95~ This was super tasty. For 5 bucks you get one as big as a pizza. The bread was just crispy enough, with lots of herbs and cheese. If I didn’t get an entrée, I could’ve just snacked on this all night!Next were the salads.
I got the Insalata della Casa, or house salad (mixed greens & cherry tomatoes, served with balsamic vinaigrette). $4.95~ I really liked this salad. The vinaigrette is not your typical olive oil vinaigrette. It seemed to have a little bit of creaminess added to it. It wasn’t overwhelming and wasn’t too tart which sometimes balsamic can be. It was very fresh and flavorful.So far so good!
My mom ordered the Tuscan Salad (mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, peppers, Tuscan bread & parsley with lemon-herb vinaigrette). $5.25~ This was also really good. It’s just as fresh with lots of color and flavor. Although I still liked mine better just because I liked the dressing on mine better than this one.Time for the main courses! We ordered the Paglia e Fieno (green and white tagliolini pasta tossed with peas, prosciutto, mushrooms and cream sauce au gratin) $13.50~ and the Genovese (white pizza with pesto, mozzarella, caramelized onions, grilled chicken) $10.50~ to share. My favorite of the two was definitely the pasta.
It was nice and creamy and full of ingredients. There were lots of mushrooms, crisped prosciutto and peas. The top was crusted with parmesan!! I’m hungry just thinking about it now… The green and white pasta with the peas also added a splash of color. Since it was a cream sauce, it was a little heavy, but it was totally what I wanted!
The pizza was also a great choice. It was not greasy at all. It was a change from typical pizza with marinara. The pesto made it more interesting and the combination of the onions and chicken was great. And the crust was awesome. My favorite part of a pizza is definitely the crust. I think the crust can make or break a pizza.My mom and sister shared a Create Your Own Pasta: Fettucine pasta with Arrabiata sauce (crushed red peppers, garlic, olive oil & basil with tomato sauce) $10.95~ (plus chicken + $3.50~).
They weren’t too impressed with this dish. The noodles were overcooked so they were a little too soft. The sauce was average. It wasn’t a bad dish, but not memorable either.A friend of mine ordered the Fettucine al Limone con Pollo (fettucine pasta tossed with chicken, alfredo sauce, lemon zest and parmesan cheese). $13.50~
This is his staple Italian pasta dish. Any new Italian place, he’ll have to order the Fettucine Alfredo. He loved it! He said this was one of the most authentic Alfredo he’s had in a long time. Everything from the look to the pasta to the hint of lemony tartness was spot on.After dinner, the restaurant told me I was going to get a free dessert for my birthday! WOOT! I got to choose from their dessert platter with 5-6 different choices. I finally decided on the crème brulee.
It was what I expected a crème brulee to be, creamy and smooth with a nice crunchy sugary shell on top.Here are some other dishes that I didn’t get to try. But both plates were completely devoured so I'm thinking they were pretty good. haha.
Petto di Pollo alla Griglia (marinated grilled breast of chicken with lemon, garlic & rosemary; served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes of the day) $13.50~
Baked Ziti al Telefono (Ziti pasta baked with sweet Italian sausage ragout, tomato and mozzarella cheese) $13.50~I want to thank Toni and Penne Pomodoro for making my birthday such a great experience. The food was superb and everyone had a good time. I will definitely be going back in the future to try more stuff!! :D
Quality of Food:
Service:
Cleanliness:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment