Pasta Pomodoro

As you may have seen in some of my other reviews, I generally think most of the food options at Santana Row are overpriced and not that great. Pasta Pomodoro is one of the exceptions. It’s reasonably priced and reasonbly good . Don’t expect the best pasta you’ve ever had, but it’s a solid meal.

The thing I like best about Pasta Pomodoro is that the pasta is always perfectly firm no matter what dish you get. They also have a “healthy” menu that I’ll sometimes order from not to be healthy, but because the dishes genuinely sound really good. Your meal will always start with some complimentary foccacia with a really good garlic and pesto dip.

I nearly always order the Malfaldine. This consists of malfaldine pasta (pasta strips that are long, thin, and wide — almost like lasagna strips, but only an inch wide), shrimp, and asparagus, in a light cream sauce. It’s probably a bit small for heavy eaters, but it’s the perfect size for me. I love the al dente pasta, the prawns are pretty large, and the asparagus is usually done quite well.

Another favorite is the Frutti di Mare. I think this is a pretty good deal, as you get a considerable amount of seafood (mussels, clams, shrimp, and calamari) for a good price.

The mussels appetizer is a good starter, and I also really like the Panna Cotta as a dessert.

You can also order Pasta Pomodoro to go, and the nice thing about this is that unlike most restaurants, they still give you the complimentary foccacia. (sometimes they forget – just ask for it.)

The only thing I don’t like about Pasta Pomodoro is that their prices are more expensive at Santana Row!

i like the vegetarian penne.

When I first tried Pasta Pomodoro, I was given a 20% off card, along with a free appetizer. Unfortunately, even that wasn’t worth the amount I paid for my lunch. The salad was dry and incredibly salty (tasted like olives, but maybe it’s because I don’t like green olives) and the marinara sauce in the penne pasta was dry and tasteless. I’d have to say this place isn’t reasonably priced for the quality of food you receive in return.

My first visit to Pasta Pomodoro will hopefully be my last.