Yes, it's a mall kiosk. Yes, there are tons of other good - arguably better - options all around it. But don't ignore this tiny stall.
I was initially intrigued when I saw the pasta machine in their glassed off prep space. Freshly made pasta is gold in my belly, and I wasn't about to walk by it too quickly, even if it was in a food court. The pasta machine was steadily pumping out fresh noodles that got measured and portioned into large cups, ready to become the next order. It can be turned into either a bolognese or a alfredo dish, but most are here to order, eat, or simply fix their hungry eyes on the preparation of the alfredo. What they do here is boil the fresh pasta and dump it straight into a hollowed out cheesewheel, along with some ladles of fresh alfredo sauce. The smells that come up from this area when that slurpy, cheesy goodness is being tossed around is remarkably savory and irresistable.
So, of course, we ordered one.
Protein toppings are available for an added charge, and we went with the chicken. This comes finely shredded, which is now the only way I want chicken in my pasta. The shreds got distributed all throughout the pasta, ensuring good portions of meat in most forkfuls.
I had a feeling this would be very, very good even before I sat down to try them for the first time. While I was watching my order being prepared, a woman stopped by with her elder mom, having presumably just finished her own first order. "It was excellent," she told the guys behind the counter. "Really authentic." He replied in Italian, and they proceeded to go back and forth in rapid Italian.
So if you decide to come, rest assured - your Italian food is being prepared by real Italians. read more