So what's the verdict? It's hard to tell. Considering Pasta Flyer is in soft-open mode, it's clearly still getting into the groove of things.
That said, things could use a bit more gusto, a pinch more flavor. Pasta is something easily approached and easily made at home, so getting customers to buy it in a fast-food setting will be difficult for even the most experienced of restaurateurs. I'm not so sure pasta can be successful in this format, but time will tell.
People have certain perceptions of pasta based on experience, either homemade or professionally served, as Ladner once did at Del Posto. So to clear the hurdle of expectations versus fast-food reality is a tough and unenviable task.
There's a strange high-brow, low-brow tension with pasta. It's a comfort food that can be plain and provincial, or classy and urbane — and both approaches are equally enjoyable.
For now, take Pasta Flyer with a grain of salt. Perhaps it will find its groove and get into the swing of things, but its future as a chain rivaling McDonald's is a long, long way off.
The spicy broccoli rabe, $2.50, makes for a rather pleasing side, resplendent with fresh red peppers, onions, and a dollop of ricotta cheese. It's not all that spicy, but a little kick does surface from time to time.
Pasta Flyer's "fried lasagna snack" is essentially a fried hunk of lasagna, wrapped to go — and therein lies its beauty. It's crispy, cheesy, and the perfectly light level of greasy. But for $4, it's not as filling as one might hope. One could easily demolish two servings, which makes its place under the "meal deals" menu confusing.
The pesto is lacking in "oomph," and it doesn't deliver the basil-bomb that one expects. There's little in the way of garlic, and it could do with a more brawny, flavorful olive oil.
The pesto sauce and fusilli noodles are, in comparison, a bit of a disappointment. The noodles are al dente, but these could do with a bit less firmness.
Alfredo sauce can be polarizing among pasta aficionados. Some swear by adding cream to the sauce, while others embrace the purist tack and stick to the two "true" ingredients: butter and parmesan cheese. Pasta Flyer's sauce is rich and creamy, but it lacks that certain silkiness that's often the hallmark of the "pure" alfredo.
Fettuccine with alfredo sauce is another classic on the menu. The serving size is adequate, and the sauce is similarly so. It's creamy and satisfyingly buttery, though it can feel a tad flat with the rapidly cooling noodles.
The meatballs, however, do not share this robustness. They could use more seasoning, more ... something. They continued the trend of occupying the middle ground; squarely, if not blandly, between cafeteria meatballs and homemade ones. The marinara sauce is fine, but it suffers from a similar lack of verve.
First, the old standby: spaghetti and meatballs. The noodles themselves have good texture and were cooked perfectly al dente. Often spaghetti is overcooked and becomes mushy and gummy, but these noodles are firm and robust.
And indeed, it was ready fairly quickly. Within five minutes, we had our rather large order ready and in a bag.
Ladner was behind the counter, taking orders and cooking the pasta. He and co-founder Nastassia Lopez came up with a technique to precook, freeze, then flash-finish the pasta so that the food is ready within minutes.
The prices are hovering slightly — only slightly — above fast-food prices. Most pasta bowls cost between $7 and $8, while combos cost $10 and sides run from $2 to $4. If anything, the price point suggest a middle ground between fast-food and fast-casual — the middle ground of the middle ground.
The menu is simple: five pastas, four sauces, two meal combos, six sides and snacks, plus wine and beer. Ladner is adamant that Pasta Flyer isn't your average chef-founded, fast-casual joint; in fact, he fervently calls it fast-food, and fast-food only. It's not for hobby gourmands.
Source: Eater NY
