Happy Friday all!
I have been so excited to share this post with you, mostly because I hope a place like this comes to Boston. Pronto.
When I was in Israel in May my cousins took me to a place called Pasta Basta in the shuk (open air market) in Jerusalem. The word "basta" in Hebrew means kiosk or stand, which is how people refer to each booth or stand within the market. So the restaurant is quite literally named the Pasta Stand.
When you enter the market, the restaurant is right smack dab in the middle of all the action.
The Pasta Basta sign hangs above the lively scene at their counters.
The most coveted seats in the space are at the counter, right next to where they make the fresh pasta.
I was obsessed with this pasta themed mural on the wall. Hair made of spaghetti? What a fun, whimsical idea.
Behind the counter, you can actually watch the Pasta Basta team making the pasta. It doesn't get more fresh than that!
The restaurant's menu is on the wall and as people stand in line their faces twist in confusion as they attempt to reconcile narrowing down all the amazing choices.
If you are an old lady like me, you can also ask for a regular size menu to review in line or at your table. One side is all the pasta choices and the flip side is the wine and beer.
The way ordering works is, you pick your pasta, you pick your sauce and then you garnish with your personal selection of toppings. Sort of like the Pinkberry of pasta.
One of my cousins went plain and simple, fettucini with pesto sauce.
The other ordered penne with a sun dried tomato sauce (she swears this is the only way to go), spinach and goat cheese.
I couldn't resist the freshly made fettucini. I topped mine with tomato sauce, mushrooms, broccoli and fresh basil.
Did we like our pasta creations? I'll let you look at the below photo for the verdict:
The great thing about the Pasta Basta concept is, no matter how many times you come back, you can always order something different. In the mood for penne with vodka sauce? They have it. In the mood for spaghetti with marinara? They have it. You can continue to pick and choose based on your mood and your cravings.
The two things that are sure to remain the same no matter what you order are: the freshness of the pasta and the super fun, bustling vibe of eating in the market.
Do you know of any make your own pasta places in the States?
