Gerald S.
Yelp
Maybe I should have known better when I walked into Pasta On Time, and it was empty of customers. Or maybe, the awful acoustics of the walls and ceiling and loud TVs should have been a tip off that this may not have been the greatest place for a sit down meal. Regardless, I miss those cues, and ordered a full meal of chicken francais, pasta, salad and twist rolls for consumption on the premises.
It wasn't all bad, but neither was it possible to really enjoy it, given what was served. The salad was okay with balsamic vinaigrette, and it can be forgiven that they used iceberg rather than romaine. The FDA had advised throwing all romaine out until they determined that only lettuce from Central California was the source of dangerous leafies. And, the twisted rolls were also pretty good, although two small pieces seemed a little light in the generosity department.
No, the problem really began and ended with the chicken dish. While the three fillets were sautéed well, the sauce was from another planet. Rather than real lemon and white wine mixed with butter in proper proportion to make a delicious sauce, this combination seemed to use reconstituted lemon juice, no wine, and perhaps salted butter. The result was a awful tasting colloidal yellow soup with a strong bitter lemon flavor that sat on my tongue until I got home to brush my teeth free of it. Rather than savor the taste of my favorite Italian dish, I had to remove as much sauce as possible from the chicken, and avoid the spaghetti beneath all together.
Maybe a sandwich would have been the way to go, but some of the reviews say otherwise. What was clear, was that the kitchen didn't know how to make this meal, and followed a recipe that lacked any finesse, along with the absence of wine, lemon fruit and sweet butter.
It was a complete whiff.
"Pasta On Time," or, Pasta No Time?
