Bianca

12.11.09 Awhile back, a colleague told me about her favorite Italian restaurant, Bianca, in her neighborhood. She told me I would love it because it was not only a really cute place for a date, but had yummy pasta. When I last visited the restaurant with my coworkers, we loved it. I thought I'd try it again with the boyfriend to rekindle my love for pasta. Unlike past visits, we had to wait to for a table on a Friday night. Although the wait was almost an hour, it didn't seem that bad because the manager/ host was kind enough to check up all the waiting guests and update us on the table status. Not only is he your all-around nice Italian guy, but he genuinely works hard to seat all the guests in a timely manner. When we finally sat down at 8:30 pm, we were starving. And because our eyes were bigger than our actual stomach, we ended up ordering too much food. But, it's never a bad thing when you leave a restaurant satisfied and full with a cheap dinner bill. We shared... Fried Puffy Dough Rectangles with Stracchino cheese Lasagnette di Verdure- eggplant, zucchini and tomato tart with grated parmigiano cheese He had... Gramigna con Salciccia E Peperoni with crumbled sausage and red bell pepper

I ate... Tagliolini Ai Frutti di Mare with clams, mussels, calamari and shrimps sauteed in garlic, extra -virgin olive oil and lite tomato sauce The pasta is delicious, but the eggplant lasagna always does it for me. I never appreciate veggies by itself, but this lasagna is savory and flavorful. Even if you don't want to wait in line, wait...your wallet can take a break from all the expensive Italian restaurants in the city.