As the mercury dropped a few days ago, and with near-freezing temps due today, it seemed like a good week for soup. And seeing as we hadn’t done Italian since last May, we somewhat randomly landed on pasta fagioli, a peasant dish that, translated, means “pasta and beans.”
The original Italian pronunciation is pasta fah-JOH-lee, but Italian-Americans folk-etymoligized it into pasta fah-ZOOL, joining mani-GOT, bru-ZHOOT, and, my favorite, gaba-GOOL, among others. (I recommend saying these words with thumb and middle finger touching and hand moving lightly back and forth.)
We hit two Italian restaurants — Bella’s Italian Cafe, a fixture in South Tampa whose 40th anniversary is this year (congrats!); and, on St. Pete Beach, Carino’s Northern Italian Cuisine, which has been around for decades but re-opened under new management last fall.
BELLA’S ITALIAN CAFE
At 6:45 on Tuesday, we scored what appeared to be the last parking spot in a sizable lot, which caused concerns about a wait time. We were relieved to be seated straight away, and opted for a small two-top in the lightly populated bar area. Bella’s was buzzing, at least for a Tuesday night.
A yacht rock playlist poured from the speakers, although at medium volume. I had hoped to never hear “How Long (Has This Been Going On)” again. (Time out for trivia! Name the band that performed it? Answer at bottom.)
Our server, Andrew, was terrific — upbeat and witty, helpful but not hovering. We ordered a Bowl of Pasta Fagioli ($11, Andrew requested two spoons) and — because man (and woman) cannot live on soup alone — we added a pasta dish, Ravioli Verde (with Bolognese, $25).
Appearance
The soup (shown in the top photo) looked thick, more like a stew.
A heaping plate of thin spinach raviolis was coated in meat sauce.
Texture and Taste
The soup was so bean-forward it should’ve been called fagioli pasta. The small pieces of noodle made little impression. The other ingredients (onion, bacon, ham, celery, and tomato) had boiled down to invisibility, with bacon making its flavor presence known most (albeit mildly). The thick soup had a consistency similar to the beans in black beans and rice.
As for the entree, the raviolis were long and delicate, different (in a good way) from most versions I’ve had. They were filled with a bit of spinach and a lot of cheese: ricotta and Swiss, with the Swiss standing out. The Bolognese was first-rate. Upon request, Andrew brought us a (small) bowl of it, and advised us to always ask for extra sauce when ordering in an Italian restaurant.
CARINO’S NORTHERN ITALIAN CUISINE
Another parking problem, this time in a small lot of a shopping center in the Blind Pass section of St. Pete Beach. We had to briefly wait for a Carino’s customer to pull out, then scored their spot right in front of the restaurant. The velvet ropes by the door made me grin.
Our friends and frequent FFF confederates, Don and Linda, were already seated in the cozy, lightly populated dining room. (One of these days we’ll get to a restaurant before them.) Italian music and the usual rat-pack vocalists played at low volume.
Our server — who will remain nameless and genderless as to not embarrass anyone — was more concerned with being a standup comedian. The server’s “jokes” were forced and rarely funny, and often interrupted our conversation.
We ordered Pasta Fagioli ($10) and Pollo Parmigiana ($26). I got a Perroni ($7.75), Bonnie a glass of the house Chardonnay ($9).
Appearance
This pasta fagioli looked far different than the competition’s — more like what I consider soup. The entree looked like pretty much every other mondo dish of chicken parm, which is why it’s not pictured.
Texture and Taste
The pasta fagioli scored well on the comfort-food scale, and had the liquidity that its appearance promised. I could’ve even slurped if I chose to. I particularly appreciated the thread-like slips of pasta, which complemented the beans. Bits of tomato enhanced the flavor profile.
The pollo parmigiana fell somewhere between mid- and top-level, and that’s a compliment. The chicken — two breasts — was tender, the sauce delicious, the parmesan in the right proportion. Bonnie took a small portion and I slayed the rest.
And the Winner of the Pasta Fagioli Melee Is …
Carino’s Northern Italian Cuisine.
A split decision: I preferred Carino’s version of the soup, which is the ultimate deciding factor. The service could not have been more strongly tilted toward Bella’s. I admired Bella’s’ different approach to ravioli, and also the easy eatability of Carino’s’ chicken parm.
Trivia Answer: Ace (song was released in 1974 and climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard singles chart. It has to be in the Yacht Rock Top 10.)
And lastly, randomly, for you Caddyshack fans — remembering one of the funniest jokes I don’t quite get.
Al Czervik to Judge Smails, “You buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup.”
Let me suggest a promotion for Bella’s: you come in with an ugly hat and a bowl of soup is on the house. (The newsboy cap I wore to Bella’s on Tuesday was far too dapper to qualify.)
