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Pasta Fazool
Sometimes it’s funny how one ends up trying an undiscovered restaurant. We had to scrap plans for a road trip visit to Doylestown and settled on a spot a bit closer to home with an easier drive. To start, this spot had a few things going for it – a BYOB, close to the Willow Grove exit of the East-West PA turnpike and most importantly, two word of mouth recommendations from previous visitors.
Situated in a strip mall off York Road in Hatboro, the outside whimsical appearance of Pasta Fazool signage presents the notion that this is casual (dare I say) less serious dining (spelling an American adaptation of Italian “Pasta Fagioli”). Opened in 2011, the restaurant describes itself as operating with the notion of “abbondaza” – dining with food aplenty. A small family run operation, the dining area seats about fifty diners in booths and tables, with accommodations for larger parties with a reservation.
Read the rest of Ron's column below ...
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Masa Asia opens in former Nona Rosa location
A new sushi joint that also serves up Thai, habachi, poke and a lot more has debuted in West Norriton Township at the Burnridge Shopping center. Masa Asia is serving take out only right now, but is hoping for dine in soon. Yet another spot we're going to have to get @RonKnerr to dish on soon!
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A DiBruno Bros. on every corner?
The writers at phillymag.com think it would be a dream! And part of that dream is coming to fruition with a new spot that will offer all of the cheese, charcuterie, and imported foods we know and love, plus a wine and cheese bar, pizza counter, and coffee bar, opening in Wayne this spring, according to their update.
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New Salad Works opens in Lansdale
Located in the Pavilion shopping center at 443 S. Broad Street, Saladworks opened on Jan. 13 and features more than 60 ingredients that can be combined or offered in salads, wraps, grain bowls, soups and more, to meet any nutritional need or diet trend, according to a story at timesherald.com.
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More advice than hack
While the majority of time we present time saving food hacks here, there are other things you can do, or perhaps not do, to save yourself time in the kitchen. Here a 36 mistakes some (most) people make, from our friends at buzzfeed.com.
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AMFEASTAGRAM OF THE MONTH
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Here's the #amfeastagram of the week that was selected as the winner of the La Michoacana $25 gift card for the month of January! ... mostly because these meatballs from @barsera look amazing!
Here's a great place for you to highlight your favorite feast of the week. Just tag your photo with #amfeastagram and we'll pick one to be our AMFeastagram of the Week! Of course, crediting your extraordinary photog skills with your Instagram moniker! The post will also put you in the running for our Giveaway of the Month!
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We're really excited to be giving away a $50 gift card to Seasons 52 in King of Prussia (photo credit to their Facebook page) thanks to our friends at Kolber Advertising. Check out their ad below and give them a shout if you need any radio or television advertising. They're the best!
So, let's make this easy for you. Join our Members Club below and you're automatically entered to win. Remember, 10 percent of your 99 cent membership each month goes to the Montco Anti-Hunger Network! Tag your foodie photos on Instagram with #amfeastagram and you'll also be entered to win! _______________________________________________________________
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Refer a friend, get cool swag
Send a link to this newsletter to just 10 of your friends, and if they sign on to receive our free newsletter, you get this incredibly cool, ultra luxurious coffee mug! Oh, and here's the link! As a reminder, a portion of our Members Club receipts goes directly to the Montco Anti-Hunger Network.
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S.1 Ep.4 - Part II - My conversation with Ron Knerr, restaurant critic for A Moveable Feast continues. Ron is somewhat of an aspiring chef himself and has a handy tool for bringing his creations to the perfect temperature. He explains how it works about halfway through.
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... the rest of Ron's column
The full menu features all the classic Italian staples (except pizza) from salads and soups to appetizers and entrees, with numerous specials offered by the waiter prior to placing your order. They will also adapt a listed dish to your liking if you don’t see it on the menu.
Our group sampled dishes from across the menu. An Arugula Salad and a Garden Salad were tastefully presented and served with flavorful dressings. The Fried Calamari was prepared with a light breading and served with lemon and marinara sauce. Given the namesake of the restaurant, we had to try to Pasta “Fazool”. The soup was a bit different than other Pasta Fagioli that I have had at other Italian restaurants. Typically constructed of pasta and beans in a light to medium tomato broth with some optional embellishments, this soup was a thick slurry of well-cooked beans with ditalini pasta distributed throughout. Flavor was acceptable but I didn’t find the soup to be a “signature dish” given the restaurant’s name. It is on my list for a resample on another visit.
Our table ordered an assortment of the entrée choices, several of them off-the-menu specials. Standard plates enjoyed by diners included Veal Picatta and Chicken Parmesan, and off-the-menu Chicken Cacciatore and three of the special entrees offered on this night. The special entrees really stretched creativity with dishes that were hard to resist. One diner had Lobster Ravioli with Scallops, a second entrée special ordered was Swordfish with Crabmeat, Shrimp and Pepperoncini Peppers with Pappardelle pasta in a light tomato broth.
Probably one of the easiest dining choices I have ever had to make was the special Soprano Stew selection. Offered periodically at Pasta Fazool (learned via perusing the Facebook site), this dish features Hot and Sweet Sausage, a tasty garlicy Meatball, a tender Short Rib portion and a bone-in Pork Chop, served over Ziti pasta in Tomato sauces. I was lucky if I could consume half of my meal due to portion size and resorted to a to-go box as did the all the other diners, giving credence to the “Abbondaza” philosophy. Everyone was satisfied with their entrée selection.
One bit of confusion occurred when an adjacent table was mistakenly served two of the entrée specials designated for our table. Unfortunately, two of our diners had a service delay as did the adjoining table that received two of their plates unexpectedly early. We suspected it was a mistake in short order, but by then the other diners had started on their plates. The staff remedied the issue relatively quickly and the delayed plates arrived after a short time. Management provided both tables with delicious complimentary Cannoli at the end of dinner due to the mix up.
Although the ambiance of Pasta Fazool is not on par with some of the previously reviewed BYOB Italian restaurants, they certainly held to their “abbondaza” approach, with good food quality, sizeable portions, and reasonable pricing in a BYOB environment. It is worthy of a try and we intend to revisit in the future.
Rating 3 / 5
https://www.pastafazoolhatboro.com/
http://www.pastafazool.net/
https://www.facebook.com/PastaFazoolHatboro/
Pasta Fazool - Hatboro
804 S York Rd Hatboro, PA 19040
http://www.pastafazool.net/
(267) 282-5442
Hours: 11 AM – 9 PM Daily, 10PM Friday/Saturday. Check Covid hours
Ron Knerr is a 30+ year cooking hobbyist who has been a “foodie” before the term was popular. His home arsenal includes a smoker, a sous vide immersion heater, a sausage stuffer, and several crockpots. Send comments and suggestions to: RonKnerrFeast@gmail.com
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