The restaurant's decor is delightful. The walls are painted a muted reddish-orange, and paintings and pastels of (what else?) various pasta dishes are hung throughout the modest, but not cramped, seating area. The black and white checkered floor adds a traditional element to the otherwise modern room. The lighting is dim but not dark and is diffused evenly throughout the room; jazz music floats unobtrusively in the background. The service is attentive, but not overbearing or stuffy. All in all, the atmosphere is incredibly warm, intimate and relaxed.
After making the short drive from Amherst to Northampton, Margo and I were forced to circle for 15 minutes in a futile search for a parking space. Though we attempted in vain to uncover one on our own, we finally called the restaurant and the friendly hostess told us exactly where to find what must have been the only remaining parking in the whole town.
Once that ordeal was finally over, we sat down and perused the menu, which listed a wide variety of appetizers, entrees, sandwiches, desserts and specials. The salads ranged from Mesclun to Greek to Caesar, and the sandwich choices, served on panini rolls, included grilled Portobello mushrooms, leeks and Brie or sun-dried tomato and fresh mozzarella, among others. The entrees were divided into regular menu items and specials; the everyday menu included delicious Italian staples such as eggplant parmesan, pasta carbonara, lasagne and homemade meatballs.
The specials were more eclectic, with entrees like chicken gorgonzola or grilled steak, and the restaurant's selection of homemade pasta changes every day. We were able to choose from egg linguine, garlic parsley fettuccine, spinach fettuccine, sweet potato ravioli and cheese ravioli, in addition to more traditional pastas.
Dessert options included fresh crepes filled with cannoli cream, mixed berries and shaved chocolate, peaches and cream, and chocolate espresso cheesecake. With prices ranging from $6 to $20, you can feel free to make the meal as inexpensive or pricy as you like, and the menu's range of items from sandwiches to full entrees allows you to either hasten or prolong your meal.
After deciding to order one item from the specials list and one from the traditional entrees, we finally settled on the chicken gorgonzola with spinach fettuccine and the meat lasagne. Warm, fresh bread arrived immediately after we ordered; our food arrived in 10 to 15 minutes and both dishes were presented beautifully in substantially-sized white dishes and decorated with parsley. The chicken gorgonzola was comprised of tasty homemade spinach fettuccine, fresh spinach leaves and tomatoes and large slices of flawlessly grilled chicken. The gorgonzola cream sauce, which I expected to be rather heavy and rich, was surprisingly light, yet full of flavor. Margo's meat lasagne was also an enormous portion, especially considering its $8 price; it was equally enjoyable and fresh. Finely ground meat, an assortment of three cheeses and Fresh Pasta Company's own tomato sauce filled the sheets of pasta, and more of the marinara sauce and parsley topped the dish.
Though we were very near to bursting after our bread and seemingly ever-expanding entrees, we couldn't help but be interested in the fresh crepes for dessert, so we decided to splurge and order one. When the dessert arrived, we were a little daunted by its enormous size; the dessert covered an entire platter and was clearly more than enough for two people. The crepe was folded into an expansive triangle, and the light dough oozed a sinful combination of mixed berries, cannoli cream and chocolate shavings as we cut into it. Margo and I did our best to finish off the dessert, but we soon realized we would run the risk of exploding if we ate another bite.
Our meal for two ran us a little over $30, but it could easily have been as inexpensive as seven or eight dollars per person, depending on how much and what type of food suits your fancy. After rolling ourselves out of the restaurant, we agreed whole-heartedly that Fresh Pasta Company is certainly an undiscovered treasure and a welcome change from Amherst fare. The portions are generous, the service is outstanding, the atmosphere is lovely and the price is right for either students or parents. Fresh Pasta Company is certainly a new favorite of ours, and its staff can expect visits from us in the future.