This was the only restaurant to work out how we planned! I knew as soon as I saw the name "Pastabilities" that we were going to wind up eating here. Honestly, how could we not?! In the middle of what was maybe downtown (?) nestled on a busy street between two red brick-faced clothing shops and across the street from where they make their daily bread, is a restaurant full of delicious pastabilities. In contrast to the white bricked traditional looking architectural façade, the inside was modern and hip with purple lights adoring the bar top, exposed brick wall, and industrial metal grates above the booths lit with vibrant purples and reds. The music was...interesting and varied like the couldn't quite figure out what the vibe should be and I wasn't a big fan of it. But, I did like that it was low enough where I could have a conversation with Lara at a normal volume...because I'm an old lady and that's something that I appreciate a lot. The bartender was energetic, personable, and skilled- crafting us some amazing drinks; blackberry bourbon lemonade for me and a blood orange margarita for Lara.
Out came the bread and their homemade hot oil tomato sauce, which I simply could not get enough of. I'd say I regretted eating so much of it, but honestly I didn't. The bread was pillowy soft with a nice chewiness to it and the sauce had a great balance of heat and sweet that I had to keep diving in for more. I may have even bought the sauce, which is available even at the Wegmans by my house. I put a tblspn or so in this rice I was making the other day and wow. I think it'd be good in just about anything. Aaaanyway. There were so many dishes here that caught my eye, but the Basil Gnocchi Burrata BLT caught my heart- basil gnocchi in a roasted tomato sauce with bacon, fresh burrata, tomatoes and breadcrumbs. What's not to love? Apparently Lara felt the same way because she ordered the same thing. Honestly though, there were like 5 dishes I wanted to try, so I know I need to go back soon.
Just look at this monstrous amount of pasta! You can even see the bread photobombing in the back of the picture there. This was a very rich, very heavy dish to be sure, which only meant I'd get to enjoy it again the next day for lunch. The trick here, which Lara fell right into the trap of (willingly of course) if not to eat all of the burrata right away! I tried to ration it out so I'd have a little in each bite because all of the ingredients worked so well together. The melted bits of burrata turned parts of the sauce into a creamier, velvety smooth sauce and the little crunch from the breadcrumbs contrasted that smoothness brilliantly. I also appreciated that they put the bits of tomato on top instead of mixing it in the dish. I'm not a tomato fan when they're by themselves or unincorporated usually, but something about not having them mixed in made the bites with the tomatoes seem brighter, lighter and fresher. As much as I did enjoy the dish, I think this is a place that I could never order the same thing twice. There's too much that sounds too good and I've already set my sights on the braised beef short ribs next- I'm coming for you at some point!!
You can check out their menus here, order from them on Grub Hub or Door Dash, check out their Facebook and Instagram or visit them in person at
311 S. Franklin St. Syracuse, NY 13202
M-F 11am-2pm || Su-Th 4pm-9pm || F & Sa 4pm-10pm
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