The Terra Cotta Pasta Company, featuring freshly prepared, gourmet Italian foods, is now open. The company's third location (others in Dover, NH and Kittery) is located on Cottage Road in South Portland. A little out of the way, it will nevertheless be a frequent destination of mine to obtain speciality foods. Some things are just worth the drive.
Stop in and they will give you a tour of their cases and coolers of prepared foods. Artichoke and risotto cakes, grilled vegetable lasagnas, ready to cook flatbreads, pestos, olives, tapenades, cheeses, fresh pasta, soups, dumplings, dozens of varieties of pasta sauces and raviolis, frozen meatballs, pizza dough, bread from Standard Bakery...the list goes on and on. They pride themselves on their high quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar, sold in beautiful bottles that can be returned and re-filled.
Sampling is encouraged, with many items open and available for tasting throughout the small store. Little cups sit next to the soups to encourage trying before buying. Plastic spoons sit next to the olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the same purpose; Saturday is cheese sampling day.
Because we weren't going straight home, we had to be careful not to purchase anything perishable; we left with a bag of fresh Parsley & Garlic Linguine, Marinara Sauce (compliments of the store, just for stopping by) and Sundried Tomato and Black Olive Spread, which I will serve at an upcoming dinner party. I'll go back for the Wild Mushroom & Roasted Shallot Ravioli, the Champagne Cream Sauce and the oh-so-sweet balsamic vinegar.
The Terra Cotta Pasta Company is a welcome addition to the Greater Portland food scene, providing fresh, healthy dinners that can easily be reheated for busy families on the go, and delectable sundries, elegant enough to serve to company.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Terra Cotta Pasta Co.
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3 comments:
I wish I liked this place more than I do. The ravioli we bought was far too thick and heavy: it should be silken and this was dense. We bought a lasagna that hadn't melded: it seemed a collection of ingredients heated together rather than the synergetic blend that one expects. Their only fresh pastas are egg pastas, and they have little of the delicate freshness that you find in the Cinque Terre product.
I wish I could say that this is 'shakedown' trouble, but this is an established chain, no matter how tiny. They already have their methods and techniques in place.
We'll certainly be back to give Terra Cotta a fair shake, however.
Thanks for your comment. Good feedback on the ravioli. It is too soon for me to make a definitive judgement, but I was not a fan of the marinara sauce I brought home...thin and an overwhelming taste of garlic. The Red Pepper & Kalamata sauce is excellent though...
Tried them the other night and could not have been more turned off. We bought some of their fresh fettuccine and it was truly awful. The texture was horrific - it was somewhere between rubber and gum (and I've surely cooked fresh pasta before). As the previous comment states, it just doesn't have that fresh pasta "bite." We could barely muster a few bites and threw the rest out. I'm not sure how this business has even expanded to be honest, because if they think that's what fresh pasta is supposed to be, boy oh boy, they've got to rethink a few things. Maybe their breads/calzones/salads are better (?), but no more rubbery pasta for us!
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