It’s been a while since we were last at Lasagna Restaurant, with my college friend Phil. Josh and I enjoyed our meal there so we suggested it for Sunday night dinner. Unfortunately, on the evening we went, I was recovering from a cold and had trouble tasting some of the food. There were windows of opportunity though, when my sinuses would clear briefly, and I would scarf down as much as I could during those periods.
Our meal started off with the same delicious and addictive garlic bread. The bread was warm and crunchy on the outside, and it packed enough buttery garlic flavor that I could taste it despite my stuffy nose. We polished off several baskets and they continued to replenish our supply throughout our meal.
Addictive garlic bread
Josh and I decided to go halfsies on two different salads for our appetizer. First was the arugula salad with goat cheese, crostini, roasted pepper, and balsamic vinaigrette. The salad wasn’t quite what I was expecting, as it was mostly just a pile of somewhat tough arugula (it was not the baby kind) topped with a few strips of roasted pepper, a few rings of red onion, and two pieces of untoasted baguette spread with a thin layer of goat cheese. It wasn’t bad, per se, it was just kind of uninteresting. They could improve it by switching to baby arugula, so that the leaves aren’t quite so bitter, adding more of the other ingredients, and mixing it all together. The goat cheese crostinis were a bit out of place though, and the bread should have been toasted.
Arugula salad with roasted peppers and goat cheese crostini
The other salad was the Caesar, which Josh had the last time we were here. The dressing was fine, flavorful and thick, but there was way too much of it. The lettuce leaves were weighed down by all the dressing and were starting to wilt because of it, which was too bad because that ruined what would have otherwise been a perfectly fine version of Caesar salad.
Overdressed caesar salad
Fortunately things improved with our entrees. I had penne alla vodka with chicken, which was described on the menu as being hot and spicy. I figured the spiciness would help clear up my sinuses but the dish really didn’t pack too much heat. I liked the flavor of the vodka sauce though, and was glad that it wasn’t overwhelmingly creamy. The penne was al dente and the chicken, white breast meat cut up into bite size chunks, was still tender.
Penne alla vodka with chicken
Josh went with the chicken parmesan, which I had the last time. It was just as good this time around, with a large tender chicken cutlet topped with well seasoned red sauce and lots of cheese. The penne pasta underneath was also al dente, and he enjoyed the dish very much.
Chicken parmesan over penne pasta
For dessert, there was a seasonal special of pumpkin gelato (to give you an idea of how long ago this meal was!) that we couldn’t pass up. The pumpkin gelato was rich and creamy, and actually tasted like pumpkin, not overly spiced. It was served with graham crackers and whipped cream, kind of like pumpkin pie, which was a nice touch. We shared two orders between seven of us, and I wished that we each got our own!
Pumpkin gelato with whipped cream and graham crackers
Despite the somewhat so-so salad appetizers, I still thought that our meal at Lasagna was pretty good. Our issues with the Caesar salad are easily fixable, and while I liked the concept of the arugula salad, I think it just failed in execution. But more importantly, Josh and I enjoyed both of our entrees and thought that the pastas and red sauces were really well prepared. Service was attentive and we had a good experience overall. Is it the best Italian restaurant in the neighborhood? Probably not, but it does serve pretty solid food at reasonable prices, and it’s a nice place to have nearby.
Lasagna Restaurant (multiple locations)
785 9th Ave. between 52nd and 53rd St.
New York, NY
Tags: Italian, Midtown West