PastaBAR

Every city needs two specials types of places: restaurant rows and speakeasies. The former describes a walkable cluster of independent restaurants, the sum of which creates a district for spontaneous dining: Have a drink here, eat dinner there, have dessert at yet another place. The unlikely area defined by First Street, McKinley, and Pierce at the north end of Downtown has become such a place in just the past few months. Maybe it's the adaptive reuse of neglected buildings, maybe it's the synergy with the nearby Downtown Phoenix Public Market, but certain forces have coalesced there to bring about welcome improvements in Downtown dining. PastaBAR, a recent opening by two chefs formerly affiliated with Sassi in ultra-north Scottsdale, is another boost to Phoenix's new restaurant row.

It's inspiring not only that two talented chefs have come Downtown from the hinterlands of Pinnacle Peak, but also that they've chosen a low-key approach to their location. Instead of choosing a splashy, slick site, they've chosen instead to focus squarely on the food, even if that means their place is pretty challenging for the uninitiated to find. That's where the speakeasy part comes into play. Finding PastaBAR can seem like half the challenge, but it's actually not that tough. The building dominates the block on the east side of First Street between Pierce and McKinley, just three blocks south of the Roosevelt / Central station. To find PastaBAR within the building, it's necessary to walk all the way down the corridor between Sens and the Turf. Keep going and eventually a door at the back opens into PastaBAR.

Inside, the space feels a lot less speakeasy-ish. The main dining room is a linear space interrupted by the kitchen entrance on one side and the bar on the other side. A huge mirror awaits at the far end of the room. Closer in, the walls display a changing selection of works by local artists. The art, chosen by the chef/owners, is meant to be provocative, and sometimes it is. During the restaurant's first months of life, portraits of Timothy McVeigh and Jim Jones occupied the walls. For some customers, that look inspired conversation; for others, it may have been an upsetting set of images. The owners have been unapologetic about their selection of art; however, they've also indicated that it turns over fairly quickly. Since then, the art selections have been less controversial, but it may always be worth a glance at the walls near any given seat before accepting a table.

Decor aside, this restaurant is all about pasta -- handmade with flour from Italy and accessorized with fresh ingredients from the best local purveyors. The food is more Italian than Italian-American. In other words, this is not the place to ask for eggplant parmesan or baked ziti. Those "red sauce" dishes can be delicious when done right, but they're not in PastaBAR's playbook. Instead, most dishes are minimalist preparations in which a few high-quality ingredients complement the texture and taste of the pasta itself. The puttanesca (right photo below), for example, yields to its individual components rather than melding into a tomato-based amalgam. Chunky olives and salty capers boldly assert themselves in contrast to the orrechiette they're paired with. The only misstep seems to be a gnocchi dish; despite a description of a sweet sausage ragu, the dish actually bursts with so much spice as to drown out the other flavors.

Beyond pastas, starters and sides also use a minimalist approach. A market vegetable plate recently celebrated romanesco, a cauliflower variant, that has recently been all the rage at local farmer's markets. That vegetable, pickled, and then paired with chopped kale, grapefruit, and crumbles of cheese, provides a fervent prelude to the pasta to come. Likewise, local tomatoes (center photo below) served with creamy mozzarella, pesto, and anchovies offer a burst of initial flavor. Alongside the pasta, sides like greens or charred shrimp, smoky without being overcooked, work well. The major element of the meal lacking has been bread. Initially, the restaurant provided only packaged breadsticks; now, bread is available for a supplemental charge.

Service at the restaurant is generally good, although sometimes a little harried. Be warned, though, that this is not the best restaurant for substitutions and special requests. The chefs have made it clear that they have a vision of what PastaBAR should be and will go only so far in bending to accommodate popular opinion. Despite the owners' blunt style, PastaBAR can actually work surprisingly well for appropriately behaved and supervised children. High chairs are provided, and some of the simpler bavette dishes -- one featuring lemon and butter, and the other with a more peppery taste -- can work for kids unwilling to explore anchovies, fennel, and other high-intensity ingredients. Of course, explaining the concept of a speakeasy to young guests may be a little more complicated.

705 N. 1st St., #110, Phoenix, AZ 85004 | Map
(602) 687-8704
http://www.pastabaraz.com