Monday, August 19, 2024

Colapasta - Santa Monica

Casual Colapasta, a sidewalk cafe serving scrumptious pasta. 


The Squid Ink Bavette fits the beach vibe, with long murky strands mired in a tangy-fresh tomato. Cushions of crab add some sea-sting, and it's a simply lovely combination. 


Our server described the Casarecce al Pesto as a salad, and I don't disagree. The double tube texture holds onto the garden-fresh basil, a pesto pureed so finely you think the pasta itself is green. Cherry tomatoes are popping bubbles of sun-soaked tang, and mozzarella pearls add a supple silk. 


Silkworm shells of Malloreddus alla Campidanese are a savory, sausage-saturated texture of creamy-cheese tomato sauce, with saffron to make the flavors linger. 



Casunziei is sauced tableside, brown butter sizzles on a saucepan and settles into every crevice between the sweet beet-filled ravioli. A better dessert has never existed. 

I don't have much to say about Colapasta - the food speaks for itself. There is something about what they do here that transports you, and for the entire time that pasta touches your tongue, you actually believe you're on a patio in the Italian countryside, twirling your late lunch a fork, watching vineyards as far as the eye can see. The sauces are simple and the flavors so straightforward, yet the sheer skill required to cook so captivatingly clean is anything but. 

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