Enobytes Wine Blog

 
Pagliuca’s Restaurant
14 Parmenter St
Boston, MA 02113

This restaurant has its best days behind it. Although you may still appreciate the value and the nostalgia, there are better places in the North End to experience good Italian food. We started going here back in the 80’s and the place was authentic, quality focused and fun. After we moved away from Boston, the next time I ate here was in 2000 and it was still pretty good but standards had dropped a bit.

We returned again in 2003 and our guests, Boston residents in the wholesale wine business appreciated the honesty and integrity of the food exclaiming they thought this type of Italian fare had all but disappeared. They loved the Chicken and the Eggplant Parmesan; I had the Chicken Cacciatore and was satisfied but not wowed as I had been in the past. The wine list was still a list of value oriented Italian wines - no cult classics or Super Tuscans, but serviceable nonetheless.

In 2006 on a Sunday in July, we made the bad decision to return on the day that the Italians were playing the Germans in the World Cup Championship. With my in-laws in town (who happen to be German), we waited for a table in sweltering heat. We were greeted and seated with professional hospitality, but that was as good as this dining experience was going to get. We started off with a Caprese Salad, Escarole Soup, Pasta e Fagoli, and a Fettuccini Alfredo. The tomatoes for the Caprese were not even close to ripe. That might fly in the dead of winter but it was July. No matter how good the fresh Mozzarella was or how green the basil was you could not recover from hard, barely pink, not red un-ripened tomatoes.

On a different note, the Escarole Soup had maintained its integrity along with the Pasta E Fagoli. Obviously, someone who managed to get the day off for the Soccer game had made the soups; in fact, I suspect the entire regular kitchen staff was probably gone that day leaving the B-team to disappoint their guests. The Alfredo sauce was thin and under seasoned although the pasta was cooked correctly.

The entrees were equally disappointing. My Veal Saltimbocca was tough and the portion tiny; the Chicken Felix satisfied the person who ordered it but it was nothing like the dish I’ve experienced in the past. The Eggplant Parmesan was not leached of liquid so it was mushy and the accompanying side of pasta with tomato sauce was unseasoned and lackluster. One guest had Meatballs and pasta with the same under seasoned sauce and a very forgettable meatball. All of the previously mentioned dishes have been standouts in the past. The recent renovations of the dining room may have spiffed the place up a bit, but it would take a hurricane to breathe new life into the kitchen (MDME).

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