Paul’s Pasta Shop, Groton, CT

Scott always bragged about this little hidden jewel in his hometown called Paul’s Pasta Shop. I was intrigued that he spoke so highly of it given that he doesn’t crave pasta on the regular. This past Sunday, he surprised me by taking me to Paul’s for lunch. When you walk into Paul’s the first thing you see is a pasta machine that is older than time itself. There was also a man standing over said machine feeding it sheets of fresh pasta. Nothing beats fresh pasta. I repeat, nothing beats fresh pasta!

I decided to sit in their back deck alongside the River Thames, enjoying the scenic landscape of Southeastern Connecticut. It was a warm day and that can only mean one thing, I had to drink white wine! I ordered a glass of white from Stonington Vineyards, a vineyard just up the road from Groton. The menu didn’t specify what kind of white it was nor did I ask. The wine was slightly sweet, and although I prefer crisp wines, this one was absolutely delicious.

Appetizers

Scott ordered a cold pasta salad: shells tossed with cucumber, tomato and a light Italian dressing. Given that their pasta is homemade, I don’t see any reason why their dressing shouldn’t be, so I assumed that it was made in house. The dressing was slightly tangy, indicating vinegar’s presence, and heavy on the oregano and basil. This dish was the star of the meal.

We shared the baked shrimp, six medium sized shrimp cooked in a sage butter sauce. The sage wasn’t as prominent as I would have liked, however the butter sauce was delicious. It was twice even more delicious when I soaked it up with some crusty bread.

Entrées

One thing I liked very much about this restaurant is that they let you choose from two entrée sizes, small or large. Even though the small was half the size of the large portion, I was only able to eat half of my entrée.

I ordered one of the specials: fettuccini with shrimp, mushrooms, and asparagus, tossed in a white wine sauce. The pasta was delicious, but I do have a few suggestions for improvement. The sauce was extremely buttery. I think the chef may have ran out of wine and decided to add an extra cup or two of butter to my pasta. Mind you, it was still delicious but I would have preferred if my pasta wasn’t soaking in a tub of butter. My second suggestion is that the pasta could have been ‘kicked up a notch’ in the words of Emeril. Nothing major, perhaps a few pinches of red pepper flakes or freshly ground pepper. The vegetables were actually my favorite part of the dish because they were cooked perfectly al dente, especially the asparagus.

Scott ordered pasta cooked with spicy and sweet Italian sausage and green bell peppers. His dish was far superior to mine. The pasta was drowned in a thick tomato sauce that was perfect for dipping crusty garlic bread. There was nothing too exotic about the sauce, just sweet marinara sauce. Luckily he ordered the large portion and I currently have over two servings of pasta in my fridge.

I loved the simplicity and the freshness of the food. It was good Italian food at even better prices. The entire meal, including four glasses of wine, set us back $55. There were many things on the menu that I wanted to try, as is always the case with me, so I will definitely be returning to Paul’s.

Buen Provecho!