Comments on: Pasta Mia Thumbs Up or Down?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:53:27 +0000

Only 50K?? Man, no wonder he is waiting tables..

By: Cliff

Cliff — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:37:44 +0000

LOL – Anon 10:08 – I had the same waiter say something almost identical to me before! I think he doesn’t work there anymore, but when I complained he said exactly what you wrote above. Some friend, does a favor and does a poor job at it….

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:08:01 +0000

I’ve been once. The food was very good, but our waiter, with his shotty service, actually complained that our tip wasn’t big enough. Then when my friend challenged him on the matter, he responded with, “It doesn’t matter to me–I make $50,000 a year and I’m just doing this for a friend.” Uh…then why are you complaining??? Needless to say, haven’t been back since.

By: GforGood

GforGood — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:51:37 +0000

To Really?, ‘have sworn the pasta was straight from the box.’. That does not mean at all that the dish could not be ‘authentic’. Italians, including restaurants, don’t necessarily use or even prefer “fresh” pasta. And that varies by region in Italy too, afaik.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:33:12 +0000

Pointing out the shortcomings of a particular establishment does not auomatically mean that one would prefer a big chain restaurant.

And if you enjoy waiting in lines, you’re an idiot.

By: ColorMePetworth

ColorMePetworth — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:36:10 +0000

All the complainers sound like the type who would prefer Macaroni Grill. This place is great. I think waiting in line is half the fun. The owners are sweethearts, too. They take alot of pride in their product.

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:17:21 +0000

i’ve been to PM twice, and both times thought “people are raving about THIS?” yes, the pasta was better than decent, but not remarkable, and the lousy atmosphere and long wait make it hardly worth the effort. as far as “authenticity,” i’ve eaten my way across Italy more than once, and Pasta Mia’s dishes are no more or less “authentic” than any of a half dozen other better restaurants in DC. the fairly reasonable pricing for a pretty decent meal is probably the real draw.

the giant downside, as many. many, many people have unfortunately experienced personally, is that the owner/chef has developed the reputation of being a royal asshole of the first caliber. it has been reported by more than few patrons that he’s come out of the kitchen to literally yell at someone who has done nothing more than make a request about whether a dish can be prepared to address a food allergy. if “no special orders” is your policy, a simple “i’m sorry, we don’t make dishes to order” from the waitstaff is sufficient. barging out of the kitchen to try to humiliate a patron is a sign of someone with a vastly over-inflated opinion of his self (or the manifestation of an underlying mental illness).

i wonder if there aren’t some nice “tax benefits” from an all-cash business.

By: Really?

Really? — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:04:18 +0000

Ok. It’s not the worst. It’s certainly not the best. But seriously? Authentic? What salvia are you smoking? Last time I was there could have sworn the pasta was straight from the box. A bargain? I can make that same meal at home for about 2 bucks plus the cost of wine. I’m don’t want to speak ill of a good family owned business, god knows this city needs more of them. But I’ve gotta say, the lines waiting for this place are just abusrd. Spend 10 bucks more and go to Floriana’s on 17th street. Now THAT is authentic.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:33:19 +0000

K.B.: I’m not sure the problem with cash only. It is a minor inconvenience at most. If you don’t have the cash to eat there, you probably shouldn’t be putting it on your credit card either.

By: rcr

rcr — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:36:32 +0000

He’s an asshole – of course it’s everyone’s right to be an asshole, but he’s still an asshole. That’s what’s wrong about it.

The pasta is mediocre and the service is horrible. I gave my leftovers to a homeless guy.