Pastarrific Restaurant

After you've groaned your way past the name of the place, you should probably accept that a city of Kokomo's size is lucky to have a long-last Italian standby with a broad menu, including (from what I've heard from mulitple sources) a very respectable grouper.  Atmosphere might seem a little kitschy and Olive Garden-esque, but it's really no different from umpteen little mom-and-pop Italian restos in the Jersey suburbs...and these, in turn, probably inspired much of the look of Olive Garden.  Pastarrific (groan^2) doesn't deliver the artery clogging goodness of OG's breadsticks; I found them a bit dry, almost stale.  But everything else I had more than surpassed America's #1 Italian chain: a fresh and tasty Italian salad with just the right amount of dressing, and a tender apricot chicken in which the fruit accompaniment never made the meal too saccharine.  The accompanying asparagus was perfectly steamed.  Service was just fine.  Prices are just fine, if not downright great.  I'd say that this local more than earns its comfy reputation.

The best restaurant in the area. Freshly made pasta; fish; ravioli. Always wonderful

My girlfriend has been here several times, mostly with one of her friends. We went there the other night for dinner to try it out and to get another opinion of the place. I must say that overall I left this place severely underwhelmed at the experience on the whole.

The food was okay, nothing more. My minestrone soup was average, but not great, while my girlfriend's potato soup was of similar quality. My partner's veal parmesan was well-cooked, but my Seafood Diavolo had very little food in it; it had a considerable amount of average-tasting sauce, but no pasta and only a small amount of crusty garlic bread.

Atmosphere-wise, there was very little light in the restaurant save the glow of the televisions tuned to ESPN. I could barely see my partner or the food in front of me, it was that dark. The walls also had the usual oil paintings of non-descript scenes from somewhere in Tuscany so typical of so many Italian places.

Service-wise, the service was slow on a night when the place was not even close to being full. Refills on drinks were infrequent, and my girlfriend and I ended up waiting a long time (too long, in fact) to have our order taken. Add in the fact that I paid close to $40 for this meal for two, and this does not add up to a particularly enjoyable dining experience.

In conclusion, Pastarrific sported average-at-best food with average-at-best service at average-at-best prices. I would not go here voluntarily again (though I don't think I would outright refuse if someone else was paying). To be perfectly honest, I can get a better meal with better service at comparable, if not better, prices at Olive Garden.