Pasta Party
124 E Lincoln Ave.
Orange, CA 92865
As I get older, I enjoy quiet nights at home binge-watching TV series or listening to audiobooks, cooking dinner, and, of course, trying to catch up on my restaurant reviews. However, this restaurant blog would be impossible to maintain without going out, so some nights we forgo the couch and head out with friends and family to catch up and explore a new spot. This particular Friday evening, the restaurant of choice was Pasta Party.
Just mentioning this restaurant's name instantly brings me joy. Who doesn't love pasta or celebrations? Some individuals might not enjoy either, but they must be rare exceptions. In 2021, Pasta Party took over the old Orange Tree Deli. It's situated at the corner of Glassell and Lincoln, in the same small shopping center that includes Orange Tree Liquor and Jumbo Donuts.
The man who brought Pasta Party to life is Chef Alexsanodro Orlando. He grew up in restaurants because his father, Antonio, is a well-known chef who primarily worked in notable Italian restaurants. He spent a decade at the famous Valentino in Santa Monica before opening a series of successful Italian establishments. Most recently, he was at Il Gatto Trattoria in La Habra, which took over the old Cat and Custard Cup space, and it’s definitely a restaurant I need to try right away.
Alright, back to Pasta Party, which can best be described as a build-your-own pasta restaurant. The format is fast-casual: You order at the counter, and your food is brought to your table. Chef Alexsandro uses the same recipes that his family made in Southern Italy. You choose the pasta you want, your preferred sauce, and any add-ons you like, such as meatballs, sausage, chicken, or shrimp. The base price starts at $15.99 and increases depending on your selected options.
Not in the mood for pasta? What are you even doing here then? Kidding of course. They also have pizza, sandwiches, and salads. Don't want to make a lot of decisions about what kind of pasta you want? They have signature dishes that come as they are listed on the menu. We ordered and found a seat in their oddly shaped, but comfortable dining room, and waited only ten minutes or so for our food to arrive. Let's see if this party was a rager or a snoozefest, like all the parties I threw in high school.
First up for us was the Chopped Salad ($15.99) and Garlic Bread ($4.99). The salads at Pasta Party are meant to feed 2 people, but we stretched it out a bit to feed four. Who needs a lot of salad when you have plenty of carbs coming, right? The chopped salad consists of salami, mortadella, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, finely chopped iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and a white balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was fine, and did the trick for us to give ourselves a good base while waiting for our entrees to appear.
The garlic bread came to the table and my mom assumed wrongly that it was complimentary, and asked for some. After we explained that we paid for it, they still brought some out for her. Outstanding service here. They did not have to do that. The garlic bread was buttery, and the parmesan and garlic flavors came out in bursts. Looks wise, it reminded me of the frozen garlic bread we had as kids, but better.
The build-your-own pasta starts at $15.99 and goes up depending on your desired add-ons. I got the Penne with Pink Sauce, Sausage, and Meatballs ($25.99). Yes, this was a little pricey for a plate of pasta, but I like my pasta to come with a lot of meat. The pasta was cooked well, not overdone, with a subtle chew. The pink sauce was creamy, and the meats were good, but I assume they are straight from the freezer, as I'm sure they are not making them here. The serving size of this was good, and if I had any willpower, I would have saved some for lunch the next day.
Katie had the classic Penne Chicken Alfredo ($22.49). Their tomato basil sauce is the only sauce that does not incur an additional charge. Again, the serving size was plentiful, and the Alfredo sauce tasted rich. Katie liked the chicken-to-pasta ratio, and she claims she should have stopped midway through but ended up finishing it, too. I guess we are a perfect pair.
My brother-in-law did not feel like having pasta, so he ordered the Sausage and Pepper 12-inch Sandwich ($18.99) instead. The sandwich was cut into three four-inch sections, and included bell pepper, onion, giardiniera, provolone, and chopped sausage. The bun was fresh and soft. From my vantage point across the table, they could have filled the sandwich more. I also would have liked the sausage to be left whole so you could get sausage in each bite. There were some pictures online where they leave the sausage whole, instead of chopped, so maybe it's just the chef's whim about how you get your sandwich.
My mom selected the 12-inch Pepperoni Pizza ($16.69). This was a basic pizza. The pepperoni was sparsely added, but there appeared to be a good amount of cheese to compensate for the absence of pepperoni. This will not win many pizza contests, but if you do not want pasta, at least they have other options.
My dad loves to try Pastrami Sandwiches ($13.49), but only after he inquires about the thickness of the slices. The thinner the slice, the better for him, so he must have been assured that the pastrami would be to his liking. This pastrami sandwich was dressed simply with Dijon mustard and pickles on the side. He seemed to like it well enough and finished the whole thing, which is rare for him.
Okay, I liked Pasta Party but was not blown away by it. If you're looking for authentic Italian food, you might want to try another Italian restaurant. I enjoy the concept of building your own pasta dish, but once you add everything you want, it can be pretty pricey. The other items we had this evening were okay, and nothing special. Good food, but I would not classify this as a drive-worthy restaurant. That said, Pasta Party could be a good option if you are in the mood for pasta and are in the area. The staff were delightful, and seemed like they were genuinely happy we were here. They also have lovely backdrops in their dining room that would be perfect for social media types. I'm glad we made it up here to meet my family and leave the house for a change.
Out of five steamboats (because the city of New Orleans, known for the steamboats on the Mississippi River, also plays host to the world's most enormous bowl of pasta every year before the St. Joseph's Day Parade, weighing 800 pounds of noodles, sauce, and cheese), five being best to zero being worst, Pasta Party gets 3 steamboats.
