Sandie Wernick: Restaurant Review

Pasquale's Italian Restaurant
This very comfortable pizzeria ristorante offers a great selection of thin crust pizzas along with the usual pastas (including baked dishes), veal, chicken and seafood entrees, sandwiches and side dishes.

My sister and I went there on a lazy Wednesday afternoon (they serve all day). We tied Freckles the beagle to a nearby parking meter and parked ourselves by the window so we could watch the dog watch us.

On our first visit, we proceeded with the pizza, their specialty. On the way in, you can watch pizzas thrown sky high by a very talented cook. I had the plain cheese and it did not disappoint. The crust was crusty and the tomato sauce and cheese tasted delicious.

My sister had the pepperoni and it disappeared down her throat almost faster than I could ask how it tasted.

On another hungry day, closer to dinner time, we ordered other dishes from the surprisingly long menu. For a simple pizzeria, Pasquale's offers quite a lengthy list of items.

My sister enjoyed - and I do mean enjoyed - the Linguini with Sauteed Shrimp ($12.50), which included fresh tomatoes, garlic and a light wine cream sauce. The shrimp were fresh and the pasta was perfect.

I'm a very traditional pasta eater so I ordered the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and a few meatballs ($10.50). I specifically asked for "al dente" and the waiter did what I thought was quite wonderful - just before he served the meal, he brought out about half a dozen strands of spaghetti for me to taste to see if it was al dente enough. It was a little hard, so I told him to keep it in the water one more minute - not more - and it would be perfect.

He did and it was.

I was very impressed - the waiter obviously wanted me to be happy and I was. The food was delicious and way more than I could eat in one sitting.

On our third trip to Pasquale's, my sister ordered the Sauteed Jumbo Prawns with Mushrooms ($13.95) and I had the Half Roasted Chicken a la Jack with Rosemary Garlic Sauce ($10.90). Both portions were immense - my sister finished hers but I again took some home - it was just too much food for me.

The prawns were fresh and tender and the mushrooms were sauteed to perfection. The chicken had a wonderful crispy skin and tender, moist meat. The garlic sauce was light and tasty.

There are vegetarian sandwiches, baked pasta and charbroiled dishes on the extensive menu. The prices are fair and, considering the quality and quantity of food served, quite reasonable. There is also a reasonably-priced selection of beers and wines to assist with the meal.

This casual Italian restaurant is a great neighborhood place for good food, hot and delicious, fast, pleasant service and reasonable prices. Decor-wise, there's nothing to shout about, but the great-tasting food more than makes up for it.

Pasquale's
700 Irving St., at Eighth Avenue
(415) 661-2140 Open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight
Delivery hours: Sunday through Thursday, noon to midnight, and Friday and Saturday, noon to 1 a.m.

Sandie Wernick has been a marketing, public relations and advertising executive for 25 years (Wernick Marketing Group) specializing in restaurants, hotels, travel and lifestyle accounts. She's written a "million press releases" and is delighted to finally write about food from the other side of the fence.