Pastini Pastaria

Portland $ ****
After a successful shopping day in downtown, my friend and I somehow thought we still deserved some dessert. Unfortunately, 7:30 pm is late in Portland, so we had trouble finding a suitable place. Finally, after roaming Broadway and a few more streets, we saw the neon sign of Pastini Pastaria. I had read about it before and had been on its website multiple times. It was a straightforward Italian place, not quite interesting enough to put it on my List. However, we were desperate, and so we walked in and asked to see their dessert menu.

Tiramisu AND chocolate tartufo - both for less than $6?! Okay, we're sold. The atmosphere was what I was expecting. Looks like a chain (because it is - there are 8 in total), and the crowd consisted of the typical annoyingly mainstream crowd with which I try not to mingle. But hey, we're here. Let's try their dessert.
I'm glad we did! I ordered the chocolate tartufo. Yummm. I'm sure all they had to do was microwave the cake and plop scoops of vanilla ice cream, but still. It tasted great. The warm center of the chocolate cake was oozing out and tasted great with the TWO scoops of vanilla bean ice cream and some whipped cream. Gluttony in a bowl. My friend also enjoyed her tiramisu, although she did admit that it did taste packaged and was nowhere near the authentic tiramisu we had at Veritable Quandary.
Service was decent, and the noise level was kind of loud because we were sitting next to two high school girls. Overall, I would recommend coming here when you, like us, are stuck in downtown craving dessert after 7 pm. Great price!
Pastini Pastaria (Downtown)
911 SW Taylor at 9th Avenue
Portland, OR 97205
Mon-Thu 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat 11am-10pm
Sun 3pm-9pm

Banana Leaf Italian Bistro

Honolulu $$ *****
Not a fan of the name, but I'm definitely of this restaurant. There are two - we went to the one at Market City, in the old Blockbuster lot. Cute and bright inside. I ordered a $10 margherita pizza. Unfortunately, I'm not a huge tomato person, but I still liked it. It's very tasty, with lots of cheese and spices. There were slices of tomato and sun-dried tomatoes covering the cheese. I wish they had offered a pepperoni pizza. Pretty good portions. Their specials are a good deal too.
Banana Leaf Italian Bistro (Kaimuki)
2919 Kapiolani Blvd # 221
Honolulu, HI 96816
Daily 10-2:30, 5-10pm

Via Veneto

San Francisco $$$ ****
Proof that spontaneity often leads to good results. My friend and I were shopping on Fillmore and unsurprisingly became hungry. We wandered around, crossing the street and changing directions randomly. Finally we found our way into this cheerful little restaurant. Pale yellow walls, Italian food, and a smiling host - yes, this place will do.
The food was decent, but the service and atmosphere were great. The restaurant seems to be run by a boisterous Italian family, but I happened to appreciate their little bickering in the background. The owner walked from table to table, making conversation. When he found out we were from Hawaii, he pointed to the man a few tables away and told us that he was also from Hawaii. A few minutes later, he brought the man over. We discovered that the man and I lived only a few streets away from each other. Small world!

Via Veneto (Pacific Heights)
2244 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115

C'era Una Volta

San Francisco $$$$ *****
Amazing Italian restaurant in Alameda. Great food, great service, pretty yellow walls, yadda yadda yadda. A little on the pricey side, but worth every cent (especially when I'm not paying for it).
C'era Una Volta (Alameda)
1332 Park Street
Alameda, CA 945011Alameda, CA

Ala

Buca di Beppo

Honolulu $$ ****


Another Italian chain, but I happen to like Buca di Beppo because of all the fond memories I have of this place. For Hawaii teenagers, this was the classic place to host your birthday party. My friend and I frequented this place whenever we came to Ward. Their food is good, but the main draw is definitely the atmosphere. The walls are warm and literally covered with odd photographs that make great conversation pieces - although, for a good conversation, be prepared to yell.
Buca di Beppo (Ward)
1030 Auahi Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
Sunday - Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday - Saturday: 11am-11pm