“This is not a pasta restaurant that ladles on white or red sauce nor is it a chain. Each dish gets an individual sauté of the highest quality fresh ingredients.” And I totally agree with that. Broders’ Pasta Bar is unique in its own way. This place was a love at first sight for me!
The best thing I loved about this place was the outdoor seating. There aren’t many days in Minnesota when you can sit outside and enjoy fresh air. So I feel a little pressured to make use of every opportunity to sit outdoors. There are a lot of restaurants with outdoor seating areas but Broders’ outdoor patio has a different experience. It is very relaxed. You feel right at home like you are in your nice patio all while getting endless amount of food and wine served! Wrought iron tables, mini fountains and green vines along wooden fences. It has this look and feel of what I imagine Italy to be like 🙂 The only downside – they don’t serve pasta in the patio! I mean like why? You have such a nice patio! Anyways they do serve antipasto and wine though. But since we came for pasta, we went inside and found ourselves a corner seat at the bar.
Our hostess greeted us right away and served us bread and cracker.
I ordered the special which was the Risotto del Giorno. I have never had risotto before. It is pretty weird especially because I come from a culture where rice is the main staple for meal. Nepalese eat almost everything with rice. So people might assume that I would go for a rice dish. But for some reason I always went for noodle dish in an Italian restaurants. Nevertheless my first Risotto was a good one! The whole mix of shrimps, cauliflower, mint and cheese blended really well with rice. Personally I think I would loved little more shrimp and cauliflower. The sauce was a delizioso; a little on the spicier side though.
A ordered Quadrucci con Pollo. He loved his dish. His was egg pasta shaped like farfalle mixed with fresh greens, chicken breast, asparagus, prosciutto topped with balsamic vinegar, mascarpone cheese and slices of almonds. Now thats a balanced dish! Literally everything a body requires for proper functioning is right there! Carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, fats and minerals! Yes even fats. We all need a healthy amount of good fats to function normally. I tried a little from his plate. It was a regular pasta but the blend of almonds and salad gave a bit of crumble and crunch. Likewise the balsamic vinegar gave a hint of tartness. It definitely looked better than my risotto.
Personally, I liked mine better than A’s and A liked his pasta better than my risotto. I like the fact that food here is made to order. So everything was hot and fresh straight out of the oven (stove in our case). I also liked their portion size. Unlike many Italian restaurants, their portion wasn’t huge but it wasn’t small either. I finished everything in my plate and so did A. I didn’t feel stuffed at all but I didn’t leave feeling hungry or wanting more. Overall this place was a YES place for me! Next time I am here, I would definitely like to sit out in the porch and try some items from their antipasto bar.
