Fab Happenings: Holiday Party at The Pasta Bowl

A Chicago favorite since 1996, The Pasta Bowl serves affordable Italian fare in a warm and friendly atmosphere. With pasta as their specialty, the sauces are made daily from scratch and the freshest ingredients are used. Grab a seat in a cozy plush booth or at the counter where you can see the chefs prepare your food right before your eyes. As Emeril would say, “BAM!”

Last month, Fab Food Chicago hosted our first #FabPastaBowl event at The Pasta Bowl (Wicker Park). We wanted to get a few friends together to celebrate the holidays. With the relaxed vibe, comforting food, and friendly staff, The Pasta Bowl was the perfect place.

We were decked out in our festive gear. Enter Chelsia (@chelsias)…

The tables were decorated with adorable creations by Sherrie (@sherrriesavorsthecity), including edible Christmas trees that were made from sugar cookies. Wait, Sapna (@vegtourist), don’t eat our decorations!

The beers were flowing, thanks to Ale Syndicate. Ale Syndicate is a brewery located in Logan Square, founded by brothers, Samuel and Jesse Evans. We tried the Sunday Session, which is a hopped-up ale. It was light, citrusy, and mildly tart. The brewery is not open to the public yet, but it’s sold here and tasting events are here.

Note: The Wicker Park location was BYO at the time of the party but as of today, they are serving alcohol.

Drink responsibly, folks!

We started off the meal with mounds of beautifully colored salads and gooey cheesy garlic bread. The delicious combination of garlic butter, mozzarella, and the house-made marinara sauce was simply irresistible. Say cheese!

Decisions, decisions. Everyone ordered their main dish directly off the menu. We were excited to try the various pastas. Here a few highlights…

Farfalle Pollo
If you haven’t tried any of their pastas, try their signature Farfalle Pollo. It is their most popular pasta dish and comes with grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, plum tomatoes, basil, pecorino cream sauce, and parmesan. It was definitely a crowd favorite!

Spaghetti Frutti Di Mare
Ashley (@mushroomstew) exquisitely captured the Spaghetti Frutti Di Mare, which came with shrimp, scallops, and mussels in a slightly spicy marinara sauce and parmesan cheese. For $13, you get a generous portion of seafood.

The holidays are all about spending time with those you love most. Tonight I was honored to celebrate the season with @fabfoodchicago and my favorite Chicago foodies @thepastabowl tonight — their sauces are 👌🏻 || #fabpastabowl #fabfoodchicago

A photo posted by mushroomstew (@mushroomstew) on Dec 2, 2015 at 8:16pm PST

And hold…for a picture worthy moment. Oh, snap! Here is Amanda (@amandatopper) taking advantage of our photo corner. If you know any food Instagrammers, you’d know we are pretty serious about our photos. Lighting is so important, especially at night. 

Lobster Ravioli
I ordered the Lobsta Pasta. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I usually don’t go for creamy sauces, but the Lobster Ravioli was highly recommended by our server. She didn’t steer me wrong. The lobster filled pillows of goodness were served with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in a white wine cream sauce.

Gnocchi Aurora
The Gnocchi Aurora (tri-color potato gnocchi, spinach, grilled chicken, mushroom, smoked mozzarella, cream, and marinara) was another popular dish many of our friends ordered. The gnocchi is on the denser side and the sauce is creamy but dreamy. The portions are huge so consider sharing. Sharing is caring!

Another delicious night with my #fabpastabowl ladies at @thepastabowl 🍝 so stuffed! Happy holidays from @fabfoodchicago 🎄❄️☃ #feedfeed #eeeeeats #foodgays #eattravelrock #chicagofoodscene #cbchats #top_food_of_instagram #foodporn #windycitybloggers #chicagofoodauthority #plsrfood #everythingerica

A photo posted by Nicole Triebe Tingwall (@windycitydinnerfairy) on Dec 2, 2015 at 5:59pm PST

Peek-a-boo! I see you, Shauna (@chitownchowdown).

Linguine Pesto
For a lighter option, try the Linguine Pesto. The linguine is tossed in a basil pesto and pecorino, then topped with parmesan cheese. It is a great vegetarian option. The Pasta Bowl can accommodate dietary restrictions including gluten intolerance.

After dinner, The Pasta Bowl hosted a special chef demo. The restaurant has an open kitchen concept and seating by the counter so you can watch the chefs prepare your meal. Martin Martinez gave us step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the special pasta of the day which was a linguine with shrimp, sliced zucchini, and white onion in a creamy vodka tomato sauce. Delizioso!

Special Pasta of the Day
Here’s the final product. Most of us were so full we couldn’t take more than a bite, but Van (@vansventures) got to thoroughly enjoy the bowl. The cream sauce wasn’t too heavy and the zucchini added a mild sweetness.

@thepastabowl’s featured pasta got me like “woah” hehe. Thank you to our friends who joined us for the #FabPastaBowl party! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 We are so grateful for such awesome people! Thanks to the staff @thepastabowl and @alesyndicate for being awesome. Remember to use #FabPastaBowl at Pasta Bowl to get some garlic bread to start your meal! Mmmm

A photo posted by Van 🔹🔸 (@vansventures) on Dec 3, 2015 at 11:27am PST

All in all, we had an amazing night. Our hearts were warm, and our bellies were full.

The Pasta Bowl is a great neighborhood spot for good comfort food in a casual environment. The prices are reasonable and ingredients fresh.

FAB TIP: Delivery is available here and catering here as low as $10/ person.

Thank you to our friends who came to celebrate with us and thank you The Pasta Bowl for hosting a memorable and festive night! Check out Sherrie’s full review of The Pasta Bowl here. For more event photos, follow us on Facebook and our album here.

Have you been to The Pasta Bowl? What’s your favorite dish?

Live the Fab Food Life,
Soo

Note: These meals were complimentary. However, the views and opinions expressed herein are those of the writer.

//Special Thanks//

Thank you Taylor and The Pasta Bowl for hosting the event!

Thanks to our beer sponsor, Ale Syndicate!

Thank you to our friends for coming to the event!
@amandatopper @carolynscooking @chicago_eats @chicagofoodiegirl @chicagomunchies
@chitownchowdown @foodgeekchicago @mushroomstew @vegtourist @windycitydinnerfairy

Congrats to our Instagram winners! We’re so glad you could make it!
@everythingbutolives @thuysdiary

Thanks to our contributing photographer!
@kristen_mendiola

Thanks to my FAB team!
@sherriesavorsthecity @vansventures @chelsias @roneng1