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Pasta Perfection

Recently an addition was made to the University of Arizona's variable plethora of restaurants and amazingly enough, it's an Italian place (in the campus area) that does NOT serve pizza. Pazzo is casually nestled right next to Blades Salon facing Cafe Paraiso at 806 E. University Blvd. It is a little hard to find but once found it's never forgotten. The menu is fairly simple with an assortment of soups, salads, pastas, and sandwiches with nothing priced over seven dollars. At first this may seem a little steep for some spaghetti on a college budget, but the mammoth proportions are a pleasant surprise.

To begin, all the entrees are served with about a half a loaf of fresh bread and a garden salad. This is a real garden salad consisting of quality mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots and not a single leaf of iceberg in sight, accompanied by a very delicious house balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the side. The pasta is cooked just right (a bit over al dente) and the vegetables are all fresh and crunchy as opposed to floppy and brown. Best of all, the sauces are light yet flavorful, avoiding the infamous "gut-bomb" ever present in university-area meals. And if the portions are too voluminous, this food makes for excellent leftovers.

Pazzo is small and quiet, which makes the service great and the orders quick. The wait staff can easily see all the tables so the water glasses are never empty and the laid back atmosphere makes it even better. This is exactly the kind of place the Main Gate area needed; it seems to have a pretty culturally diverse group of restaurants. Contrary to popular belief, though Italian does not equal pizza, nor does college equal pizza. College kids like to eat good food too, and not just good bar food. Unfortunately, all the quality-dining establishments are too far or too expensive for a student. Finally, a quality bistro has made it's way onto University Boulevard to bless us all with good taste.

In a world laden with super-sizing meat and potatoes and pizza, pasta is a refreshing alternative. However, finding good pasta in Tucson is about as easy as finding someone not wearing flip-flops on campus. Bless whichever deity you prefer for giving us Pazzo. Make the short jaunt over to University Boulevard, but go early, because they close at 6 p.m. They have good food at good prices, and it's a good place to take your parents or even a date.