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Pascale’s Italian Bistro

There is this fabulous restaurant in Syracuse called Pascale’s Italian Bistro at Drumlins that you just have to try for yourself to understand how great it is! It’s a place where the locals would tell you to go if you were to ask.

 IMG_20150825_144044     There are specials every night such as BYOB (Bring your own bottle of wine!) every Wednesday, or $14.95 Prime Rib Saturday nights with live music starting at 7:30pm (You can check the website for upcoming artist that will be performing or better yet sign up for their newsletter!) They are located in Drumlins at 800 Nottingham Rd.

At Pascale’s Italian Bistro they serve fresh and local fare, and house made is the standard, never the exception! For example, the bread and desserts are baked at Pascale’s Bake House located on the premises and the salad dressings are made in the kitchen. The menu reflects local produce in season because the vegetables are purchased from local farmers. Continuing with the fresh and local theme, the chef sent out a beautiful and delicious heirloom tomato, English cucumber and fresh mozzarella salad dressed lightly with an aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil as our appetizer.

IMG_20150825_144215When you are looking over the menu at Pascale’s Italian Bistro you will immediately notice that there is absolutely something for everyone. As for appetizers you will find a variety from Fresh Shrimp Cocktail to Calamari & Banana Peppers, Whole Grain Salad with Shrimp Scampi (Faro and Couscous, topped with Warm Shrimp Scampi) to Utica Greens and even Grilled Raddichio and Mushrooms (Variety of freshly sautéed mushrooms, roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella.) The fresh and delicious salad choices are also worth bragging about. Stop in and try the Caesar salad, the beet and goat cheese salad or the butternut squash salad (green apples, candied pecans and dried cranberries dressed with apple cider vinaigrette). You are not going to have an easy decision because they all look delicious!IMG_0765

IMG_0767IMG_0768Pascale’s Italian Bistro has several mouthwatering entrée selections. Options include PASTA- that includes a dinner salad with the house made Italian vinaigrette and your pasta choices are fettuccini, rigatoni, capellini, bucatini, whole wheat or gluten free penne. You can add homemade meatballs, sausage or chicken for a small additional fee. Then you can choose from several pasta sauces like house made marinara, olive oil and garlic, rich alfredo, creamy tomato vodka, fresh basil walnut pesto, carbonara sauce or Bolognese. If you are in the mood for a steak they offer a 14 oz NY Strip (Certified angus beef, grilled to perfection and served with fried onions and their home made steak sauce. Unless you feel more like traditional Italian food you could go with chicken or veal marsala. Whatever you choose (and trust me, you really can’t go wrong with ANYTHING they serve), you need to make sure to save room for dessert, even an after dinner cocktail, or craft beer. Save some space for the Banana Cream Pie! It was pure heaven on a plate. We also tried the Tiramisu that was like a taste of Italy. I will come back and have both again!

IMG_0764IMG_0771IMG_0770When Tim and I arrived at the Pascale’s Italian Bistro we were immediately greeted by the charming hostess and seated in the cozy dining room. The first thing I noticed was the view! It was a perfectly manicured golf course view out of every window. We were introduced to the owner Neil, who’s been in the restaurant business for years! He gave us a tour of all the rooms and outdoor space that the restaurant occupies. He said they can accommodate private parties from 10 to 600. The impressive part of that is parking is never an issue! They have over 600 parking spaces.

Our server Hannah immediately brought a loaf of freshly baked crusty white and whole grain breads to the table (baked in house.) She told us about the specialty drinks, wines and craft beer choices. Tim ordered the Linguini with white clam sauce. We were already getting full when our crispy and fresh salads topped with homemade balsamic dressing arrived. For an entrée I ordered a personal favorite, shrimp riggies (Spicy tomato cream, locatelli cheese and cherry peppers.) Tim said his linguini with clam sauce had more clams than he’s ever had before and hands down the best he’s ever had! We decided to finish off the meal by ordering the Tiramisu cake and Banana Cream pie. It was the perfect end to a delicious meal!

The bottom line is that if you are looking for a great meal, prepared fresh and using the best ingredients, you need to go to Pascale’s Italian Bistro today!

Nadine Vandewalker