The Pasta Loft in Milford has been on our to-be-reviewed list for a long time, but twice over the years, another Our Gourmet team got there before us. So when a web search turned up another restaurant named Pasta Loft — this one in rural East Hampstead — we were intrigued.
There is nothing on either restaurant’s website that indicates there’s a second location. In fact, the websites don’t look anything alike, and the menus are significantly different. So, we wondered, are they related? If not, how can they get away with using the same name?
Turns out, the Pasta Loft in Milford was started by brothers Terry and Patrick Connor more than two decades ago. Patrick left Milford to start what was called Pasta Loft 2 in Hampstead, and it seems that the two restaurants have lived separate but related lives for the past 20 years.
The Hampstead Pasta Loft exists in a big, blocky building that gives the sense that it might have been an apartment house at one time in its life. The parking lot is huge, and it was nearly full when we arrived around 6:30 on Saturday night, leading us to expect a wait.
When we got inside, the hostess asked us whether we’d like to sit upstairs (where we came in), or downstairs. The main floor has a pub feel, she explained; downstairs is a quieter dining room. We opted for the dining room, which is actually down a half-flight of stairs in an addition to the main building, and considering all the cars in the parking lot, we were shocked to see only a handful of tables occupied.
Soon after we were seated, we received half of a warm, round loaf of a wonderful rustic bread, along with a dish of dipping oil in which swam four or five cloves of garlic. It was a great start.
The appetizer menu has a lot of pub-style dishes, with things like wings, chicken nachos, coconut shrimp and sauteed Brussels sprouts. Only a few Italian options here, and we chose Arincini ($13.95): four balls of rice, Parmesan cheese, ground chicken and herbs, rolled in bread crumbs, deep fried and served on a puddle of marinara. The rice balls were just cheesy enough, and surprisingly light. The marinara was mild, with a hint of sweetness, and there was plenty on the platter to spoon, swish and spread onto the arancini.
The entree menu includes sections with chicken, seafood, beef and veal, and pasta dishes. I quickly decided on Chicken Saltimbocca ($21.95), while Mrs. G bounced around for a bit before settling on Chicken Carbonara ($21.95).
My Saltimbocca featured two sauteed chicken cutlets, topped with prosciutto and with provolone melted over the top. The chicken sat on a bed of fettuccine with a white wine-butter sauce. The chicken was tender and moist, and the prosciutto and provolone added a salty touch to make a luxurious combination. The only disappointment for me was the sauce, which was a bit too bland (and a bit too scant).
Of the two chicken dishes, Mrs. G’s Carbonara was easily the better. A generous helping of sauteed chicken breast was tossed with tomatoes, red onion slices, spinach and bacon. Oh, that bacon — its smokiness wasn’t overpowering, but it infused everything, including the thick, creamy Parmesan cheese sauce. Mrs. G loved it, and based on the few samples I got, I totally agreed.
Pasta Loft Hampstead’s Chicken Carbonara.
Serving sizes on both dishes were ample. Mrs. G took home half of her Carbonara, while I took about a third of my Saltimbocca. Mrs. G took the leftovers to work for lunch the next day, and was the envy of her coworkers.
There’s a large pizza and calzone section on the menu, so we decided to order a small Greek pizza ($13.50) to go. Brick oven crust, tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives and feta cheese — it made the car smell amazing as we drove home, and even the next day, it was an excellent pizza.
We were glad we decided to sit in the downstairs dining area — while there were a number of kids in the room, the noise level was lower than the upstairs pub, so we could easily talk during dinner.
The food was great, the service was prompt and friendly, and the value factor was good (our tab with one glass of wine came to about $89). While we still haven’t visited the Pasta Loft in Milford, we’re happy to have discovered its Hampstead cousin.
Pasta Loft Hampstead 220 E. Main St., East Hampstead; pastalofthampstead.com, 603-378-0092 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m .- 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Cuisine: Pizza and Italian, plus pub favorites. Pricing: Appetizers, $7-$16; entrees, $15-$31; pizza & calzones, $12.50-$19. {related_content_uuid}34d234fa-20d5-4015-8fab-70590db2af94{/related_content_uuid}
Scores for Pasta Loft Hampstead Atmosphere: 15/20 Menu: 18/20 Food: 18/20 Service: 18/20 Value: 17/20 TOTAL: 86/100
