That's Amore
After hearing several reviews from friends about how amazing Trattoria Pasquale is, I knew I had to try it out for myself. My mom and I scheduled a dinner date there one evening last week, and all of the wonderful reviews I've been hearing about were absolutely true. It's a smaller restaurant, very unassuming from the outside, located in a shopping plaza off of S. Manhattan Ave. in south Tampa. The interior is eclectic and filled with Italian memorabilia, local sports jerseys, and pictures of famous celebrities eating spaghetti. Luigi, the owner, spent the evening walking around hugging and engaging in conversation with all of the regulars; it seemed as though everyone there was a piece of his extended family. Even as new customers, he made us feel incredibly welcomed and greeted us as if he had known us for years.
We started with an order of the bruschetta as an appetizer. I could have put that balsamic glaze on everything I ate for the next week, it was so delicious. For dinner, my mom tried the eggplant parmesan and I had the butternut squash ravioli special. Mine came in a light mushroom cream sauce, which paired so well with the sweetness of the butternut squash. My mom's eggplant was just as delicious. We found each other continuously swapping bites from the others plate. To top it all off, we could't leave without a slice of tiramisu. I could eat their tiramisu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We loved every aspect of our experience there and will most certainly be back!