This cozy, inexpensive Morrisville, Pa., spot offers everything from simple pizzas and pastas to fancier fare in an inviting atmosphere.
By: Amy Brummer
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Non Solo Pasta |
Every neighborhood should have one a cozy, inexpensive spot that can accommodate a simple, mid-week dinner or a festive, weekend meal. For those who live in Morrisville, Pa., Non Solo Pasta has fit that bill for nearly a decade, with a menu that ranges from simple pizzas and pastas to fancier fare, including seafood and veal. Located in a small strip of stores, its interior is warm and inviting, with golden illumination glowing from behind wooden Venetian blinds, and softened by decorative flourishes of lacy wrought iron.
Upon arriving, we stood at the front door, and while the staff seemed to acknowledge us, it was a few minutes before we were approached with menus. The restaurant is owned by the head chef, Gennaro Scotto D’Antuono, whose aromatic cooking wafts from the kitchen and adds to the well-worn, familiar feel.
We got the sense that many of the patrons were regulars, and that may be the reason that our server wanted to take our order before we really had a chance to look at the menu. From the wine list, we ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio ($6) and a Tinazzi (a Cabernet/Merlot blend, $8), and tried to decide quickly before she returned.
The menu is fairly extensive, with appetizers, pasta, gnocchi, pizza, chicken, veal and seafood dishes all catching our attention. Variety is the key here, and diners can choose from dishes as simple as mozzarella and tomato salad ($8) to a spicy pasta puttanesca ($11) or a rich three-cheese gnocchi ($13) sautéed with butter, cream and ricotta.
We began our meal with the campagnola ($11) and an order of calamari ($7). Both portions were large, and could make for a filling meal in their own right. The campagnola, a mixed plate of delicacies, was a delight. Paper-thin marinated eggplant, roasted peppers, aged provolone, prosciutto, salami and briny olives all served to highlight the star attraction milky, fresh mozzarella cheese made in-house.
In our never-ending quest to find the ultimate calamari fritti, we felt that the restaurant’s version nudged the bar a little higher. Light as a feather, tender and succulent, it was uplifted by a squeeze of lemon, and paired brilliantly with the bright marinara sauce.
Having chosen these dishes in lieu of the fried mozzarella sticks ($5) or tomato and mozzarella salad ($8), there were no regrets at all, but the Santa Lucia salad ($9), a mix of calamari, mussels and baby shrimp, tossed with lemon juice and "the finest olive oil," was hard to pass up.
For our main courses, we wanted to get a sense of how the kitchen fared with the chicken and seafood dishes, which kept us from ordering one of their many pastas ($10-$17). Traditionalists will be pleased to find baked ziti ($11), eggplant Parmigiana ($11) and linguine with clam sauce ($13), while more adventurous diners may be curious about baked gnocchi "á-la-mama" with shrimp, broccoli, cream and brandy ($16) or veal Saporita ($17), cutlets sautéed with shallots and vermouth, topped with jumbo lump crab.
Had we been apprised of the specials that evening, we might have tried the rack of lamb or the homemade tagliatelle, but we only became aware of them after overhearing another server tell her table about them. I got the sense that service might be hit or miss, because while the other server on duty had an upbeat, professional attitude, ours seemed aloof and disinterested. (As it turns out, she is no longer employed there.)
So we opted for the chicken Sorrento ($14) and the shrimp scampi ($18), both of which come with a house salad and pasta. We both enjoyed the juicy chicken, cloaked in an earthy robe of eggplant and mushroom, trimmed with ribbons of sun-dried tomato. It is served with capellini, and while I would have preferred a toothier noodle for this particular creation, the pasta was well-cooked and soaked up the sauce. The shrimp teetered on the edge of fresh, and would have been better in a heavier, spicier sauce than the light, lemony scampi. To further upset the balance, the fettuccine noodles were overcooked and fell apart at the touch of the fork.
Dessert made up for it, though, as we redirected our interest into a sweet, crispy, cannoli ($2.95) and a fluffy cloud of tiramisu ($4.50).
We have also had the chance to try the restaurant’s brick oven pizza in the past, and found it to be to our liking thin crust, fresh mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil and gourmet toppings like artichoke and prosciutto. Also available are "regular" pizzas ($9-14), hot and cold subs ($5-$7), as well as a children’s menu ($5-$6), so it’s a good bet that any night of the week, most diners will find something to suit their taste and fit their budget.

