Spaghetti Sparring: Chowdown Showdown

Next to pizza, spaghetti has to be the most recognizable Italian dish. I've yet to find a person who didn't like it.

So simple in appearance, good spaghetti is complex in execution and diverse in ingredients. It's not just noodles and sauce (or gravy as it's called).

So how does one determine who has the best? The criteria is simple. Are the noodles al dente? Does the texture of the sauce compliment the flavor? Is the sauce's flavor distinguishable from Prego or Ragu? If the answer to any of these questions is a sad shaking of the head, we have a problem.

Right off the bat Balagio came out swinging with homemade pasta. It was distinguishable from boxed pasta because of its incredibly light texture. One could bite through each noodle without realizing it. Delicious.

The strength in Balagio's sauce was the natural tomato flavor that didn't get lost in the other ingredients. It may have benefited from a slight increase in garlic or oregano and the texture was a little thin, but the dish had an air of homemade Italian authenticity.

At Carlo's, good gravy begets greatness. The sauce was spot on with the thick texture of chopped tomatoes and an appropriate punch of fresh garlic. The sauce was so thick I could scoop it up with a fork without losing a drop.

The noodles at Carlo's were al dente and provided a hearty foundation to that immaculate sauce. It may not have been homemade, but nothing was lost in the taste and easy break of the bite.

Savoia provides the speediest dish of the three. If you want pasta and you want it now, they'll get it to you with time to eat on your lunch break. You also get a pretty big meatball with the dinner serving.

The noodles at Savoia are more of a spaghettini with a thinner, more Chinese-style look. They do the trick, but aren't as hearty as traditional spaghetti noodles. The sauce is tasty, best when coupled with a piece of the meatball.

The Winner: Carlo's

Carlo's offers the perfect marriage between good noodles and great gravy. The taste sticks with you for days and is reminiscent of the very flavor that comes to mind when we think of the perfect plate of pasta.

It's worth noting, Balagio was incredibly close to winning. The argument came down to perfect noodles vs. perfect sauce. Because sauce tends to lend more to taste than noodles, Carlo's edged Balagio out. Savoia T'go is still a wonderful spot for quick eats, but for a full on meal, Carlo's takes it.

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