Tommy Lasagna

Between the Christmas break and a busy few weeks preceding it, I felt like I hadn't seen Linds in for.ev.er.  We decided to fix that by making dinner plans on Wednesday, the first day back from break.  We needed some comfort food to ease us back into work so we decided on an Italian restaurant that was new to both of us, Tommy Lasagna.

I feel like a lot of people dismiss lasagna as too simple and boring.  It's basically a casserole so it's easy to see it as "home cook-y".  I, however, have always loved lasagna so when I saw there was a restaurant that not only has the dish on the menu but is proud enough to put it in the name, I added it to the list.  Let's talk about that name for a sec.  Yes, it sounds a little guido and conjures up images of Bobby Bottleservice, but the restaurant itself isn't cheesy.  There's exposed brick, candlelight, and a gorgeous marble bar so you know you're not in the Jersey Shore.  If you're like me, when you say the name in your head, it kinda sounds like Tommy Mattola and then suddenly you can't stop singing the first line of that Gloria Estefan song "Tommy Mattola lives on the road..."  Oh that's just me?  Ok, moving on.

All the pasta is made fresh in house which always makes a restaurant stand out and typically deserving of the slightly higher price.  While that tempted me to try something like the pappardelle, there was no way I was ordering anything other than the lasagna.  There are about eight to choose from and include the classic bolognese as well as the trendy lobster.  I couldn't decide which to get, but good old Tommy anticipated this and offers a sampler that allows you to choose any three lasagnas for $16.  I was most intrigued by the lasagnas that fell on the middle of the classic to trendy spectrum.  I knew off the bat that I wanted the spicy Italian sausage and the lamb. For my third choice I was thinking of the green market lasagna (they use fresh ingredients from the nearby Union Square Green Market), but the current produce wasn't exciting me.  At the waiter's urging, I went with the mushroom truffle lasagna.  Of the three, it ranked #2 in my book.  I'm a mushroom lover so the thin layers of mushrooms (almost like noodles themselves) was perfect, but if mushrooms aren't your thing, steer clear.  It's rich, so I recommend ordering it as part of a sampler or as the full portion that you split with a friend while you each also order salads to cut the cream.  As a whole, the lasagnas are well assembled.  Nothing seems just slopped in a pan.  Sadly, the lamb was my least favorite.  The mint pesto didn't have enough force and the goat cheese was not pervasive enough.  The sausage lasagna, on the other hand, was the winner.  Just good sausage, good sauce, and good cheese.  Just what lasagna should be.

Oops - no flash.  Sorry!