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"I recently came back from a 3 month trip to Rome. The food at L'Impasto is on par with the best Roman trattorias I had the pleasure of dining in."
"Wow, hidden gem! Tiny little intimate bistro. Super high quality ingredients. Slightly updated italian cuisine. Mix together with fantastic service and what do you get? A terrific dining experience!"
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"L'Impasto is a newcomer to Cambridge. I could not be happier. The food is 100% home made, of the absolute highest quality. Well done L'Impasto."
"Award for most unanticipated superb meal! ... with feel of an old country trattoria. Pasta always just right al dente, sauces must have been slow cooked for days, and the homemade bread - incredible!"
"Great restaurant AND fantastic bread, which we often buy right out of the oven for dinner."
"Fresh homemade bread and pasta everyday. Creamy manicotti with homemade sausage, yum."
"Love LOVE LOVE!! I am eating the leftovers as we speak and it reminds me of how amazing our meal was!"
"From the warm greeting we received upon opening the door, to the menu suggestions, the freshly baked bread, and delicious and authentic entrees, this restaurant deserves 5 stars."
"When I took her to L'Impasto for the first time, she was so excited. Everything from the food to the decor on the walls reminded her of Italy."
"I don't write five star reviews lightly, but this gem of a restaurant certainly deserves it."
"If you appreciate food quality and freshness that can only be created when made from scratch, you would love this place as much as I do."
At the Italian restaurant L'Impasto in North Cambridge, the magic starts in the basement. That's where chef-owner Riccardo Passini, a native of Rome, makes his pasta - curly twists of casarecce; hollow strands of bucatini; wide tubes of paccheri; thick shells of gnocchetti sardi. It's also where he mixes sheets of olive oil-crisped focaccia and crusty, spongy rustic bread, adding prosciutto, spinach, olives, or scamorza cheese to some loaves, and slathering others with tomato sauce.
L'Impasto means "the dough" in Italian, and Passini is clearly passionate about the concept. His breads and pastas are exquisite, from airy focaccia laden with fontina cheese and wild mushrooms to pillows of ravioli filled with creamy whipped potatoes and nutty piave cheese, swimming in butter and sage. The fact that he does all the shopping, prep work, and baking himself, and prepares each dish on the menu in a tiny open kitchen, makes it all the more impressive. (Click to continue reading.)
"This gem was recommended by friends. We had 4 different entrees, all excellent. The desserts were just as good. Better than the North End!!!"
"Chef Ricardo uses all local and fresh ingredients to make all of his dishes. I went with my family and everything we ate was fantastic, from the homemade bread to the apps, entrees and dessert. You can't go wrong!"
"I will probably get in trouble for saying this, but - in my humble opinion - in Boston, the best Italian food is found outside of the North End, and this small neighborhood place in North Cambridge is a shining example."
"Let me tell you, the wait was worth it. Starting with the bread basket, which had about 4 choices, I tried each one and it was better then the first. They bake all their bread fresh, daily and make all their pasta fresh."