Bugsy's House of Pasta
 Massillon, Ohio       Date of Visit  01/17/15       http://www.bugsyspastahouse.com

Coming back from Amish country we stopped at a little storefront in Massillon for lunch. Bugsy’s is classier than you would expect from the outside with more of a white linen feel than you would see in most plazas. Our server was a little odd, was having some trouble managing the three tables she had, but did seem interested in our experience.
 

We were offered some warm and fresh bread with a plate of seasoned oil. We tucked in hungrily and I found the oil to be really well seasoned. Garlic, loads of pepper and a mash of herbs which did much more than wet the bread. A good start. We ordered a couple dishes both of which came with salads. Steph the della casa with greens, tomato, cuke, parm and croutons in the house Italian dressing, I the wedge with tomato, hard egg, bacon, parm and a creamy parmesan dressing. Both were fresh and crisp with well prepared toppings. Steph’s was overdressed but the house dressing is sharp and delicious. I had wished it was on the wedge as well. Things are still going well at Bugsy’s.
 

Steph ordered the house pasta (Bugsy’s) and I had the chicken parm. My chicken was well done and coated in a crunchily seasoned breading then topped in a light pomodoro sauce and cheese. Picking nits the linguine was just over but swathed in a clean and tasty marinara, still enough texture to let you know it was pasta, I’ll take it. Steph’s was less successful for me, not bad at all but muddled with the artichokes, portabellas, chicken and fresh garlic. The sauce didn’t quite seem to come together atop the penne. Fine but I certainly preferred their other sauces.
 

Classic And Well Done Chix Parm
 

We actually added a couple things out of curiosity. They very strangely came well after entrees, not sure why, no explanation, just getting ready to cancel them and ask for the check as they arrived. Didn't help the service. The lobster bisque, almost always added by us, wasn’t bad. It’s never going to compete with some of the glorious versions we’ve had but it was also miles better than the multiple warm orange creams we’ve been served. Short of lobster (both the bug and the flavor), it did have a serious splash of sherry which helped.

The second addition was a side of meatballs. Wanted one, two in an order, they sent us three. Hated them. Seriously, HATED them. Obviously a bread soaked in milk recipe, these things seemed like someone had forgotten to mix in the rest of the ingredients. I’m pretty sure I could see meat in the meatballs but I couldn’t detect the flavor or texture of it anywhere. Imagine soaking wonder bread in milk. Take it out and roll it into a ball. Roll said ball around in some sauce. Serve. That’s what it seemed like. A real bummer after some pretty tasty fare. You can do well at Bugsy’s. Just avoid the meatballs, they're like lounging in a house in Beverly Hills three months after reopening the Flamingo.