Pazani Trattoria Italiana Restaurant Elkridge

Pazani  is a small restaurant located in the Lynwood Square shopping center near a Giant foods. Someone recommended we try this restaurant so we did. 

Of course we had to try the pizza.  We tried the thick sliced Sicilian pizza. While it doesn't compare to the pizza we've eaten in New York - it was pretty good. The crust was crunchy and thick on the outside but moist and tender on the inside.  The sauce had a sweet blend of Italian herbs while the mozzarella cheese was plentiful.

We usually order a salad with our pizza to make sure we have some vegetables with our meal.  We ordered the spinach salad below.  It had spinach leaves, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, tomato, red onions and bacon. Although it was a good portion to spilt, it came smothered with a balsamic vinaigrette that was so heavy on the balsamic vinegar and light on the oil that we couldn't even eat it.  We asked if we could have another one made with the dressing on the side.  The manager was happy to do it.  But it came after we ate our meal and even though the dressing was on the side it tasted the same.

This salad came with my mom's pasta dish. Although it was much better than the spinach salad we ordered, the lettuce came undressed but the leaves were kinda of wet - as if they washed the leaves and didn't dry them. 

My mom ordered the Capellini Pesto with diced chicken, sun-dried tomato, roasted red peppers and mushrooms. She really liked it.  We eat a lot of homemade pesto at home so I wasn't surprised she ordered this dish. 

Our dad ordered the Fettucini chicken alfredo - mainly because Charles couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted pasta or pizza.  So, my dad ordered the pasta so he could have some of both. Our mom makes this dish for Charles at home because it's one of his favorite pastas.  It wasn't on the menu but we asked if they could make it for us and they said yes.  Well, maybe there is a reason it's not on the menu.  It tasted bland and gooey. We asked them to include peas in the dish and they forgot.

We recently went to NYC and had delish garlic knots. When we saw Pazani's garlic knots we knew we had to try them.  Although the garlic knots looked delectable ..... looks are deceiving. The dough was dry and tough to chew. Plus the garlic flavor was flat - their was no hint of oils or herbs, just garlic. 

Pros: Causal atmosphere good for kids, creative menu items, great Sicilian pizza

Cons: Outside of the pizza, the salads and one of the pasta dishes didn't sustain our attention, 

Recommendations: We think this restaurant is worth trying - worthy of a second visit.