text: Having read the previous reviews I was looking forward to my first meal at Pasta Nuovo with my wife and friends joining me A Saturday evening not very crowded friendly service from the host station to the bartender and waitress The lights were so bright it was more like a high school gymnasium than an Italian Restaurant The wine list had some good options but very few selections in the middle range We started with calamari and carpaccio The calamari was tough with a crispy batter completely devoid of flavor Nothing special about the bread either I ordered the cioppino My wife and her friend ordered shrimp and angel hair pasta Not only was the pasta not done al dente they both commented on how absolutely flavorless it was My cioppino was a bitter disappointment and among the worst I have ever had Our other guest ordered the meatballs and spaghetti which he labelled as extraordinarily mediocre It was as if the chief had never experienced authentic Italian cooking We wanted to love it but would have been more satisfied with Olive Garden Too bad