Brioso Fresh Pasta

*This post is about a new restaurant in Columbia.  If you don''t live in Cola, or if you don't just like reading about new restaurants, keep on going.  You can come back tomorrow.  

If you didn't know, there is a new pasta place in Columbia by the USC campus (next to Yoghut).  Lindsay and I went to Brioso Fresh Pasta for our Friday night wind-down, and it was quite the interesting place.

First, it has a menu that's usually more at home in an upscale Itatlian restaurant.  For example, I had Gnocchi di Patate (potato dumplings) with Amatriciana sauce (Pancetta [Italian bacon] in spicy tomato sauce).  The price and style of service is more short-order though.  

Gnocci di Patate with Amatriciana
It was very good, and I
brought half of it home.  Leftovers!

The atmosphere was fun and different.  Instead of giving you a table number, they give you a unique pepper grinder that your server can match to your ticket.  

Our pepper grinder was named
"Snoop Dog." (Not by us.  By the servers.)

They also bring you this fun
chilled bottle of water for your table.  

The atmosphere is fun.  I felt like I was
in a NYC restaurant because it had
tons of ambiance yet seemed to
get you in and out really fast.

Linds and I decided that it's more of a place you go if you want to eat quickly/semi-cheaply and well, than if you want a nice meal out.  The food was really good though, and they pride themselves on making everything as freshly as possible.  

Also, if you have any room left you can just walk next door to Yoghut for dessert. Win-win.