The Hollywood Pasta Company in Burbank, opened last year by chef and caterer Kurt Ehrlich, doesn’t look exactly glam from the outside — its small storefront façade sandwiched on Burbank Boulevard between an alley-like parking lot and a liquor store. Inside, burgundy walls and elegant but crowded seating bring the tone up several notches.
Each time we’ve been, our party has been seated at a window. At lunch seating, two of us were put in the corner, at the end of a long table and bench that could have accommodated at least four more. At a dinner visit, our larger party was seated practically on top of an incredibly chatty regular, despite the dozen or so empty tables elsewhere. Each spot had a seat that was nearly impossible for the server to reach. Aside from the tiny aisles between tables, the décor is soothing, until you glance over at the flat-screen TV framed between two Italianate columns. I’ll have the lasagna with a side of Newt Gingrich and Piers Morgan, please. The sound was muted, but the effect on a night out with friends and family shouts volumes.
