Perfect Pasta at Tre Monte Restaurant

Last night, I had a dining experience that left me pleasantly surprised.  I had the opportunity to attend a complimentary dinner (via Boston Food Bloggers) at Tre Monte Restaurant in Woburn.  While I expected that I would enjoy the meal, I had no idea that I would sample some of the best fresh pasta I've had in quite some time.  Seriously, it was that good. 

House Tagliatelle

But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let me start from the beginning.  We started the evening with some wine.  I opted for the chianti to help warm me up from the unexpectedly chilly summer evening.

Chef Anthony Contarino sent out a variety of his favorite antipasti dishes for us to share family-style.

Melanzana topped with a fresh basil pesto.

Arancini filled with comforting mushroom risotto.

My absolute favorite - grilled garlic and cheese sausage
served over spinach, cannellini beans with a hint of red pepper flakes. 

This was my least favorite dish - shrimp grand marnier.
While the shrimp was cooked perfectly, I found the sauce cloyingly sweet.

The most fabulous bolognese.  This was obviously a pasta dish
but the Chef sent it out since it is always favorite.

We got to choose our entrees and I opted for the veal parmigiana.  These veal cutlets were thinly pounded and breaded.  I only ate one cutlet and saved the other for lunch.  Almost everyone brought leftovers home because the portions were really large.  The veal parmigiana comes with a choice of pasta, and I was so happy to have chosen the fabulous tagliatelle.

After dinner, I followed Kristen's lead and ordered an espresso martini.  The aroma of the espresso was tantalizing as the cocktail was placed before me.

I sipped my espresso martini as we got a chance to chat with Chef Anthony.  He talked about the influence of his culinary training, traditional Italian grandmothers, and mentors in the kitchen.  Chef Anthony also talked about his newest venture, the Brickyard.  The Brickyard is a burger and pizza bar just around the corner, and I am definitely checking this place out soon! 

In addition to chatting with the easygoing chef, we ended our meal with dessert.  While the desserts aren't made in-house, the cannolis, tiramisu and profiteroles were all incredibly delicious.

I had a wonderful meal at Tre Monte last evening and I'm hoping to go there again with Bret.  He definitely enjoyed my leftover pasta and veal parmigiana for lunch today too! 

Thanks to Boston Food Bloggers and Chef Anthony Contarino for inviting such a lovely evening!

Tre Monte Restaurant is located at 397 Main Street, Woburn, MA.

Full disclosure: The dinner at Tre Monte was completely complimentary, but as always, my opinion is honest and completely my own.