Counting On Happy Valley

There are a number things to consider as a vegetarian when dining out, but when it comes to Happy Valley Pasta and Pizza, you just have to remember one: You can’t go wrong with pasta and vegetables. Happy Valley’s owner Yuki Saito has that figured out. He knows that not everyone eats meat or seafood, and has flagged his menu with a vegetarian option: Five Veggies Pasta.

“A lot of people order it,” he says. “Everything with tomato sauce is popular here.”

Happy Valley isn’t your everyday Italian-American place, however. There’s a distinctive Japanese accent to the food. The menu offers Japanese-style dishes alongside Italian favorites, and often-times the two are combined. That isn’t surprising, since Saito also owns a number of restaurants in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Five Veggies Pasta ($9.98) comes with your choice of spaghetti or penne, which is tossed in Happy Valley’s homemade tomato sauce and combined with broccoli, onions, peppers, mushrooms, corn and fresh tomatoes (I know, I know, that’s more than five, but who’s counting when it’s more of a good thing?) It’s a heaping plate of pasta cooked al dente, as it should be, and the flavors of the tender vegetables meld together nicely.

So grab a fork — or chopsticks – and dig right in. No matter how you add it up, you can count on Five Veggies Pasta for appetite satisfaction.

Happy Valley Pasta & Pizza