Foodie on a mission: Devine Pastabilities

The latest visit to a restaurant that serves a specially made sandwiches called torpastas.

By Katelyn McCullough
CONTRIBUTOR

With finals approaching and free time slipping away, going out to eat does not seem feasible. Most college students are concerned with getting enough “bang for the buck” for quick and delicious food. At Devine Pastabilities nothing is typical. The pasta place is renowned for its Torpastas, which are hollow garlic rolls stuffed with pasta.

Damien Devine invented the Torpasta at the age of nine when he realized that the spaghetti sandwiches (spaghetti stuffed in between two slices of bread) he loved were too messy. One day at school he decided to poke a hole into a bread roll and stuff it with his spaghetti, and a new type of sandwich was born. This new sandwich concept inspired him in 2005 to open his own restaurant and catering business, Devine Pastabilities.

While DP is known for its Torpastas, the restaurant also offers Torsalads, in which a salad is stuffed into the hollow bread roll, and pizzas. Pasta plates or salads are available by themselves with a bread roll on the side. This option doesn’t make choosing the type of Torpasta or Torsalad any easier, as everything sounds delicious and there seems to be too many options to choose from. Any kind of pasta is available for stuffing, with even lasagna or eggplant Parmesan as options. The Yelpwich is a definite must. The sandwich was invented by those who submitted ideas on Yelp, resulting in the new torpasta sandwich that was added to the menu. The Yelpwich has spinach, ricotta, tomato, meatballs (or veggieballs) and blush sauce, a light cream and tomato sauce. The pasta is warm within the bread roll, and all of the components are distinct in each bite. It is clear that the makers of the Torpastas are not just superb sandwich makers, but also superb at creating pasta dishes.

Light and crunchy garlic breadsticks are served with a marinara sauce. There are too many great sandwiches to pick just one as the favorite. The creamy pesto and sundried tomato is a comforting mix of pesto and alfredo sauce over bowtie pasta. The Macahelper is a mix of macaroni covered with a creamy cheddar sauce and ground beef. Then there is the ever popular Carbonara.

Each sandwich is available as a six inch or twelve inch sub ($7 and $10).

There is limited outside seating but more than enough inside. The place is a family-oriented Italian pizza restaurant with rows of booths and TVs. One word of warning is to be prepared for a carbohydrate overload; it may seem small, but a torpasta is filling. Carbohydratess are good, I heard they are supposed to make you happy.