**CORRECTED 9/9/10 to amend the location of Mamasan's**

There are lots of places where you can get good Italian food in Rochester, but only select restaurants in the area make their pastas from scratch - a difficult and time-consuming culinary art that pays off in both flavor and texture. That is why Joe McCall put an emphasis on serving homemade pastas at his new restaurant, Joey's Pasta House, which opened last month.

"Not many people make their own pastas anymore," says McCall. "Especially items like homemade raviolis and gnocchi, which are hard to find [in Rochester], but taste much better when made from scratch."

The new restaurant is in the space formerly occupied by the casual restaurant JC's Backyard BBQ (which closed late last year), a fact that made renovations imperative. The remodeling included the addition of a new bar, tile and hardwood floors, and updated seating, including new tables, suede booths (adorned by ornate chandeliers), and a renovated outdoor patio. The result is a lush, warm atmosphere that has both the welcoming quality of a neighborhood joint and the style of a chic city restaurant.

As both owner and executive chef, McCall - who has spent more than 13 years in the restaurant business - has kept the menu clean and simple. The signature dish is the homemade gnocchi, served with roasted plum-tomato sauce, fresh basil, and shaved parmesan. McCall also offers some more complex flavors, including homemade pappardelle Bolognese (wide, flat fettucine covered in a veal-tomato sauce), veal saltimbocca (with escarole, prosciutto, and Madeira wine), and lobster ravioli. In addition, Joey's offers five varieties of salads (from Caesar to wedge), appetizers (including calamari scampi and clams vongole), and entrees from the grill like the 16-ounce strip steak (with mushroom compote) or the filet mignon (with gorgonzola and white truffle oil).

To find Joey's Pasta House in City Newspaper's online Restaurant Guide - including a map, user reviews, and more - click here.

Joey's Pasta House is located at 1789 Penfield Road in Penfield. It is open Monday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday 4:30-11 p.m. Lunch prices range from $8 to $12, dinners $12 to $26. For more information, call 586-2426 or visit joeyspastahouse.com.

Napa closes, reopens

Gourmet pizza place Napa Wood-Fired Pizzeria has opened a new location on South Clinton Avenue, near Boulder Coffee Company. The original Napa Wood-Fired Pizzeria remains at 687 Moseley Road in Fairport, while the Victor location (90 W Main St) has closed and is now a different wood-fired pizzeria.

The menu at the new location features a variety of Napa's signature thin-crust, wood-fired pizzas, including the Corleone (with hot cappicola, roasted red peppers, fresh basil, and mozzarella), the Fiorentino (with chopped spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, ricotta, garlic oil and cheese), and the Genovese (topped with potatoes, rosemary and garlic). The new location also offers the popular "wrapinis," which are grilled pizza crusts formed into sandwiches and then baked in the oven.

Napa Wood-Fired Pizzeria is located at 537 S. Clinton Ave. It is open Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 4-10 p.m., and Sunday 4-9 p.m. For more information, call 232-8558 or visit napawoodfired.com.

Island specials

Jamaican restaurant Island Fresh Cuisine Restaurant has a new limited-time special. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, diners can order any of the restaurant's single-entrée meals for just $9.99. Some of the options include oxtail, curry goat, jerk chicken, and pork ribs. All entrées include three sides with choices like steamed cabbage, fried plantains, and fried dumplings.

The restaurant also has new operating hours, Tuesday-Thursday-9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday 3-10 p.m. A happy hour that occurs every Wednesday-Friday 4-7 p.m. features half-off appetizers and two-for-one drinks.

Island Fresh Cuisine Restaurant is located at 400 Jefferson Rd. For more information, call 424-2150 or visit islandfreshcuisine.com.

Closing

Union Station Diner, which opened in the Neighborhood of the Arts in January of this year, has closed. Attempts to reach owners Danielle and Nicole Petranto, and their business partner, Rochester Knighthawk Joe Walters, were unsuccessful, but the diner has been lights out since mid-July, and the phone has been disconnected. The University Avenue location formerly housed Webb's Cafe and Grill (which closed its doors in October last year) and the original location of Mamasan's Noodle Caboodle (now on Monroe Avenue in Brighton).

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