The High St Pasta Co. came out of nowhere. I heard about a sister pasta shop opening by Chico's Fat, but I had no idea it was so far in production and ready to be open to the public. Sher, photographer extraordinaire, happened to see they were open the other day and clued me in. Today, a group of coworkers and I went for lunch.

The space is beautiful. Exposed brick, purple-gray wall color and some sleek black and white chairs fill the inside. The point-of-sale system is via an iPad-like thing. Just slick and cool.

The food is for more of a quick lunch. They have all you can eat pasta for $8.50. Or you can get pasta to go for $8. OR you can get an all you can eat for $8.50 AND get another box to go for an extra $2ish.

The menu is quite small with a simple concept. You pick your type of noodle: angel hair, spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, fusilli or gluten free. You pick your sauce: meat, marinara, alfredo, or pesto. Pick your salad dressing for your side salad: Italian, creamy Italian, catalina, gorgonzola, poppy seed, honey mustard, or white balsamic vinaigrette. Plus you can add a meatball (or 3), cheese bread and a few others.

I ordered fusilli, with marinara, with a meatball, with gorgonzola dressing for my salad and a drink. It comes with a small piece of bread. In small talk, the guy at the register said they do make their pasta, and they make it in Chico's kitchen. The two are owned by the same person.

Salad was fine. Fresh lettuce and bits of onion, tomato and carrot. Gorgonzola dressing was also tasty with some chunks of gorgonzola. Mm. I wish I had a chance to eat more of it, but work called and I had to leave early-ish.

My pasta was good. It was a little overcooked; usually, pasta is a little al dente. This was pretty soft. But that doesn't offend me. The sauce had a good flavor. Just a little spice there that gave it something extra. The meatball I think needs a little work. A little kick of spice but not necessarily in the best way. But, still, overall a decent dish.

It's like a fast food Italian place. Quick, easy, limited options. I think it fills a certain void in downtown Morgantown, so I'm happy with it. It does what it's supposed to do. I do, however, wish they had something signature or creative. Maybe a special sauce? A specific appetizer? Something so it doesn't feel super run-of-the-mill. But overall, a decent value and nice to have a pasta option downtown. And their creative design/concept is on point. Just translate that a little to a food item or two, and I'd be happy.

Grade: B