A verdant reminder of spring on a cold Elmhurst evening.

Despite all the writing I do about various international cuisines there remains a soft spot in my heart and stomach for pizza and pasta, particularly as served by New York City pizzerias. It’s a rarity to find homemade pasta at the corner slice shop, so I’ve been curious about the homemade pasta at Louie’s Pizzeria for years. The thing is I’m usually too full after eating two or three pieces of their award-winning grandma slice to enjoy it.

One frigid night last week though I had the appetite for pasta, and picked the springiest sounding one on the menu: agnolotti filled with spinach and ricotta in pesto sauce.

A generous portion of the ravioli like packages completely obscured by a verdant lake of creamy pesto set me back a mere $12. It was just the thing for a cold winter’s night. I used most of the bread to sop up the remaining pesto and even had a grandma slice for dessert.

Louie’s pesto agnolotti is my second favorite use of the basil enriched sauce in a Queens pizza parlor. My first remains the amazing pesto slice at Dani’s in Kew Gardens.

Louie’s Pizzeria & Restaurant, 81-34 Baxter Ave., Elmhurst, (718) 440-9346