Pizza Republica's pasta dishes warm you up from the inside out.

I think we can all agree that pasta is the answer to everything.

Going through a breakup? Pasta.

Brutal day at the office? Pasta.

Failed a test? Pasta.

Below-zero temperatures outside? Pasta.

Pasta may not translate to "a hug from the inside" but it should. I went into Landmark's Pizza Republica for dinner last weekend after having turned in a particularly difficult finance exam and I was not in good spirits one bit. I knew that the cure for this sourpuss mood could only be the fresh, Colorado-made Pappardelle pasta dishes found on the menu. The selection of gnocchi, rigatoni, fettucini, and ravioli was enough to make me forget all about Net Present Value equations.

I chose the rigatoni Bolognese that's made with beef and pork Bolognese sauce, along with grilled fennel sausage. My feelings were ready to be eaten and I prepared to wash it down with a glass of pinot noir. One bite of this warm and savory pasta immediately lifted my spirits and reminded me that life was not about a grade on an exam; that I should just let it go and enjoy this culinary experience. Of course, it's also hard to be sad when you're two glasses deep in pinot noir and you decide you've earned a delightfully cold and creamy helping of tiramisu.  

So while I have yet to receive my grade, I do know a place where I can go for just about any reason and get a hearty helping of pasta to shoo away some rough-day blues. 

Have you eaten at Pizza Republica? Let us know what you had in the comments!