| Most restaurants, excluding upscale ones, make pasta beforehand, then set it aside, where it cools. When you order it, they throw it in hot water for a few minutes, just to make it hot, then give it to your waiter. So your pasta isn't usually just made minutes ago.
I know this, I was in the kitchen of a lot of spaghetti dinners. You don't want the people waiting 10 minutes as you make more, so the chefs make boxes upon boxes, and set it aside until it's ready. This way, you're "stocking up on inventory."
Al dente pasta is different. This means the chef has to take new pasta out and boil it then and there, then serve it to you. This is a great way to make sure you don't get the old pasta that's been sitting out getting cold. The only thing I don't like about this is that al dente is sorta firmer than regular pasta.
lordaych saysal dente pasta also takes longer to digest, giving it a lower and healthier glycemic index resulting in a more moderate blood sugar peak. | 
