Pasta Casalinga -The Secret Pasta Place in Pike Place Market
Recommended by: After proclaiming Il Corvo to have Seattle’s Best Pasta, a co-worker of mine let me in on a little secret of his. There was a place very similar to Il Corvo in Pike Place Market, but without the crowds. We had to check it out.
Description on the Pasta Casalinga’s website: Come experience traditional Italian pasta influenced by local Northwest flavors in the heart of the Pike Place Market in a warm and welcoming kitchen with Michela and Nathan.
Neighborhood/Type: Downtown / Pike Place Market
Address: 93 Pike St ste 201, Seattle, WA 98101
What we ate/drank: Tagliolini Con Salmon E Zucchine- Wild Coho Salmon, Zucchini, Capers, Sichuan Pepper and Mint – $13, Pappardelle Con Finferli E Salsiccia- Wild Local Chanterelle, Sausage, Pecorino & Thyme – $13, Lasagna Alla Bosaciola- Sausage, Sweet Peas, Mushrooms, Made-in-house Besciamella-$11
Comments: Pasta Casalinga opened in the Market’s Atrium in March of 2018. This spot used to be a wind-up toy store and then a biscuit company prior to Pasta Casalinga taking over the place. One co-owner was raised in Turin, Italy and learned how to cook from her mother and grandmothers. The other co-owner is a native Northwesterner with a passion for local foods. Add their super powers together and you’ve got hand crafted pasta combined with locally sourced ingredients.
We arrived at Pasta Casalinga at 11:30 for lunch and right after we ordered a line formed. It’s not as crazy crowded as Il Corvo, but Pasta Casalinga definitely has a following. Although the Pike Place Market is teeming with tourists, Pasta Casalinga is away from the main action of the market. We observed that most of the patrons are locals on their lunch. You order at the cashier, grab your utensils and napkins and wait for your name to be called. There aren’t any tables, just a long counter overlooking the atrium.
Similar to Il Corvo, there are three main pasta dishes served daily with a few other side dishes. Pasta Casalinga has three sourcing categories of pasta, ocean, farm and garden. Each dish changes as the in season ingredients also change, so there’s a constant rotation of dishes even though they serve only three a day.
Much like our trip to Il Corvo, we ordered three dishes.
- The ocean dish, Tagliolini Con Salmon E Zucchine- Wild Coho Salmon, Zucchini, Capers, Sichuan Pepper and Mint – $13.
- The farm dish, Pappardelle Con Finferli E Salsiccia- Wild Local Chanterelle, Sausage, Pecorino & Thyme – $13.
- The everyday Lasagna Alla Bosaciola- Sausage, Sweet Peas, Mushrooms, Made-in-house Besciamella-$11.
The salmon dish had ample chunks of salmon as you can see from the photo below. The sauce was very light so that tomatoes and peppers could shine through. The tagliolini pasta was perfect. The pappardelle was our favorite dish. Again they didn’t skimp on the chanterelle and sausage. The mushrooms and sausage mixed with the wide pappardelle and pecorino cheese was perfect. The lasagna was cream based full of sausage and sweet peas. I personally would have liked it a little more savory. It was a little on the sweet side.
One last dish I got was the Pasta Al Pomodoro, which was a dish that they offered through the Meal Pal service(which I’ll write about on a later post). Through the Meal Pal service with a promotion, I ended up getting this dish for $3.52!
Pasta Casalinga is open everyday except Monday from 11:00am to 6:00pm. They close at 5:00pm on Sundays. We both agreed that we still like Il Corvo the best. Their dishes are all under $10 while Pasta Casalinga’s dishes were between $11-$13. I’m sure the rent is higher in Pike Place Market than next to a Bail Bondsman near the court house in Pioneer Sq, where Il Corvo is located. That may explain the higher prices. Overall, we just enjoyed Il Corvo’s dishes better, but Pasta Casalinga is less crowded, convenient if you are hosting out-of-towners in the market and serves very tasty dishes. And who doesn’t enjoy daily freshly made pasta?
Just an fyi, Seattle Magazine disagreed with us and voted Pasta Casalinga Best of the Best Pasta in Seattle.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.50
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.35
Bang for the Buck: 4.00
Overall: 4.50
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers local recommendations to visit in the future: I went back to work after lunch at Pasta Casalinga and mentioned it to my co-workers. We talked about Pasta Casalinga and I mentioned some of my other favorites like Tavolata and Il Corvo A co-worker mentioned her favorite was Bizzarro Italian Café in Wallingford. We’d been there before, but it’s been so many years. A revisit is in order.
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Bizzarro Italian Cafe
Recommended by: I went back to work after lunch at Pasta Casalinga and mentioned it to my co-workers. We talked about Pasta Casalinga and I mentioned some of my other favorites like Tavolata and Il Corvo. A co-worker mentioned her favorite was Bizzarro Italian Café in Wallingford. We’d been there before, but it’s been so many years. A revisit is in order.
Description on the Bizzarro Italian Cafe’s website: Bizzarro has been a Seattle favorite since it opened in 1986 by original owner, chef and visual artist David Nast. He converted the building which was originally an auto workshop into his dream restaurant on a shoestring budget with a lot of hardwork, ingenuity, artistic inspiration and love.
Neighborhood/Type: Wallingford
Address: 61307 N 46th St, Seattle, WA 98103
What we ate/drank: Monday Night Meatball 5 juicy spicy meatballs tossed with spaghetti rustica pasta in our world famous marinara, Elk Bolognese- Wild Oregon Elk with fennel, thyme, Mama lil’s peppers and pork shoulder slowly simmered into a creamy ragu tossed with our handmade parpardelle ribbon pasta. Drunken Clams- Local manilla clams in spicy tomatoes with prosciutto, basil, shallots & ouzo. Chianti.
Bizzarro Italian Cafe has been in existence since 1986, but it’s one of those places that doesn’t consistently come to mind when thinking of Italian food for some reason. We have our regular Italian places like Tavolata Il Corvo and The Pink Door and our quaint neighborhood spots like Cantinetta, Salvatore and Serafina.
Our revisit to Bizzarro Italian Cafe is a good reminder to keep it as an option not only due to the good Italian food, but the one of a kind kitschy décor. It’s very apropos that it’s a few doors down from the King of Kitschy things, Archie McPhee.
According to Seattle Magazine, Bizzaro Italian Cafe was started by an artist, David Nast. And ownership/chefs has changed numerous times including Mike Easton who owns one of our favorites, Il Corvo . We did not know that.
Bizzaro Italian Café is a small intimate restaurant in the Wallingford area and as mentioned has been around for over 30 years.
Their claim to fame is a cell phone surcharge if you talk on your phone while everybody is trying to enjoy their meal.
If I remember correctly, I believe this surcharge was implemented in the early years of cell phone usage, where there was no texting or photo taking abilities. Who talks on their cell phone anymore?
For fun, if you want you can check out some of the irate customers who have been charged a surcharge and it appears they are not shy about it……
Cell Phone Charge! Source:Yelp
We went on a Monday evening thinking it wouldn’t be crowded, but we snagged the last open table and after that there were people waiting for seats.(Note: Bizzarro does not take reservations for parties less than 6).
If you do have to wait, they will take your number and they’ll call you when ready. You can either walk around Wallingford, go to Archie McPhee or get a drink at the Blue Star next door.
If you’ve never been to Bizzarro Italian Cafe, you’re in for a visual blast you’ve not seen anywhere else. There is literally something to see in every nook and cranny of the walls and ceilings in the entire restaurant(take a look at the pics).
There are quirky bits of memorabilia everywhere you look. You have so much for conversation starters, which makes it a fun place for first dates.
The tables are packed pretty tight and the with so many people in a tight spot, it can get quite loud.
First comes the bread with vinegar and olive oil. All entrees come with a salad and you can upgrade to a Ceasar’s salad if you wish.
We started off with the Drunken Clams which is a perfect match to slop up the sauce with the bread. The clams and bits of prosciutto were tasty, but the sauce is the star.
Our server offered to bring more bread when he saw we had extra sauce, but ran out of bread. We were tempted but didn’t want to fill ourselves up before our mains came and said he could take the sauce away. We shed a little tear as he took it.
Our entrees were the Elk Bolognese and their special of the night, Monday Spaghetti & Meatballs.
I’m a sucker for a ragu sauce and how often can you find elk on the menu. This is probably their most popular dish. I was expecting a bit of gamey, but there was none. One thing I loved about the dish is they are not chintzy on the meat.
Normally the meat to pasta ratio is decidedly heavy on the pasta side. This dish surprisingly was heavy on the elk side. This is a comforting dish to have on a cold night.
The Spaghetti & Meatballs is normally a mainstay on Sundays, but they happen to serve it on this Monday.
We may have gotten the last dish, because shortly after ordering it, one of the servers erased it from the chalkboard. The sauce was average, but the spicy meatballs(5 in all) were fabulous.
One small thing. I wish they would serve wine in a proper glass instead of a tumbler.
One of the secret side stories of Bizzarro Italian Cafe is a table in the back area it’s situated right next to a massive pole and has a chalkboard sign that claims to be the “Best Table in The House”. We think it’s a tongue in cheek title since it’s situated next to a massive pole. Sorta like these seats….
You might look at kitschy decor and think this is their gimmick, because the food in not up to par. Well the food is definitely as good as the decor is kitschy.
It’s really is a one of a kind restaurant that you will not find anywhere else and has the quirkiness of a cell phone surcharge and “Best Table in The House” to boot.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 4.75
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 4.00
Overall: 4. 55
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: A local reader of the blog suggested Via Tribulani as an Italian alternative since we’ve talked about Il Corvo , Tavolata, Pasta Casalinga, Cantinetta and now Bizzarro Itlian Cafe. We’ve been to Via Tribulani, but not for many years. It’s time for a revisit.
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Bitterroot BBQ
Recommended by: Our neighbor recommended Bitterroot for a more upscale setting for BBQ when our out of town guests requested American BBQ and our favorite BBQ joint shut down their restaurant.
Description on the Bitterroot’s website: Serving Northwest BBQ in the heart of Ballard. We pair our smoked meats with American craft beer and a bourbon selection that makes any enthusiast swoon.
Neighborhood/Type: Ballard
Address:5239 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
What we ate/drank: Cowboy Killer- 1/2 chicken, brisket, baby back ribs, pulled pork, 3 sides(Fries, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans, Mac & Cheese w/bacon and pulled pork. IPA from Lucky Envelope Brewing, Cherry Cider from Anthem.
We had relatives visiting from outside the country. When we asked what they wanted to eat, they said, “American BBQ”. We just found out BBQ Smith decided to quit their brick and mortar location and go strictly to catering only. Because they were from out of town we wanted to take them to a more upscale barbeque joint. Our neighbor suggested Bitterroot.
We knew of Bitterroot’s existence, but had never been. We’d been invited to a birthday gathering there once, but weren’t able to attend. Now was our chance.
Fair or not, when we think barbeque, we tend to think the more “hole-in-the-wall” qualities the location has, the better the barbeque will be. So when we saw that Bitterroot was smack dab in the middle of “fancy” heavy hitters like Stoneburner, Brambling Cross, Percy & Co, and Bastille right on Ballard Ave, we were a bit leery. Would the bbq be that good or would we be paying for the hot location?
First things first, Bitterroot does not take reservations and seating is done on a first come, first serve basis. We arrived on a Friday evening at 7:30 and expected there to be a wait. The place is relatively small. We wanted to dine in the main dining area, so we put in our names and hung out in the back bar area. You have your choice of eating back there too if you want. Our group of 4 ended up waiting about 15 minutes before a table opened.
The interior reminds us of an upscale Seattle Biscuit Company with an old shack feel using reclaimed wood, chain link fencing, exposed brick. It has that same easygoing shack feel. This casualness is carried through on your dishware, which are metal baking sheet trays lined with parchment paper.
Our guests from out of the country had a lot of questions regarding the options, not being familiar with American bbq. Our server was patient and provided detailed answers. A member of our party asked about the available bottled sauces on the table prior to ordering and he explained each one-sweet, honey mustard, spicy and vinegar and how each would taste with a variety of different meal choices.
To give our guests the full spectrum of what Bitterroot had to offer, we ordered the Cowboy Killer, which pretty much gives you one of everything- 1/2 chicken, beef brisket, baby back ribs, pulled pork and a choice of 3 sides. For our sides we got the fries, cole slaw and baked beans. We were afraid that the Cowboy Killer would not be enough for 4 adults(boy, were we wrong) so we also ordered a mac & cheese w/bacon and pulled pork. Our drinks were an IPA from Lucky Envelope Brewing, Cherry Cider from Anthem, coke and a cocktail(can’t remember which one).
1/2 chicken, brisket, baby back ribs,
pulled pork, 3 sides(Fries, Cole Slaw, Baked Beans
Truthfully we could have done without the mac & cheese, although it was very good. I never had pulled pock in mac & cheese before, but the Cowboy Killer, could have easily fed 6 adults.
When we could not take another bite and the platter was still over half uneaten, our server said the dish is intended to have left over for take home. It took us two more meals at home to finish off the leftovers from the Cowboy Killer and leftover mac and cheese.
The barbeque was moist and seasoned perfectly. The ribs fell off the bone and the brisket just melts in your mouth. The sides were nothing to write home about, but our guests really enjoyed their first taste of American barbeque, so what more can you ask for? That’s all that counts, right?
The Scores:
- 1/2 chicken (Score: 4.0 / 5.0)
- beef brisket (4.75 / 5.0)
- baby back ribs (4.5 / 5.0)
- pulled pork (4.75/ 5.0)
- Sides- Fries, cole slaw and baked beans. (3.75 / 5.0)
- Mac & Cheese w/bacon and pulled pork (4.5 / 5.0)
Bitterroot was the perfect combination of upscale barbeque, which seems like an oxymoron, but it’s just what our guests were hoping for. We also learned that the owners of Bitterroot also own one of our favorite sandwich places, Mammoth, that we mentioned in our favorite 2018 dishes.
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.25
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.00
Overall: 4.35
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future:
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Lil Woody’s
Recommended by: In our Uneeda Burger post, we mentioned that we’ve been to a lot of burger places, but not Lil Woody’s. No less than 2 of our friends and 3 readers said we must try Lil’ Woody’s. So off we went.
Description on the Lil Woody’s website: We love our community and are committed to working with local purveyors: our burgers are made from Painted Hills grass-fed beef, our hand-cut fries come from Washington potatoes, our buns are handcrafted from Tacoma, and our shakes are made with Full Tilt ice cream. We support our communities and we encourage you to support yours.
Neighborhood/Type: Capitol Hill
Address: 1211 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101
What we ate/drank: The Kamonegi Burger, The Sarap Sandwich, Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich , The New Mexican
Comments: We’re not ready to deem Lil’ Woody’s having the best burgers in Seattle, but they definitely have the most inventive and most-anticipated burger collaborations in Seattle. It took us a while to finally get to Lil’ Woody’s. They’ve been around since 2011 and have locations in Ballard, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union and White Center. Open hours vary for each location, so double check before going. For example the Capitol Hill locations stays open until 3:00am on Friday and Saturday. Holla to all you Capitol Hill clubbers!
They’ve become such a Seattle institution, that you can even get their burgers while taking in a Mariner Game at T-Mobile Park.
Order at the counter, pay, grab a seat and wait for your number to be called. Simple. The Capitol Hill location is a pretty low key place with some sitting next to the kitchen and more seating in an upstairs area.
Lil’ Woody’s has their main menu burgers that are always offered, but where Lil’ Woody’s stands out is their always changing special burger of the week. As we write this in August of 2019, check out these special burgers that are collaborations:
- Your Last Meal Burger(Lil Woody’s in-house pickled figs, crispy Prosciutto, arugula, cornichons, mozzarella stuffed Painted Hills grass-fed beef, roasted shallot mayo.). A collab with the @beardfoundation nominated @yourlastmealpodcast! and inspired by the last meal of past #yourlastmealpodcast guest, actor and cookbook author, Tiffani Thiessen (Saved By The Bell, Beverly Hills 90210).
- Game Guru Burger(Habanero mayo, crispy fried onions, Tillamook smoked cheddar, Hills bacon, double 1/4lb. Painted Hills grass-fed beef, Mama Lils peppers spicy sweet pickles). This was during the Pax West Gaming Convention and a collab with a celebrity in the gaming community, The Game Guru.
- Taylor Shellfish Burger(Taylor Shellfish oyster dip, Tims Cascade potato chips, Tillamook smoked cheddar, and Painted Hills grass-fed beef. A collab with Taylor Shellfish which is located right around the corner from Lil’ Woody’s in Capitol Hll.
- Lil Gordo Burger (red braised pork belly with green sauce aioli, onions, cilantro, and pickled jalapeños) A collab with Phorale, an Asian/Tex Mex restaurant in Seattle.
And for the last 5 years they’ve had a Burger Month(Feb), where each week has a special burger designed by top chefs around Seattle. If you end up getting each burger during the month, you get a free gift. This year it was a denim lunch bag. We made it to two of the weeks, but you can see here how inventive these burgers are and interesting because most of these chefs would never have a burger on their menu at their own restaurants.
As you know we’re huge fans of Kamonegi and their chef., Matsuko Soma, created The Kamonegi Burger-Seared duck/chicken patty, duck egg, arugula, Yuzu kewpie mayo, charcoal bun.
<<<My picture of the Kamonegi Burger and a much nicer picture from Lil Woody’s
I love the unusual ingredients but it was missing some flavor. Perhaps a little more yuzu mayo was needed. It’s difficult to say who’s at fault. Since the chef created it, maybe the fault lies there? Or perhaps the chef’s vision was not met due to the execution of the burger? I never had a charcoal bun before, so we were a bit surprised when we got the burger on a totally black bun. I love me some egg yoke, but I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between a duck eff and a normal chicken egg through the other flavor profiles.
The other burger we had was from Melissa Miranda, who at the time worked at Bar del Corso, but is opening her own much-anticipated restaurant called, Musang. Her burger was called, The SARAP Sandwich. Sarap in Filipino means delicious. The burger consisted of roasted pulled pork adobo, chicharrónes, radishes, fried garlic, patis salsa verde, Hawaiian bun.
<<<My picture of the Sarap Sandwich and a much nicer picture from Lil Woody’s
I’m more of a savory guy when it comes to burgers and adobo is typically on the sweet side and this was no different. The bun was also sweet with the patis salsa verde adding a bit of savory. The radishes and chicharrones added a bit of crunchiness to the sandwich, which we both enjoyed.
Here is another Burger of the Week. It was really spicy, but loved the sweetness of the pickles and onions in combination with the savory cheddar.
<<<Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich – Chipotle mayo, spicy sweet pickles and onions, smoked cheddar.
This is a burger off their normal menu, The New Mexican with Hatch green chiles.
<<<New Mexican – 1/3 lb Painted Hills grass-fed beef burger, slow-roasted Hatch green chiles, house-made queso sauce
Summary: When compared to some of the other burger joints in Seattle like Uneeda Burger, Rain City, Giddy Up, etc, their burgers are on the small size for around the same price. This could probably be attributed to the variety of ingredients due to their many different offerings and everchanging Burger of the Week. When you get inventive and push the envelope with collaborations, there’s bound to be hits and misses, but we appreciate the effort and the diverse and fresh variety it brings. One thing is for sure, we know if we want something different we can count on Lil’ Woodys’
Ratings:
Atmosphere: 4.00
Service: 4.00
Food/Drinks: 4.50
Bang for the Buck: 4.00
Overall: 4.25
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
-
- Well known or Touristy. Most locals don’t go there unless they have business dinners or visitors in town.
- Most locals know about it
- Locals “in the know” know about it
- Only those who live close by know about it.
- You’re in on the secret. Don’t tell anybody!
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: While eating our Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwiches, my co-worker mentioned Bok A Bok Fried Chicken. And said they don’t have burgers, but have the best chicken sandwiches. We have to check it out.
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