Pasta Casalinga – The Secret Pasta Place in Pike Place Market

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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