Pasta d’resistance

The name Pasta La Vista says most of it, but the slogan “Pasta La Vista, baby. You’ll be back!” says it all.

Pasta La Vista, located at 15060 Bothell Way NE in Lake Forest Park, offers a variety of Italian pasta dishes, sandwiches, salads and appetizers. Typically a take-out or catering service, the restaurant itself has room for only a dozen or so diners at several two- or three-person tables. But the atmosphere was warm and inviting, and while I waited for my take-out meal to cook last Saturday night, I enjoyed looking around the restaurant.

The counter where you order food is a piece of art in and of itself. A glass mosaic is the base of the counter, and the colorful glass is arranged with the words “Pasta La Vista.” Owner Christi Recchi said it took her and one other person more than 200 hours to build the mosaic.

Tealights line the counter and are at each table in the restaurant, giving it its warm glow.

I spent most of my time, however, admiring the tabletops. Each was carefully decorated with small replicas of Italian works of art and artifacts. The art was lacquered onto the surface, giving it a shiny and smooth feel, so as not to get in the way of the diner’s experience. The art brought back wonderful memories of my visit to Italy three years ago, and I moved from table to table to admire the collection of reprints. I don’t even remember how long it took for my food to be prepared after I ordered, so Jill, a sister-in-law of Recchi and the only person working that night, surprised me when she told me my order was ready.

I ordered rigatoni recchio, chicken lasagna and a meatball sandwich to share with a couple of friends that night.

The rigatoni recchio was a family-sized entree made of pieces of chicken breast, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh rigatoni and the restaurant’s aurora sauce, which is a creamy red sauce. The dish was rich and full of flavor, so I was not surprised when Recchi told me it was one of the restaurant’s top sellers.

The chicken lasagna and meatball sandwich were also excellent choices. Pasta La Vista makes its own meatballs out of chicken and turkey, and the sandwich with its meat, cheese and sauce was messy — but in a good way.

Also on the menu is a variety of wines, mostly from Italy, Washington and California. Every Thursday evening, Recchi features one red and one white wine that she sells by the bottle at half price.

With the restaurant’s location, just five blocks north of NE 145th Street on Bothell Way NE, it is a well-placed destination for commuters looking for take-out food for dinner. Recchi said this was one of the ideas she had when developing the restaurant more than a year ago.

“We wanted people to think of us as a great place to get gourmet food to go,” Recchi said.

She described the food as “fast casual,” and said she hopes to begin catering more events in the community. Pasta La Vista can accommodate groups of up to 40.

Even though I live in close proximity to Pasta La Vista, and I drive by the restaurant all the time, this only was my first visit. But as the saying goes, I’ll be back.