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Editorial Review

Reviewed in Summer '03 issue of Ciao!

The room, as usual, is buzzing. Aproned servers memorize orders, suits converse casually about global affairs, and the dramatically dressed kitchen staff nimbly flash pans amid a flurry of orders. It’s another typical downtown evening at Pasta la Vista.

Since 1995 this WOW! Hospitality restaurant has been steadily hopping. The 210-seat space is decorated with the flamboyancy and studied eccentricity of a movie star’s pad. Naked black ceilings reveal a pipe maze. Curvilinear dividers separate winding banquettes from tables for four. A glitzy army of gins, vodkas and scotches stand at attention behind the bar, while pensive cherubs sit chubbily in portraits. The burgundy, blue and white napery offers a subtle tribute to the American eateries that first defined high concept decor.

On the wittily written menu a caesar salad is known as “I came, I saw, I conquered, I had salad”. The “Jump on the band vegan” translates to a roasted vegetable and hummus wrap. Certainly, it’s an approach that nose-elevated restaurants would scoff at—food is a deadly serious affair—but at Pasta la Vista it works to introduce the always trendy menu items.

The appetizer list gives proper weight to the trendiest tasters of this millennium, including lettuce wraps, bruschetta, mussels and calamari. The whole roasted garlic dish accents the golden bulb with a round of goat cheese and a tomato herb mix. Squish it all onto a grilled pita wedge and you’ve got a delightful little mouthful. Also try the duck spring rolls, served with ancho chile sauce (spicy) and Thai sauce (sweet). The sauces lend tongue-soaring notes to the crispy-soft rolls.

Upscale Asian has become extremely popular in North American kitchens, and it’s not surprising that Pasta la Vista is promoting the trend in our city. The Asian pepper crusted tuna comes exactly as is promised: seared to medium rare. The refreshing wasabi crème fraîche plays well with the peppered crust. Pacific Rim pizza, which emerges crispily from the depths of the wood burning oven, is covered in Asian mushrooms, green onions, hoisin black bean sauce and is punctuated using jalapeño.

While the Asian bent is prominent, Chef Ali Chioua staunchly defines the cuisine as Italian Californian. Ergo, try the pasta. That Old Black Magic combines drama and spice. Squid-ink infused fettuccine lends a lithe backdrop for pink shrimp and sweet and hot peppers. Mussels are also strewn in the mix, touched by a chile lime sauce. A comfortably spicy #3 is the perfect number for Flurry of Curry, a bowl of linguine drenched in curry cream. Chicken, mango pineapple chutney and a sprinkling of roasted peanuts complete the dish.

Desserts are made next-door by sister company Breadworks. The award-winning turtle cheesecake is inspired by those famous pecan-footed chocolates. It’s truly one of the best baked cheesecakes in the city, firm on the surface, smooth and creamy inside.

Pasta la Vista is open Mon-Sat 11 am-11 pm, Sun 11:30 am-10 pm. Entrées: $6.50-$25.95. Reservations recommended.

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