It is fitting that there is a photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger sitting on the cash register at Pasta La Vista. This new Italian eatery moved into Reno Public Market earlier this year.
There are constantly new food stalls calling RPM home, but this one caught our attention—and has made a name for itself—based on their method for cooking pasta inside of a giant cheese wheel. And yes, every pasta is made using this method, even if you don’t see it happening for yourself.
I will say whatever they do to the pasta, it has a distinct, delicious taste, so I will chalk that up to the cooking method. The pasta is like a Blaze or Chipotle for Italian food, meaning you get to build your meal from the available ingredients.
First, you choose the base from spaghetti, fettuccini, penne, gnocchi and cheese ravioli. Then, add a sauce: alfredo, pesto, marinara or four-cheese. Most will finish their meal with proteins or other toppings, each with a surcharge. For example, the base meal is $14.95, but you’ll pay an extra $4.95 for meatballs and up to $7.95 for grilled steak. The non-protein options are lower priced and include everything from spinach and broccoli to mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
The pasta is made fresh, so there could be a bit of a wait, but it’s nothing extensive. When the food comes out, it is piping hot. This is an excellent bonus if you’re on the go and need your meal to stay warm until you make it home or back to the office, but if you’re eating at RPM, you’ll want to leave some extra time for everything to cool. This gives the sauce time to settle, thicken and for the flavors time to really blossom.
So, what did I order? A fettuccini pasta with a blend of four cheese and marinara sauce, grilled chicken and spinach. The last ingredient came at the staff’s suggestion, and it was an excellent choice, pairing nicely with the sauce.
In addition to build-your-own pasta, diners can build out their meal with appetizers, including fried calamari and zucchini, mozzarella sticks and waffle fries. You can also order tasty breadsticks, although each pasta order should come with one. If you want to keep it light, build your salad instead, or choose from the three options on the menu: Caprese, house and macaroni.
You can finish with tiramisu, ricotta cheesecake and triple chocolate mousse for dessert.
Drinks are bottled waters and Pepsi products, but if you’ve been to RPM, you know the central bar serves the cocktails. The market can get busy, and Pasta La Vista is a hot commodity. If you want to skip the line, come at opening (11 a.m.). At that time, you’re likely to have a short or no line and plenty of open seating.
Website: https://linktr.ee/pastalavistareno
