Italian spot with handmade noodles, wood-fired pizza is opening in Thurston Co.
Restaurateur Rick Nelsen is back, and it all begins with a soft opening of his new venture in Lacey on June 9, he told The Olympian this week.
Nelsen, who previously owned the steakhouse Ricardo’s, is about to open the doors on Bottega, an Italian restaurant that has occupied ground-floor space in Lacey that looks across Huntamer Park in the Woodland Square Loop area of the city.
It’s a big open space, designed in such a way that Nelsen can keep an eye on the restaurant floor, the bar and elsewhere from the kitchen. Not only is the interior space large, but it will likely feel even larger when the garage-style doors are opened on warm summer evenings.
“We’re using Bottega because it means a master’s workplace where he perfects his trade, and that just seems fitting for me,” Nelsen said. “I’ve been doing this for 20-plus years. I was born in the industry, and I was like, you know what, I want to do that.”
“My menu fits on an eight-and-a-half-by-11-inch piece of paper; every item is something I can sign my name on and say, ‘this is the best way to do it,’” he said. “We’re excited.”
June 9 is the soft opening. The first night will be wood-fired pizza and salads, with a couple of different pizza options, along with two cocktails and glasses of red and white wine.
“Keep it real simple, learn our system,” he said. “The next night we’ll add a pasta; the following night, a few more pastas, a few more dishes. We’ve just got to ease into the full menu.”
Ultimately, diners can expect a menu that features caprese salad, buffalo milk mozzarella, handmade noodles cooked to order, steak – there has to be steak, right? – handmade lasagna and an Italian roasted chicken dish. Sandwiches, pizza by the slice and salads also will be available for purchase through a walk-up window.
Bottega will operate Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and possibly later on the weekends. Happy hour will run between 3 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., he said. Operating Monday nights are an option, too, plus the occasional Sunday is under consideration for breakfast, Nelsen said.
Why not have the soft opening on Monday, June 8? It’s already reserved for a special occasion. His wife, Marie, will celebrate a birthday.
“We won’t say how young she is, but yeah, it’s her birthday,” he said.
Bottega is hiring. The restaurant is in need of servers and some cooks, Nelsen said. If interested, send an email to bottegalacey@gmail.com
