Passatempo Taverna — Restaurant in Walla Walla

Get this: our $170 dinner for three (me, wife, son) was an exercise in whiplash. The venue is really lovely, a kind of chic industrial. Lots of light, high ceilings, clean urban bar scene—and where we sat in the elevated back dining room—huge windows. Think post and beam with huge steel girders and wood floors. So far, so good.

The young woman who greeted us was sweet and efficient. We came in off the street unannounced and she had us seated within 10 minutes at one end of an oversized table. Our waitress was at our table within minutes, and she, too, was sweet and, maybe more importantly, knowledgeable about the menu. Again, so far, so good.

The food? Fantastic! Truly. Our son, who only eats pizza and cheese burgers, was not disappointed. His ample spicy pepperoni pizza was perfectly cooked and full of rich flavor. My wife’s bruschetta appetizer and her house garden salad were excellent. The bruschetta, in particular, was a work of culinary art (and correctly pronounced, I might add). The dessert, a shared olive oil cake, was quite literally to die for (eat too many pieces of that and you’re headed straight for the ER). And finally, the wine—two glasses of a local vintner’s red blend, The Walls 2022 The Ramparts, was so good, we’re buying a case tomorrow before head out of town. Really… that good! (Turns out, it’s the restaurant proprietor’s own vineyard.)

Okay, so why only 4 stars?? Enter whiplash. My entree, the evening’s pasta special—a chicken triangoli—was so paltry I almost burst out laughing when the waitress served it. The bowl it came in was large (which didn’t help), and the four measly pieces of pasta that lay at the bottom of the bowl looked almost embarrassed to be there. My bowl was so cavernously empty, I could almost hear my echo as I laughed with my wife after the waitress left. Up until that point, we were in Tuscany, for all practical intents and purposes, but now we were suddenly in Paris, where the smaller the entree, the more expensive it is. It was such a contrast with everything else about the experience, that it (pardon the pun) left a bad taste in my mouth. Why make your portions out of some misplaced nod to French paucity rather than from what your restaurant celebrates—Italian abundance? It’s an Italian restaurant, for goodness sake! Why this personal insult in the midst of such an otherwise lovely dining experience? $7.50 for each piece of traingolini? And minced chicken, to boot? It made no sense. None.

So there you go. Fabulous dining experience with one...

We’ve eaten here a few times— every time, we have roughly the same few things to say: the food is great, the atmosphere is fantastic, the service is terrible. The waiting staff never checks on you and is usually nowhere to be found. Oftentimes it feels awkward…it’s an odd feeling that gives you a sense of being unwelcome. And don’t expect anything to come out fast. A drink as simple as a can of soda takes 20 minutes to get. Today was the last straw— a waitress accidentally broke a glass on my girlfriend and spilled a couple of drinks on her as well. Accidents happen. I was a waiter for awhile and I completely understand that things go wrong. What made the experience so unpleasant was the follow up— we weren’t moved to another table, we were forced to stand awkwardly in the aisle as the staff took a mop to the floor, and essentially waited for our food to get cold before we sat down. Unfortunately, the floor wasn’t completely cleaned—the floor was wet and still had pieces of glass. We made mention of it, but were told to ignore it, and that it would be cleaned later. After some minutes, I had to insist it was cleaned up. Glass is a hazard, and my girlfriend shouldn’t have to have her already soaked dress sit in a puddle (as well as her feet). The waitress was apologetic, and in her defense did try to comp us an appetizer. The issue is moreso that there was no real remedy to the situation. If a waiter makes a mistake, it isn’t the biggest deal. But to break a glass on a woman, expect her to sit in the puddle, and to not offer to comp the meal? Thats ridiculous. We also had to ask for the drinks that were spilled to be replaced. After our meal, I did approach the manager, explaining the situation. He did defend his waitress, which is a good sign, but blinked at me when I suggested our meal be paid for (and really, it’s more important that my girlfriend should’ve been take care of in the moment). He did comp the meal, but again, it’s the fact I had to ask, and that he wasn’t very apologetic. Our food was good, but we’ve been thoroughly disappointed every time with the lack of quality service. Perhaps it’s because we’re young, or maybe it’s because we don’t drink alcohol, but it shouldn’t be that way for anyone. They need to reevaluate how they fix mistakes and treat...

Definitely lives up to the hype. Passatempo - the artfully reimagined Pastime Café is a true gem where the food, drink and service somehow manage to live up to the breathtaking renovation of this Walla Walla monument. How fortunate this lovely town is to have it returned to life in such an inspired fashion.

The bar is a vibrant and lively scene and the service - inspired and lead by the legendary Jim German - is as good as you could hope to find at the best spots in Seattle, New York, San Francisco or the like. The cocktails are creative and delicious without being overproduced. The wine list captures many of the best Walla Walla Valley producers, including rising star The Walls, as well as top notch selections from across Italy. It offers great variety and value at many different price points.

Chef Aaron Mooney has crafted a menu offering a delicious number of options that all were big hits at our table. We started with the octopus appetizer - as good as anything I've had in Italy - and had to rapidly reorder more after it quickly disappeared. The bacon wrapped dates were also great. All of the pasta is made in house and it shows. The Pappardelle Bolognese was as good as I've had anywhere and the vegetarian ravioli was subtle and flavorful. The member of our party looking for some Pastime nostalgia gave two big thumbs up to the spaghetti and meatballs. Next came the Secondi round - featuring a huge Gran Bistecca bone-in ribeye that was as good as any steak within 1000 miles and some tasty pork ribs (yes Passatempo is for serious carnivores as well as pasta fans). Do yourself a favor, make sure you get the polenta for the table and the artichoke grantinato.

In sum Passatempo was one of the best hospitality experiences our group has had in quite some time. It is not just a restaurant or a bar - it is a delightful space where beautiful surroundings intersect with delicious food and drink and friendly service from true professionals in this small yet sophisticated town. Our group's only regret was that we didn't go the night before so that we could have gone back to back nights. We will be back when the weather warms to enjoy dinner on its amazing garden patio. We can't wait!...