Tavolata, located in the Belltown district of Seattle, Washington, is a simplistic, striped down space serving handmade pastas for dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day of the week. For those familiar, Tavolata is one of the Ethan Stowell restaurants, a collection of locations started by the self-taught chef named, in 2008, as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs. The philosophy of the place is to focus on high-quality and simplicity, so that, assumeably, conversation can flourish in the cozy, inviting atmosphere of the local.

The space of Tavolata is very basic. The walls feature plain brick simply adorned above the bar with a collection of varying mirrors, but otherwise only the raw stone. Focused around the bar and scattered down the length of the thin dining space, with a large communal table in the center, are numerous bare bulb light fixtures that illuminate the space with a dim, soft golden light. For a more private dining experience, request one of the high backed, intimate booths rather than the large, shared table.

The food is as it should be: the focus. Whether you share in a broad conversation at the over sized center table or just stare at your partner in a small booth, once the food arrives, all talking might cut off (depending on which dish ordered). In our experience reviewing, some dishes take your breath away and have you coming back for more and others are less tantalizing by a long shot.

It is important to keep in mind, the menu is subject to change (and does often) so something in this review might cycle off the menu.

The appetizer menu features a decent selection of choices. Based on other reviewers, the bruschetta appears to be a strong favorite from this menu. In my experience if you’re up for a transformed old favorite, try the sweet corn with Umbrian truffle Butter ($12). It’s like the fresh farmstand, melted butter slathered corn one eats with plastic corn holders jutting out the sides, except elevated to the luxury level with a rich, earthy truffle flavor.

Most of the dinner entrees are extruded pastas, which is homemade by forcing a dry semolina and water dough through a die. For those that aren’t familiar with Italian pastas and find the jumble of unfamiliar words on the menu intimidating, I’ll lay them out in a comprehensive manner.

First, there’s the Tonarelli ($17) which is comparable to spaghetti except instead of being rounded like that most common pasta, the edges are squared. Because of it's thickness, when homemade, a tonarelli pasta usually has more of a bite than typical pasta, lending it to more robust sauce options. At Tavolata, the dish is served with cracked pepper and pecorino, a cheese that is a sharper alternative to Parmesan with a hard texture and a sharp, salty flavor.

Secondly, there’s two flavor options for a spaghetti dish. The first being the largely more adventurous choice: Anchovy, Garlic, and Chili. The second more classic: Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan. Personally, the anchovy pasta was not good. For someone who embraces the distinctive, fishy and salty flavor of anchovies it may have been better, but personally the combination didn’t agree with my taste buds.

Third choice is the Pici Carbonara ($20) made with the Pici pasta, a thick, hand-rolled that’s like spaghetti that ate too much (it’s chubby) and topped with a Carbonara sauce of house made pancetta, Parmesan, and an egg yolk.

Fourth is the Rigatoni ($18) a large grooved pasta that is tube shaped with ridges all around of it that help the sauce cling to the pasta. At Tavolata, it’s paired with spicy sausage, tomato, marjoram (an herb with a sweet pine and citrus-y flavor), and Parmesan.

Fifth, the Paccheri ($19) which is another tube-shaped pasta dish, though this time paired with Gulf Prawn, tomato, chili, and sofrito (which is a sauce base typically involving aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces and cooked in an oil.

Last, the Bucatini ($19) which is a thicker pasta, like spaghetti, but with a hole running down it middle. The name actually comes from the Italian word buco which means hole. This pasta is topped with guanciale, which is a cured meat product made from pork jowl or cheeks. The name comes from the Italian word guancia or “cheek;” chili, tomato, and pecorino.

Other than the extruded pastas, Tavolata features both gnocchi and rolled pasta dishes. Rolled pasta is made, as the name suggests, by rolling out a mixture of flour and egg dough into a thin layer and then cutting them into strips and gnocchi is a dumpling, traditionally made out of potatoes. Based on personal experience, the absolute best dish in the entire place is the rolled . The pasta is soft and tender, the flavor is really light and well-balanced with strips of cheese and actual shavings from the truffle. It’s a first bite that’s rather unforgettable and the singular reason we fell in love with this venue.

For gnocchi, the Gnocchi alla Romana ($18) is the most comforting option on the menu that arrives in a small cooking dish loaded with sauce soaking the plump dumplings which are prepared in the Roman style, not using potatoes, but, traditionally, with semolina flour, milk, butter, egg yolks and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The dish features disc-shaped dumplings baked in the oven and covered in sauce and cheese.

If pasta isn’t your choice, the menu also offers a few, protein central dishes: Bone-In New York Strip (seasoned with rosemary, sea salt, and olive oil), Pork Chop (done with Parma Ham, Cherry, Hazelnut, and Basil), Brick Chicken (garnished with warm olive, salsa verde, and lemon), and Whole Grilled Fish (simply with lemon, olive oil, and fried herbs).

Of course, for desserts, there’s a short menu offering a few seasonal options for sorbet and gelato, otherwise there's ($9) and Pumpkin Panna Cotta ($9). My top suggestion is the lemon doughnuts, they are utterly delectable, though very simple and paired with a super rich chocolate to dip in. If you’re of age, there’s a wide range of alcoholic options to finish your meal as well including Grappa & Cognacs, Dessert Wines, and a selection of Amaretto.

Prices across meals range from $10 to $15 typically. Drinks range from $2 (non-alcoholic) to a $10 maximum per (unless you’re buying an entire bottle of wine. Overall, for the size of portions and quality of food, Hattie’s has good value.

Prices are on the agreeable side of nice or the lower tier of expensive. Appetizers range from $5 to $18 depending on what it is. If you’re looking to get a starter without adding too much of an expense to the bill, try the X. For an entree, the price point is on average around $20, though some dishes are closer to $25 or $40.

Also, it’s important to keep in mind that Tavolata has a 20 percent service charge on all checks, 100% of which is distributed to the staff as wages and commissions to ensure equal pay to all the people involved in the preparation of your dinner. So, when checking one’s wallet before strutting through the door of this establishment, make sure that’s calculated in.

In short, if you need a dinner spot for a snug date spot with your partner or an inviting space for an entire group, check out Tavolata in Belltown (or Capital Hill) of Seattle, Washington.