Salida soon will get some new cuisine coming to 148 W. First St. with Lago Trattoria, an Italian restaurant and offshoot from Shavano Restaurant on Sackett Avenue.
Lago is scheduled to open in early March, at the left of the newly reopened Office Bar.
Robbie Balenger, one of the owners, said the name Lago comes from a town in Italy, Salida’s Sister City and a place from which many early Salida families immigrated.
“We just really enjoyed the process of bringing Shavano to the community and felt like there was a way to bring more, add more to the Salida food scene and to provide another restaurant for our group that maintains the standard of food produced locally,” Balenger said. Many of their ingredients are imported, he added, due to the traditional ingredients required; however, they use local produce and meat from Hutchinson Ranch.
Lago values “getting to nourish the community by offering fresh clean food,” he said. The owners also strive to create a “vibrant place for people to be social.”
Lago’s atmosphere will be more casual than Shavano’s, Balenger said, and they have future plans for a to-go component, once the business flow has been established. Balenger said Lago will serve single-plate dishes, usually around $15-20 in price. Their chef, who also cooks for Shavano, is Jesse Rogers.
Rogers began learning to cook Italian food near the beginning of his career, when at age 21 he started a culinary apprenticeship at The Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs. He moved to Colorado from his hometown of McLean, Virginia.
“Over the years I’ve learned a lot about different foods from Italy,” Rogers said. “I eat something, I really enjoy it, and then I learn how to make it.”
Rogers said his favorite food to make on their planned menu is cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper), which is a simple Roman pasta dish using pecorino romano and black pepper. “Italians, a lot of food they cook is very simple – a few ingredients done very well,” he said.
Their salads are also inspired by classic Italian salads, he added. “I really love the combination of pasta and salad.”
Rogers said he most looks forward to eating the food he makes. “It’s fun to eat the things that I love.”
Balenger said they will likely have a grand opening when they open their doors in March, at which point they will be hiring for both their kitchen and front of house. That is another reason they look forward to opening – “to continue to be a good employer in town,” he said.
Balenger said the dish he is most looking forward to is “a very classic spaghetti and meatballs.”
Dining and Cooking