Popular Tacoma steakhouse to transform into regional Italian restaurant for 1 month only

New year, new Asado — temporarily, that is.

The Sixth Avenue steakhouse turns 20 in 2025, and to celebrate, the restaurant will do things a bit differently in January. Instead of the Argentinian bent Tacomans have come to know and love since the mid-aughts, the cucina will travel to Piedmont, the Alpine region of northwestern Italy.

Oltre by Asado launched Jan. 2 and will run through Sunday, Feb. 2. The standard Asado menu will not be available during that time, but service and kitchen staff remain the same.

The hope, explained executive chef Roger Weatherhead, is “providing some really quality food … to create something exciting for our guests with the same quality and level of service that they’d expect from Asado.”

With the help of his sous chef Jacob Lindaman, formerly of The Table, he has developed a menu featuring such emblematic dishes as agnolotti, a dainty, twisted raviolo-esque pocket filled here with butternut squash, ricotta and parsnip purée; tajarin (“tah-ya-reen”), a skinnier version of the egg-based tagliatelle, tossed generously with butter, sage and Grana Padano; and risotto with goat cheese, mushrooms and hazelnuts, which, as a prolific Piedmontese nut, show up in various forms at Oltre.

There are also salads, semolina-fried calamari, grilled rapini and garlicky beans. In a nod to Asado’s roots, indulge still in two steaks: a Mishima Reserve striploin with salmoriglio, an herbaceous green sauce, and a tenderloin with roasted shallots.

The bar has also created a special cocktail and wine list for the occasion. Glass pours and select bottles include all-Italian picks, including a 2020 Barbera and 2018 Barolo Ravera, both from Piedmont.

ASADO TURNS 20

Why shake things up this way, and only for a limited time?

John Xitco of parent company X Group Restaurants said it’s all about highlighting the workers who make a restaurant, well, a restaurant.

“We have been there for 20 years, which is a huge feat on its own, and I thought it would be fun to give the kitchen 100% control for a month and allow them to spread their wings,” he said in a message just ahead of the pop-up’s debut.

“We are a concept-driven restaurant, and I’ve always thought that it was important to keep the chefs inspired,” he added in a press release. “Stepping outside of our day-to-day norm allows everyone — guests included — to have fun and experience something new. It also allows us to be vulnerable and appreciate the things that we already do even more.”

He presented the idea to the management team in November. The chef was initially apprehensive, Weatherhead admitted last Thursday as he was prepping for a final staff training and tasting. After joining Asado about two years ago, he worked to fine-tune their core offerings and maintain a consistent budget.

“To turn that upside on its head is daunting, but also, you know, it just seemed like too fun of an opportunity to pass up,” said Weatherhead.

He and Lindaman tossed around some ideas, considering logistical challenges and equipment limitations. They already made pappardelle in-house, and both chefs “have a love for fresh-made pasta,” noted Weatherhead, whose resume includes time at Seattle’s beloved (and just-closed) Art of the Table. They eventually landed in Piedmont.

Bordering France and Switzerland, the region’s cuisine shares “a lot of ingredients and a lot of techniques, and even some dishes under different names,” continued the head chef. Beyond the more typical red-sauce of America’s many Italian eateries, “It’s also a region that’s not usually highlighted.”

“We’re really excited about the whole menu and process as a whole,” he said.

In addition to the handmade pastas, he called out a whole branzino — wood-fired in Asado’s signature oven — and steaks.

“Whether that’s regionally appropriate for what we’re doing, we wanted to have some nod to Asado as well.”

With just under two dozen dishes, including desserts, the menu is fairly “streamlined,” added Weatherhead, with the goal of letting the ingredients shine and the cooks focus on technique and execution.

Like Asado, Oltre will offer happy hour, too — no reservations, only in the bar, 4-6 p.m. daily. Save on the provolone fonduta burger, the Caesar and a few snacks like $3 oysters, and snag $9 cocktails and $8 house wine.

Fans of the usual Asado Cucina Argentina need not worry: It will return in full force on Monday, Feb. 3.

OLTRE BY ASADO

▪ 2810 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-7770, asadotacoma.com

▪ Sunday-Thursday 4-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 4-10 p.m.; happy hour 4-6 p.m. at the bar

▪ Details: month-long kitchen takeover in honor of 20th anniversary, featuring a limited-time menu of Piedmontese dishes (starters $7-$22, pastas and mains $24-$60), wines and cocktails

▪ Reservations: recommended by phone or via Resy (happy hour lounge seats walk-in only)

This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.