Mike Easton, the chef behind the legendary Il Corvo, the charming Il Nido, and the pretty-much-also-legendary Bar Bacetto in Waitsburg, is planning a pizza restaurant in Walla Walla. He and his wife, Erin, will transform the space at 1619 E Isaacs into a den of Detroit-style deep-dish pies.

Mike promises “a real rock and roll dive bar feel,” with black walls, great music, and copious amounts of drinks. Before the Eastons married and moved to Waitsburg to open Bar Bacetto, he lived in West Seattle. His pizzeria will draw loose inspiration from Mark Fuller’s Supreme pizza bar, a neighborhood favorite back then.

This isn’t Easton’s first pizza rodeo. A decade ago, the chef opened Pizzeria Gabbiano, a marvelous Roman-style lunch counter in Pioneer Square that sold pizza by weight. It only lasted a few years, but those al taglio pies were so inventive, so extraordinary, we put them on the cover of a magazine back in the day. The Walla Walla spot, however, will focus on Detroit-style pies, baked in steel pans with that crispy ring of frico cheese around the edge. Pizza photos from recent practice sessions/Bacetto staff meals look very promising.

Why Detroit-style? “I fucking love it,” says Mike. Those pan pies also lend themselves to advance dough prep, handy for a guy splitting his time between a new pizzeria and a pasta restaurant that keeps earning national recognition. The James Beard Foundation recently named Bar Bacetto a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. 

This won’t be Easton’s first Walla Walla rodeo either; he did the opening menu for Passatempo Taverna, a rustic Italian restaurant that remains a consistent local favorite.

Mike and Erin have been busy staffing up at Bar Bacetto, so they can work on the new location, which thankfully already has pizza ovens. The restaurant’s name still isn't 100 percent confirmed, but the Eastons currently call it Bacetto Detroit-Style. Am I allowed to be a little bit sad that he’s strayed from his historic penchant for Italian monikers, especially ones that honor birds?

Given Mike's track record of Italophile pasta restaurants, throwing a rock and roll dive bar in the mix might seem like a stylistic leap. But he has a long history with music (and a recording studio at his house). Before he became a chef, he worked as a recording engineer and played (even toured) with various bands.

The new pizzeria will likely open in late summer. And yes, you'll be able to order takeout.