The Seattle Times’ Nancy Leson already brought us the scoop on Il Corvo, the new pasta spot from Chef Mike Easton.

As Leson mentioned, Easton (Bizarro Italian Cafe, Lecosho) is leaving the full-time restaurant grind to open up a weekday lunch business, sharing space with Procopio Gelato along the Pike Place Hillclimb.

From 11am to 3pm on weekdays, he will be serving a daily menu consisting of three or four simply dressed homemade pastas, plus a selection of antipasti that will be priced around $3. (Pasta dishes will run around $7).

I stopped in yesterday to check on his progress, and got a chance to see his set-up and some of the amazing pastas—pappardelle, raviolini, gargati—he makes with his collection of medieval-looking tools. And while the pastas look gorgeous, I’m equally excited about the antipasti: simple delicacies dictated by the seasons—yesterday, for instance, he sliced an orange, drizzled it with Moroccan olive oil, than sprinkled it with sea salt and smoked paprika. That’s what I want for lunch.

Oh and here’s another bit of exciting news: Easton told me he will be teaching pasta-making classes and hosting small-scale private dinners at the space too. Also on the horizon: a liquor license. Easton said he’d love to take advantage of the shop’s prime patio real estate with a glass of prosecco in the early afternoon. And he plans to extend that opportunity to customers.

Il Corvo—named for Easton’s favorite animal, the crow—opens May 2. Check out the chef’s blog for more information on his gadgets.