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My love for Cafe Lago’s perfect lasagna knows no bounds. And now, there is another place to get owner Carla Leonardi’s wonderful food—though sadly, for now anyway, not the lasagna. 

Leonardi opened the doors to Little Lago, an Italian market and deli, in Portage Bay on Monday, in the space formerly inhabited by Canal Market. This makes sense, since Ericka Burke’s unfortunately failed market was designed (and zoned) as a similar concept—Leonardi is reportedly doing everything she can to make Little Lago an asset to the ‘hood.

From this view, we can’t see how it won’t be. Visitors can expect rotisserie chicken, pizzas prepared in the wood stone oven, wine and beer on tap, imported Italian goods, seasonal produce, and house-made gelato. There are just a few four-top tables and limited bar seating at the pizza counter; all the shelves, tables, bars, etc. inside were designed and built by Lago bartender Addis Manley. Monday’s soft opening was apparently so busy they ran out of pizza dough by dinner—you can be Leonardi won’t let that happen again, though.

Now, if we can only persuade her to offer take-home lasagnas.

Portage Bay, 2919 Fuhrman Ave. E; 206.922.3324; littlelago.com.