Ricardo's Kitchen + Bar: A Memorable Dining Experience

Tucked away inconspicuously in a business district in Lacey, Ricardo’s Kitchen and Bar is a family-owned steakhouse serving customers a memorable dining experience. Their award-winning dry-aged beef and seasonally inspired menu, sourced locally and regionally, is a highlight not to be missed for visitors wanting to celebrate a special occasion, enjoy a date night together, or spend just quality time over an exceptional meal with impeccable service.

The highlight of a visit to Ricardo’s is their dry-aged steaks. Dry-aging meat is a time-honored technique that transforms the flavor and texture of their beef. The meat is exposed to controlled temperature and humidity conditions in-house in a specialized aging room. Over several weeks or even months, the natural enzymes within the meat break down the connective tissues, resulting in a more tender and flavorful final product.

The interaction between the meat and the air during dry aging imparts subtle, nuanced flavors, such as nutty, earthy, umami, or even slightly sweet notes.

The duration of the dry-aging process varies, with the tenderloins aged for 30 days, the prime rib for 45 days, and the Tomahawk steak on the bone up to 50 days. The longer the meat is dry-aged, the more pronounced the flavor and texture changes become, allowing for a wide range of culinary experiences for the discerning palate.

Ricardo’s sources their beef from the Midwest where cattle are normally corn-fed and corn-finished, which gives them the consistency in flavor they’re after. Finishing on grain achieves a greater level of consistency in eating quality and premium marbling.

In addition to their mouth-watering beef options, you’ll also find inventive appetizers, fresh salads, house-made pasta, as well as seafood, chicken, pork, and even venison. The menu changes roughly three times a year to highlight seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms within Thurston County such as Cosmic Turtle Farm in Tenino and Wobbly Cart Farm in Rochester, as well as other growers throughout the state of Washington.

How Ricardo's Started and How It's Going

Shane Holland has been working in restaurants since he was twelve. Raised in a small town north of Seattle, he moved with his wife down to Olympia, her hometown, to start their family. Shane took what he thought would be a quick break from real estate and embraced his love of food and hospitality after discovering Ricardo’s Kitchen and Bar in Lacey. Starting as a server, Shane quickly worked his way up the “food chain” by taking on their bookkeeping for eight months and then accepting the General Manager position, all the while thinking it was just temporary. But Shane soon fell in love with Ricardo’s mission of exceptional cuisine and service and found himself wanting to make it his own.

In October of 2020, Shane brought on Chef Mikael Besnier-Bautista, and while COVID mostly shuttered the restaurant, together they worked on a plan to grow the restaurant, building on the solid foundation already in place. In the span of six years Shane went from working as a server, to owning the restaurant outright. “Working for six years with both the front and back of the house staff made it an easy transition,” says Shane, “that team synergy was already there.”

Making An Amazing Experience Even Better

Shane and Mikael took what’s always worked at Ricardo’s – amazing steaks – and added a new flair thanks to Chef Mikael’s experience in upscale dining.

Born and raised in France, Chef Mikael was surrounded by good food. He spent time with his grandparents who sold produce from their farm at the local market and distributed it throughout their community, and he was no stranger to his aunt and uncle’s restaurant. As soon as he discovered he could travel and enjoy food at the same time, his fate was sealed. A school program allowed him to travel through Europe, working in high-end restaurants and learning the trade in both Ireland and Spain. When he came to America, he first settled in the Napa Valley area where he continued to hone his culinary skills and then met the love of his life.

Chef Mikael has brought both his love of find dining and upscale cuisine to Ricardo’s, encouraging diners to experience more nuanced dishes like his signature seared quail breast and confit leg, served with wagyu confit potato, green peas, pancetta, peanut, mint, merlot pan sauce. Another fan favorite is the Beef and Shrimp Diablo: Filet tenderloin bites seared with shrimp and deglazed in a tomato spicy cream sauce.

The craft cocktail program at Ricardo’s is legendary and meticulously thought out with freshly squeezed juices and house-made syrups. They’re happy to make wine recommendations from their extensive list, and if you really want to go pro, don’t miss their Happy Hour.

If you’re in Lacey mid-week, stop by Ricardo’s on Wednesdays for fresh sushi created by Sushi Master James Reese, who serves an exclusive roll topped with their dry-aged filet. Add sushi to your 45-day aged ribeye entrée and top it off with Manotsura “Bulzai” sake like the locals do.

Ricardo’s Kitchen & Bar
676 Woodland Square Loop SE, Lacey, WA 98503

(360) 413-9995

Tuesday – Thursday: 3 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 3 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Closed: Monday – Tuesday

https://ricardoskitchenandbar.com/