Piccolo
Swimster had some free time last Tuesday and since it was my weekend we decided to hang out for a few hours and go to lunch. Now that he has a part-time job on top of being in a challenging grad school program, I’ll take any of his free time I can get.
Swimster lives in Gramercy and we decided to walk around and pick a place that looked good. When we spotted the charming exterior of Piccolo and glanced at their lunch menu we decided to give it a shot.
Minus an old ornery couple sitting next to us (the lady ordered milk, when the server brought milk, she snapped at him and said she didn’t ask for it-liar) and a lone man in the far corner of the restaurant with a bottle of wine in front of him (I kept thinking how he could tell his nose from his ears after drinking the entire bottle and a glass of port), we were the only other customers in the restaurant. It was a little bit past lunchtime so the quiet dining room was understandable.
The server was extremely friendly and by the end of the lunch we learned he was Italian, disappointed in me being half Italian and not learning the language, he married an American girl, and he was heading to the gym after his shift.
The dining room was painted in a rustic dark golden color, and old paintings hung on the walls. Mantels held various jugs of wines, olive oil and flowers. We sat in a row of tables against the windows in the front that went from ceiling to floor. I imagine in the summer they make use of these with open-air seating. A little taste of Tuscany in Gramercy.
Menu memorables: Swimster and I ordered fried calamari to share. The calamari came with a marinara boat and we dipped the little fellers in the warm sauce. It had a nice kick to it with some pepper flakes. The calamari was simple and good. For my entrée I ordered a penne with chicken, tomato, artichokes, mushrooms, broccoli, black olives and white wine. This dish had my name all over it. Whether it’s ice cream or pasta the more “toppings” the better. The penne was cooked al dente as were the veggies (too often I find veggies in pasta to be soggy and overcooked). The wine sauce was light and delicate, perfect with all the other action in the bowl. I appreciated their generosity with the tender chicken chunks. Swimster ordered the filet of sole sautéed with white wine, lemon and capers. I stole not one but two big bites of this sole because one bite wasn’t enough. I’ve had sole before but never this good. This was sole with soul. The richness of the caper sauce balanced well with the simple white fish. And the meal doesn’t stop here. Despite telling our server Eden we didn’t have room for dessert, he insisted on bringing us "coffees" on the house. Only these were alcohol-enriched coffees. I tried one with Kahlua and Swimster tried one with amaretto. Both were delicious, and a very friendly gesture on behalf of Eden.
Happy to have discovered this neighborhood gem, we promised Eden we would be back. And the good news is, Piccolo is part of the Chelsea Dining Group and I am now curious to see if the others are as pleasant as Piccolo.
226 3rd Ave., b/t 19th & 20th St
212-420-0600
Swimster lives in Gramercy and we decided to walk around and pick a place that looked good. When we spotted the charming exterior of Piccolo and glanced at their lunch menu we decided to give it a shot.
Minus an old ornery couple sitting next to us (the lady ordered milk, when the server brought milk, she snapped at him and said she didn’t ask for it-liar) and a lone man in the far corner of the restaurant with a bottle of wine in front of him (I kept thinking how he could tell his nose from his ears after drinking the entire bottle and a glass of port), we were the only other customers in the restaurant. It was a little bit past lunchtime so the quiet dining room was understandable.
The server was extremely friendly and by the end of the lunch we learned he was Italian, disappointed in me being half Italian and not learning the language, he married an American girl, and he was heading to the gym after his shift.
The dining room was painted in a rustic dark golden color, and old paintings hung on the walls. Mantels held various jugs of wines, olive oil and flowers. We sat in a row of tables against the windows in the front that went from ceiling to floor. I imagine in the summer they make use of these with open-air seating. A little taste of Tuscany in Gramercy.
Menu memorables: Swimster and I ordered fried calamari to share. The calamari came with a marinara boat and we dipped the little fellers in the warm sauce. It had a nice kick to it with some pepper flakes. The calamari was simple and good. For my entrée I ordered a penne with chicken, tomato, artichokes, mushrooms, broccoli, black olives and white wine. This dish had my name all over it. Whether it’s ice cream or pasta the more “toppings” the better. The penne was cooked al dente as were the veggies (too often I find veggies in pasta to be soggy and overcooked). The wine sauce was light and delicate, perfect with all the other action in the bowl. I appreciated their generosity with the tender chicken chunks. Swimster ordered the filet of sole sautéed with white wine, lemon and capers. I stole not one but two big bites of this sole because one bite wasn’t enough. I’ve had sole before but never this good. This was sole with soul. The richness of the caper sauce balanced well with the simple white fish. And the meal doesn’t stop here. Despite telling our server Eden we didn’t have room for dessert, he insisted on bringing us "coffees" on the house. Only these were alcohol-enriched coffees. I tried one with Kahlua and Swimster tried one with amaretto. Both were delicious, and a very friendly gesture on behalf of Eden.
Happy to have discovered this neighborhood gem, we promised Eden we would be back. And the good news is, Piccolo is part of the Chelsea Dining Group and I am now curious to see if the others are as pleasant as Piccolo.
226 3rd Ave., b/t 19th & 20th St
212-420-0600
posted by Mona at 11:57 AM
3 Comments:
That sounds like such a wonderful little find!
S'kat, yes it was! Happy Halloween!
*Paz, yes it most definitely is. And I'm anxious to go back and try other things on their menu.
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