
We knew from many reviews that the wait at Piccolo Forno can sometimes be quite long, so at the risk of seeming like senior citizens, we decided to get there around 5 pm. We were prepared: it's BYOB so, for the second week in a row, we remembered to grab a bottle of wine. We left home a little bit after 4 pm, planning to stop at Costco to look at something before heading into town.
Well if you live in Pittsburgh, you know what the weather was like between about 4 and 5:30 pm last Saturday. We didn't even bother parking at Costco because it was raining so hard we decided it wasn't worth getting drenched to check out some stuff. Visibility when driving wasn't too great. Some idiots were driving without their lights on. And we suddenly remembered our newly discovered laundry room leak (seems it only happens in torrential downpours, which we've had a lot of lately) so we headed home. And sat in the basement looking for leaks and trying to ascertain their origins until around 5:30 pm when we once again set off.
Along the way, we encountered lots of storm aftermath, including this roadblock right around the bend from our house:

We got hung up on Rte 60 along where Sapporo and the Fort Pitt Motel are - lots of rushing muddy rainwater flooding the road and parking lots. At one point a tree was down and blocking the road, so we again had to turn around and try a different route. Forty-five minutes after leaving home, we were pulling into the thankfully somewhat empty Piccolo Forno parking lot. SP went over to check on the wait time: 35-40 minutes. After the effort to get there, we figured, OK, let's wait. Only one outdoor table was occupied, by a very nice older couple who tried to convince us the rain was over and we should sit outside!
We got a little nervous because some people who were waiting before we got there would check on their wait time and discover it had somehow actually increased - ? Some who arrived after us and went in left in disgust at the wait, which I think at this point (6:45 pm) was being quoted as 1.5-2 hours. Yikes! We were seated a bit before 7 pm, which was right within the 35-40 minutes quoted. We were seated at a table right next to a mini kitchen/serving area.
I plunked our wine on the table and our server quickly brought us waters, wine glasses, and opened our wine. Thank goodness - after the past week's basement leaks, kitchen ant invasion, broken lawnmower, peeling sunroom floor, and horrible rain, I really needed a yummy, relaxing meal washed down with some wine!!

We quickly realized that there were so many delicious sounding meals that we should share everything we ordered. To start, we chose Crostini di Polenta:

SP ordered the Soup of the Day: Red Pepper & Onion:

We ordered 2 entrees to share. First, Canelloni di Zucchini con Sugo di Verdure:



We ate half of each entree and got the leftovers boxed. Did our server think we were done? Oh no, not this server! I had been thinking about tiramisu all night, especially after the tiramisu disappointments last weekend, but, to my utter disappointment, they were out of tiramisu!!!!! I was so sad! I consoled myself with these desserts instead:



Our server was very good. When we asked her to describe, again, the fruit tart, she went and got a piece to show us the dessert. The pace of our meal was nice, too. We didn't feel like there were any long lapses, dishes were cleared promptly, SP's water was kept filled, we were not rushed after dessert even though there were people waiting - they were OK with us finishing our last sips of wine. This is not to say we lingered for a half hour or so after paying, but after paying we finished the wine and SP used the restroom which probably means we lingered for 10 minutes after paying.
We plan to return to Piccolo Forno. We really enjoyed our meal. It's BYOB with $5 corkage fee per bottle. It's loud inside. And there can be a long wait, so be prepared. But in our opinion, the food is well worth the wait
I'm so glad it was good! I have renewed hope in Pittsburgh restaurants! (And really want to go now!)
ReplyDeleteI'm DYING to try this place! No one ever wants to go with me and it doesn't seem like the kind of place I'd be comfortable going alone. But my gosh, everything looks soooo good! Especially those desserts!
ReplyDeleteWow, quite a journey you had! Haha. I really enjoy Piccolo Forno and I am glad you liked it too!
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