Oct. 05, 2005 - Issue #520: Fall Style

In a Piccolino

Great prices and an extremely friendly owner make Piccolino's one of Edmonton's best

With Grandma coming through town, we’ve got ourselves last-minute babysitter, so it’s time for a date. I suggest Piccolino’s, one of those strip-mall gems that dot the city of Edmonton; my wife isn’t optimistic about our chances of getting in, and rightly so: Piccolino’s doesn’t do much in the way of advertising, but it’s pretty busy nonetheless, even on a weekday. On Friday and Saturday, there’s no chance of getting a table just by walking in—reservations are definitely required, and best made a week in advance, so I’m taking a huge chance with my last minute request. But luck is with us and I manage to snag a table for two.

Upon our arrival we’re greeted by the smiling face of Lino Rago, the amiable host. Lino greets all his guests is if they’re his best friends, even if it’s your first time. To the uninitiated, it can be a little disconcerting, but there’s no falseness in his welcome. He’s really glad to see you. Even though we’re famished, we start slowly, with the calamari ($6.50). Sometimes it’s a risky choice in restaurants because calamari can breaded to the point where you might as well get an order of popcorn chicken from KFC, or it’s so chewy you feel like you’re eating pencil erasers. But our plate of squid is excellent; the breading is light and subtle, and the chew factor is just right. And the accompany aioli sauce for dipping adds just enough zest.

To save time and space for dessert, we pass on salad and move directly into the entrées. My wife picks the grilled chicken with garlic prawns ($10.95), one of the five specials available outside the regular menu. Check the chalkboard when you come in or just ask your sever. I vacillate. Should I choose a pizza ($10-12)? (Piccolino’s offers some of the finest thin crust pizzas in town and though they don’t deliver, they do have pickup.) Or should I fall back on the house special, Cannelloni Piccolino ($9): veal and mozzarella rolled in handmade pasta baked in a tomato sauce? There’s also a twin dish, the Cannelloni con Funghi ($10), and if you ask nicely, Lino will combine both in one dish. Filling.

But I pick the Gnocchi Al Forno ($9), partly because I know they hand-make the potato pasta in the back and mostly because I just like saying gnocchi. My wife revels in her dish and when she slips me a forkful of chicken I understand why: it’s light, tender and the flavours are soft and alluring.

My gnocchi arrives steamy hot—maybe a bit too hot, as my mouth is so overwhelmed by the temperature of the dish that a third of the meal is gone before I can really appreciate the blend of cheese and tomato sauce. It’s a satisfying meal, but I wonder if I should have chosen the cannelloni instead.

“Should we get our own?” I start to ask my wife about dessert and plan to complete the query about sharing one, but I don’t get the chance to finish the question before she declines. Of course, there’s no choice for dessert but the tiramisu. Oh sure, there are probably other choices, really, but when it’s the best tiramisu in town, why pick anything else?

We’re done in time and throughout the meal, there’s been no sense of being rushed. We head out the door, leftovers in hand—but the experience isn’t complete until Lino says goodbye with a pat on the shoulder and a “hope to see you again?” V

Piccolino’s
142 St and 91 Ave • 443-2110

More info about Piccolino’s →

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