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Piccolo Forno, Pittsburgh, PA

Lawrenceville is home to many of the fantastic eateries that folks are raving about these days. Since my move from Shadyside to Mount Washington, I haven’t been hanging in that neighborhood as much as I’d like. One Friday evening, however, good friend and fellow foodie, Amy and I headed to LoLa (lower Larryville) to try out Piccolo Forno. Piccolo Forno has become known for its wood-fired pizzas and homemade pasta. Pizza and pasta?! AND it’s BYOB?! Why have I not visited this place before?

Amy and I had planned to meet at 6:30pm, but the restaurant was already boasting a two hour wait. We tucked our two bottles of wine into a handy bottle carrier, and stepped across the street to another Lawrenceville must-try, Round Corner Cantina, for some pre-pizza beers. Round Corner Cantina is very dark and very hip, but more on that place another time.

When we returned to Piccolo Forno, we waited just a few more minutes before being escorted through the very small, very crowded restaurant to our little table. Our server immediately began twisting, twisting, twisting the cork out of our WTWB (wine that we brought), as Amy (pescetarian) and I (‘Flex’) began discussing our dinner options. As I scanned the other dining tables in the room, I saw complex-looking salads and large (decidedly NOT “piccolo”) bowls of pasta. Then, as though God himself were inviting me to his alter, I laid my eyes upon Piccolo Forno’s massive wood-burning pizza oven. And it was Good.

It seems that all of the pizzas are basically built off of the original Tuscan masterpiece, the Margherita, with crushed tomatoes and fresh mozzerella. We ordered two pies. We ordered a specialty pizza from the menu, the “Tonno e Cipolle” (crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, imported Tuna, red onions and capers), and we added toppings to the margherita for our second pie (eggplant & mushrooms). Also, I ordered a small house salad to start.

I apologize for not having fresher photos of my meal at Piccolo Forno. I get all excited and side-tracked and I usually don’t remember to take photos until it’s time to come up for air. (I promise to work on that!) The good news is that photos don’t do the food of Piccolo Forno justice. This was one of the most invigorating food experiences I’ve had in a long time! The freshness and variety of ingredients in the house salad provided a wonderful warm-up to my dinner.

I’m having some trouble coming up with the words to describe my anticipation when the server arrived with our pizza. The topography of the eggplant pizza looked no less mountainous than the surface of the moon. Thick, round slices of eggplant piled tall in the middle of the pie, and allowed the fresh mozzarella, sliced mushrooms, and wonderful, simple sauce to fill in around them toward the outer crust.

I wish that every pizza was blanketed with such a simple, sweetly-spicy sauce. Out of all kinds of pizza, I think I must like a simple margherita the best, and Piccolo Forno scored high on my list of the best of the basics.

The Tonno e Cipolli appeased a different, more exotic set of standards. As a fan of tuna, red onions, and capers, I had a good feeling about this pizza pie. There was a sweetness to this combination of ingredients, again accentuated by the sweetness in the sauce. Capers made themselves known in every other bite, and surprisingly, the sliced red onion wasn’t overpowering. The (absolutely perfect) thin, floury crust provided a rustic template for both pizzas.

At the time of the meal, I wrote down that I enjoyed the eggplant & mushroom pizza better, but now I’m not so sure. I found myself pleasantly appeased at every turn! With every bite, my annoyance at the two hour wait disappeared. It’s worth it. I hope Piccolo Forno can maintain this quality of food and atmosphere for years to come. As a pizza fanatic, I am happy that I finally have a place to call my homebase.

Legume, Pittsburgh, PA

“You haven’t tried Legume?” That’s all I’ve been hearing for the past year, and my answer was always the same, “No I haven’t.” I finally decided to make reservations to see what all the hoopla was about. My girlfriend and I arrived at 7pm on a Friday evening. The restaurant was filled to capacity (40 or so seats) and as we made our way to the table we noticed that the patrons were busy eating, talking, and drinking wine. We sat down and had the opportunity to see a few of the main dishes that were being served around us; they looked delicious. We were becoming more and more eager to sample the food.

The interior of Legume is very unassuming; the walls are painted with warm colors, and there are minimal decorations on the walls. After a few minutes of waiting, we were seated by the hostess, Sarah Hooper, who also happens to be co-owner and wife of the Chef, Trevett Hooper. Our waiter arrived and explained the specials for the evening in a very educated manner; he must have been a foodie. After a few moments of indecision, we finally made up our minds. We would start with a house salad ($8.00) of mixed greens, gorgonzola cheese, candied walnuts, and house vinaigrette. As an appetizer, we decided to indulge; Duck Confit with Pear-Ginger Chutney ($12.00). For those of you not familiar with what this is, let me offer a short explanation. Duck Confit is made with the leg of the duck. It is seasoned, rubbed with garlic, and slowly cooked in its own fat for up to 10 hours. For my entrée I chose the ½ roasted chicken with roasted garlic and buttered-mashed potatoes ($18.00). My girlfriend opted for the special; Braised Veal with mashed potatoes and carrots ($26.00). For dessert we opted for the Hubbard Squash Flan with fresh cream and a homemade ginger-snap cookie.

The salad was a perfect start. The lettuce was crisp and cold; covered with just enough dressing so that we could decipher between the sweetness and bitterness of the different types of greens. The gorgonzola had just enough bite to it; the veins were sour (as they should be) but the whites of the cheese softened any harsh taste that may have (but wasn’t) present. The candied walnuts were meaty and soft, adding another component of texture. Lastly, the pears finished the salad with a sweet, soft taste.

Our duck confit arrived and we both smiled in anticipation. The duck was cooked perfectly; its flesh was soft, and flavorful. By the time our waiter arrived to ask if we were pleased with the dish, all that was left was a bone picked perfectly clean. All of this eating excitement and our main dishes were still on the way.

Our entrees arrived, and our waiter said “enjoy” with a small snicker- he knew we were about to be thrust into culinary extravagance. My girlfriend took a bite of her braised veal first. She smiled, and chuckled a bit. Her eyes grew large and she said, “You’re not going to believe this, try some.” I took a small nibble and began to laugh, because crying in public wouldn’t have been appropriate- it was that good. Obviously the meat had been braised for quite some time; hours even. It was flawless- cooked with veggies and just enough liquid to permeate the entire piece of veal. My chicken was just as good. It too was baked to exactness, and tasted as if it too had been braised. The meat was savory and moist; it literally melted in my mouth. The garlic mashed potatoes were rich and buttery, a perfect complement to the poultry. The roasted garlic bulbs that were placed around the dish were sweet; I ate them by themselves.

The Hubbard-Squash flan was placed in front of us soon after our empty entrée plates were taken away. We dug right in and weren’t surprised at how good it was too; a perfect ending to the perfect meal.

If you haven’t been to Legume, you’re missing out. The food is perfectly prepared by a Chef with obvious talent.

Legume

1113 South Braddock Avenue,

Swissvale, PA 15218-1250

(412) 371-1815‎