Piccolo Bistro
“Piccolo bistro is the perfect place for lunch or dinner on a nice sunny day.”
“They have the best pesto sauce.”
“The restaurant offers a cozy, romantic indoor atmosphere and outdoor seating (a rarity in Ridgewood).”
Piccolo Bistro
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
2 reviews
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Wanted a light lunch after 2pm. This town's deserted on a Friday afternoon in the summer — so lots of closed rooms.
Enter Piccolo Bistro.
Cute little place, inside and out. Relative newcomer (March, 2016) with plenty of seating outside — like for 100 people it seems — nicely set back and gated from the street — sorta California style. All the seats (in and out) were empty, but for ours. Sometimes (like today) that really works for me when I just want some private time with Sweetie on her rare weekday at home.
We shared a cold tomato/basil soup, mussels in garlic and white wine, kale caesar's with shrimp and a Caprese salad with balsamic glaze. I wanted to like the food more, mostly because the space was comfortable and our server (Danielle) was so polite and helpful that it was easier to overlook some of the food flaws.
The Good: Caprese was honest, good fresh tomato's, creamy burrata with a tight pellicle, and just a drizzle of balsamic glaze to tie it together. The best was the tomato/basil soup — cold and creamy, perfectly smooth mouth feel, and just the right balance of salt, sweet and acid. I liked the soup very much — and a large bowl would have been a great main for me with more of the warm semolina knots they served with the meal to dip and scrape the bowl.
Less Successful: The mussels were tiny and had that nasty clinginess to the shell that suggests old. They ate a bit off, and while you could taste wine and garlic in the brine — it needed more punch and seasoning. Similarly, the kale caesars, while inventive, was mushy with a dressing that tasted more like mayo than caesars. Caesars is always about the dressing and crisp greens. The dressing was missing that anchovy, garlic, lemon and parmesan punch that the best versions of this salad showcase. That said, the croutons were good and the shrimp alongside was perfectly charred and seasoned.
Our lunch (at $52.00 before tip) was a solid 3.0 — and we will return for dinner to sample more of the menu. We understand the chef is brand new and this usually means working stuff out in the kitchen will take some time. We will give dinner a try one night and see what we see. TBC.
Piccolo bistro is the perfect place for lunch or dinner on a nice sunny day. They have by far the best outdoor seating area in Ridgewood-not just a couple tables on the sidewalk like every other restaurant but a cute little courtyard decorated with plants. Dinner was fantastic-the staff was so kind and seemed like they genuinely cared about our dining experience. One of the friendliest waiters I have ever had. The bread that came in the beginning was soooooo warm and fluffy, and it came with pesto sauce which was incredible. We started off with the arugula salad which had quinoa, apples and walnuts. Phenomenal. Perfect touch of crunchiness from the quinoa apple and walnuts. I then had the gnocchi-very well prepared with generous portions. We were too full for dessert so we had to skip but I am looking forward to coming back here again!