Saturday, September 28, 2013

Piada Italian Street Food

The scooter finally parks in Cincinnati

The Drink Station at Piada Italian Street Food
      Chain restaurants are usually not our thing, but every once in a while one comes along that merits some standout qualities.  We've been anxious for Piada, with Columbus origins, to migrate south to our city.  It's taken almost two years since our first visit to the Bexley restaurant, but now the light is
truly on in the Piada in CIncinnati.

"I Have to Say, I Prefer the Outdoor Patio"
      Eric and I visited on their first week of opening in the Hyde Park Plaza.  Piada is known to take over existing storefronts and buildings rather than doing new construction. It makes for each setting to be a little different and that lends some originality to every space.  The interior design is spot on with current trends.

      The concept was taken right from Chipotle's ordering model…starting with the basics of a piada (a thin crust dough), a pasta bowl, or chopped salad bowl.  From there you choose a protein (or vegetarian) and custom build your entrée.  Add a sauce, topping it off with ingredients that are constantly changed out for freshness.

Calamari Pasta Bowl




Eric chose the Calamari Pasta Bowl with the Diavolo sauce and artichokes, cucumbers, and parmesan reggiano.  It was a beautiful display with tender calamari as its feature.

Italian Sausage Bowl with Artichoke Piada Stick
I started with the Italian Sausage Pasta Bowl and the Parmesan Alfredo sauce.  Adding artichokes, mushrooms, pancetta (I highly recommend it), red onions and more grated parmesan reggiano, I dove into my mix exploring the spicy sausage with fennel and the mild alfredo sauce.  We shared an Artichoke Piada Stick, which is a nice way to sample their signature item without a commitment as an entrée.  

Cannoli Chips
      The staff is helpful, plentiful, and generous.  We were greeted by the manager who gave us a brief updated tour.  After we finished he came by to confirm that everything was fine and offered us a bag of their Cannoli Chips for the road.  Twist our arms!  We had not experienced them prior to this visit, but I can assure you they will be a part of every future one.  Eric likened them to a deconstructed cannoli pastry and that was exactly what they were.  Broken (some not) pastry chips with a chocolate chip cream dipping sauce that any Italian bakery would love as a filling.  Magnifico!

Also see our story from the Columbus Piada at:

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