We've been to Picolinos four times now, and have had a great evening each time.

The new chef is good. We especially enjoyed the ravioli with goat cheese and the new tiramisu, and the grand piano really enhances the already-warm atmosphere.

Well done!!

We just ate at Picolinos for the first time tonight--I chose it partly because I've been eagerly waiting for a free evening to go there and partly because it's such a beautiful, sunny evening, I wanted to be somewhere that was filled with natural light. And Picolinos certainly is, what with those great big windows in front.

Our meal was wonderful. I had a pasta dish with scallops and prawns, with a glass of wine; I'm afraid I forgot what my husband had as I was too busy enjoying my own meal. The food was delicious, the service prompt and friendly, and we were never hurried along and enjoyed relaxing at our table (it was early and plenty of tables available, so we weren't being hogs :) And the evening cost under $50.00, including tax!

It was very pleasant, and we'll be back. A belated thank-you to the owner for delivering treats on cold winter days to us and our Girl Scouts who were selling cookies across the street from Pecolinos back in March!

Oops sorry for the long link... Here it is tiny if you wanna delete the previous post.

from Google maps street view:

http://tinyurl.com/7w6zyw

from Google maps street view:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q...

I was very excited to try this restaurant, so I brought some out-of-town guests there. My, the interior is gorgeous. We were seated at a nice table. Waiter was awkward, but who cares. The food was absolutely mediocre and therefore disappointing. Who needs mediocre Italian food in this town? I can go to QFC, buy a frozen dinner, and get a dinner as good as the one I was served.

I think I'll go and hang out at that lovely bar and eat appetizers the next time. Goodness, the ambience is lovely.

I hope Tom is reading this...look at all the hopes and desires for your place to do well! PLEASE MAKE APPROPRIATE CHANGES!!!!! Get a new chef, one that knows how schedule and cook for a resturant....delivery and timing is everything!!!

Went last night for dinner (our second time there) and was very disappointed. It seems like they are getting worse, not better with time. I, too, would like the restaurant to succeed as it is in walking distance from my house - but poor service and mediocre food (for the price) just won't cut it! I agree with Linda who said "they seated us and then forgot about us". We did not receive refills on soft drinks, no bread with the dinner. We ordered dessert, after 10 minutes spoons were brought to the table, then 10 minutes later the waitress came to tell us they were out of the dessert we ordered. Won't be back for awhile!

We went last Friday and had an enjoyable experience, but we weren't in a hurry and weren't there with the intention of writing a critical review. The ambience is nice, and the holiday decorations are very festive!

We were asked if we wanted bread, which was good, because I was famished. We were brought a basket with, I think, 4 slices for the two of us, and some oil (or was it vinagrette?) for dipping. The bread was wonderful, but I declined the waiter's offer to bring more because I wanted to have room for pizza.

We liked our pizza (special of the day, smoked chicken with carmelized onions). I also had a cup of the tomato-bread soup, which was delightfully generous in size but tasted a little too much like canned tomato soup. This is coming from someone who likes canned tomato soup--but I don't want to start my dinner at an upscale-ish pizzeria with a bowl of something I could make at home with some toasted bread cubes and a can of Campbell's.

The waiter was competent, but ever so slightly awkward, like he was trying too hard and not relaxed enough.

We'll definitely eat there again, for the ambience and because it's less than a mile from home. The food was short of amazing, but it was perfectly fine, and not overly expensive. We shared a pizza, I got soup, and we each had a glass of inexpensive wine, and I think it came to about $35.

After our meal, we wanted to linger, so proceeded to the bar for a few drinks before walking home, which was nice and convenient. The parking situation doesn't bother me since I never plan to drive there.

I've been here twice and have had more or less the same impressions on both visits. LOVE the ambience and decor. The Halloween art and pumpkins were perfect (from a mid October visit), loved the holiday decorations (from a visit last week). The servers don't seem too knowledgeable about the menu. Questions seem to throw them off. Water is filled promptly, love that. I know this is a minor detail, but on the first visit we received no bread with our meals. Second visit a server came around with the bread on a platter. He proceeded to serve each of us one slice of bread with tongs. Seemed a little silly and overdone. When I am eating Italian, I like a dish of sliced bread...not just one slice. That said, the bread was outstanding! The appetizers and entrees took a very very long time to arrive. This was true on both visits. Would love to bring my two small kids here (5 and 2), but the wait for food is just too long. The quality of food has been very inconsistent. Calamari soggy, Caesar salad average, croutons taste boxed, dry chicken kabobs. Sausage is tasty, a breaded pork dish was excellent. Also, on both visits (one quite early in the evening) the kitchen had run out of menu items. Our server, on the second visit, neglected to clue us in to what the kitchen had run out of until we were ready to order so made for some awkward last minute changes. We live close so REALLY want this place to succeed, but two months out there are still a lot of kinks to be worked out.

We read the reviews which are not favorable, but still wanted to try the new local restaurant. Disaster!!!! The restaurant itself is beautiful, and we were seated promptly and greeted by a friendly waitperson. Our drinks were slow to arrive, and our calamari appetizer (albeit it hot, fresh, crisp and tasty) took 37 minutes to reach our table. 30 minutes after that we gave up on our entrees ever arriving and offered to just pay for our dinner and leave. The manager comped our drinks and appetizer, but missed the point that this isn't about money or a bargain. Dinner can't take over an hour to reach the table in any restaurant. Busy professionals don't understand underperformance in any arena. We will try again in a few months to see if things have improved but these guys need to get their act together.

let me kmow when it is safe to return...tried the pizza there this last weekend, and it was not memorable...

We made our way over from the area, and were greeted warmly. The place is amazing, so well decorated and a great feeling of comfort and warmth. Our waitperson was on task, and we were well attened to by the staff. We had the pizza, it was fairly good, but not as good as we woudl have expected from a wood oven. The lenne pasta with sausage was tasty, but a little bland. All in all we hope the food gets better,it was not particularly memorable.. but no complaints abouthe atmosphere, and the service. We will try again an a couple of moths to see if the kitchen has their chops up by then.

We live in the neighborhood and love that we can walk to a great place so close (we usually walk to downtown Ballard as well).

We dined in late October and will be going back next week with our children.

We were warmly greeted and taken to our table quickly (they were busy, but no line). The White Pizza was the highlight. It was delicious -- the flavors really popped and complimented each other. The dessert menu was appealing and the Tiramisu was super. Our water was kept full and while the waiter took a while to get to our table to greet us, once she took our order, she was a great server.

The Caesar Salad -- needs more lemon, pepper and garlic. It was flat.

The fettucini noodles were yummy. The three-cheese sauce was not memorable, it needs more flavor. I'd have to say, more garlic, more pepper and more salt.

Given that it was early in week 3 or late week 2, these seemed like easy things to overcome. We look forward to returning!

Please make a few signature items you know are fabulous, and pull back on the stuff thatis not being raved about..the calamari, Panzanella sald (subsitute a Fall/winter salad) and take whatever tips and tricks you can to make the pizza the best...steal a chef from the High Life if you have to..just take a deep breath and start pushing the really good stuff, even if the menu is smaller it will at least be consistent and good. Enlist a good test group to give you honest feedback, or a consultant to help. Where is Shing Chen who used to have Market Street and Ovio's...?he may work at the Waterfront now, but he would be an excellent resource for getting the place going with rave reviews! I want you to be in the neighborhood, andI want you to be good...I have not been back after 2 very inferior meals...and I want to be back...

Anyone know what the phone number is so that I can make reservations?

A group of six of us tried this new venue last night - with open minds. We all agreed the atmosphere was very warm and comfortable, though it was a bit noisy for some of us. We all agreed the service was 'uneven' - very good at first seating and then they seemed to forget about us. Dishes tried were the Penne Pasta with the Puttenesca sauce plus a side of the Picolino's sausage (good but sauce not spicy enough), Penne Pasta Bologonese (s0-so average), a pizza I can't remember but the diner said it was "okay", Panzella salads (one diner liked it very much and the other thought it was over garlicked and the tomatoes were very mushy), Calamari (awful! the batter tasted like burnt flour but the little morsels were not overdone), two Caesar salads that were not memorable and one diner had the Vegetable sausage with polenta and he just about finished it despite not caring for the sausage very much. I thought the prices were reasonable and the wine prices seemed reasonable also. I too echo the words of others hoping this restaurant succeeds as we live in the neighborhood and would love to have a dependable good place to dine so close to home. The staff were very nice to accommodate our group of six when I called ahead - despite them not taking reservations. The place was jumping and we didn't have to wait more than a few minutes for our table. Let's hope the kitchen can improve a bit - please change the batter for the calamari!

Any good Panzanella is served when the tomatoes are at their peak....so no doubt the lack of flavor. I too had the pizza which was lackluster, I am hoping the staff can get some lessons on cooking a pizza in a wood fired oven...it takes practice, and can be done, I look forward to the improvements. I also can;t wait for happy hour and music.

I agree with Marco...we went there a few days ago and loved the atmosphere, but thought that the food needed some work. We live in the neighborhood and really want to go back often, so I am glad to see they are interested in constructive feedback. Good points: friendly and prompt service, good for kids (we had our two young children with us and they had high chairs, a kids' menu, and even crayons), and the decor and overall feel of the place was great. As far as the food, I thought the caesar salad was good (fresh leaves, good dressing, loved the shaved parm). The panzanella salad was not great though--bland tomatoes and croutons. The pizza was pretty mediocre--definitely not as good as Tutta Bella or Veraci--I agree that a wood fired pizza should have a thinner, more charred crust and the sauce could use some work. We also thought the pasta puttanesca was fairly average. Not bad, but not something I'd go back for. However, the polenta with goat cheese and veggie sausage was delicious! More dishes along these lines would be great. In addition I suggest adding some daily specials using seasonal, local produce and seafood--that would give us more incentive to keep coming back on a regular basis and help the restaurant become more integrated with the community. And finally, it seemed like the perfect setting for live acoustic music--this would definitely add to the ambiance. We hope to be back soon!

Went to Piccolino's Saturday night for the first time. Great atmosphere...very warm and comforting. I want to like this place, as it is a nice walk from where I live. However, I think the kitchen needs to work out some kinks.

I agree with an earlier post - the salads were not so good. Lettuce was almost wilted by the time they got to the table and the croutons were very bland.

It seems that the oil for cooking the calamari was not hot enough. The calamari arrived soggy and greasy.

The pizza needs some work. I am not sure if is the dough recipe or if the ovens are not hot enough. Wood fired pizzas should be slightly charred and have nice bubbly texture. The crusts on our too pizzas were soggy, gummy and very white.

The espresso was done very well, I have to say.

I am making these comments to provide honest feedback. I want this place to thrive! I love having such a warm, inviting place so close by. The service was good. I will be back. But I think there are some basic kinks that need to be worked out.

Tom, When I met you in July and saw what you were trying to do for the "locals" I knew you'd make good decisions for neighbors and families.

Being from a hospitality mecca, Newport, RI, I know the challenges of balancing business opportunities and respect for local culture, history and expectations.

Kudos to you and your staff for finding that balance. I hope you continue to heed the wisdom that comes your way. Responding to this blog shows you care.

Best to you and tell my chef to lay off the oregano!

Hope to visit again soon!
An east coast fan,
Paula

Thanks Tom! So glad to see you make a comment. We love having you in the neighborhood! There is always kinks to work out when a resturant opens, and I for one appreciate the fact that you and your staff read the comnents, and are listening to what everyone has to say. I think it echos what everyone has to say, and that is we all want you to do well, and definitely stay!

I would like to thank every one who posted comments on this blog, whether they be complimentary or constructive critique. The kitchen, waitstaff and management have found this feedback very helpful and we look forward to making changes and adjustments to better serve you.

On a personal note, I'm touched that so many neighbors have dined with us over this last week and we thankfully acknowledge the neighborhood and community for their kindness and support. It has really been tremendous.

Best Regards,

Tom Bailiff
Ristorante Picolinos

george-
Wow...very suprised....the checf did not touch everything we ate. The salad was warm, what can I say...all sorts of resons, could have been under the lights waiting pick up...sorrym the panzanella salad, the croutons did not seem to be home made... and from all apprearance were not made in house...the pizza we had was not great, and I saw a worker pulling pizzas out of the oven, so perhaps he was not trained well enough. Why in the world would I be bitter, or ever want to trash the chef, if I went 3 times, and it is in my neighborhood...I am excited to see it do well, and want to frequent the place. As a business owner, I want to hear the good and bad from my customers and make all necessary improvements. Not sure what your methodology is for improvment...I guess we can just wait for the resturant review and maybe that will have more credence for you and you will not feel so much personalization....and if Hush saw them make my salad, then maybe he can tell me why it arrive warm and a bit wilted...the pizza oven is gorgeous, but once again. it was not cooked well, and had waaay to much garlic and barely any cheese....sorry it was not very good...but like I asaid, I want it to do well and be the best!

Hiller, in reading the post, is seems that constructive suggestions isn't the entire agenda. It's garnished with a few compliments, but then it basically (and incorrrectly as Hush points out) trashes the chef. Like arugula, i do sense under tones of bitterness that have nothing to do with the restaurant.

Bagged Croutons? Have you seen the Chef's pulling fresh product straight out of that beautiful Wood Stone Oven? And I'm petty sure the salads are not plated in advance, since you can watch the cook/ chef toss the salad right before your eyes. I agree with you as well, I want to see it do well.

We went last night with our four-year-old; very nice place, friendly service, and good food. We're thrilled to have a place we can be proud of nearby!

As for the parking complaints above:
1) Ballard parking is destined to get tougher as these new condos go up and get filled. Get used to it. You might even have to walk a whole block from your car...

2) Not being able to pull up right in front of the Green Market shouldn't cramp your style too much--besides, it's a GREEN market; it's small and local... where are you coming from that you're driving there?

Well, our family and a couple of neighbors have gone twice...we want it to do well too...but agree it needs work on the food and food delivery timing...great place! I would want to hear all the feedback too!

Brandelion- we live a few steps away, we went in with a few differnt neighbors...what can I say we were excited to see show it off! The place is gorgeous, service was fantastic, as I said, and the food, had it's highs and lows..I am very aware that it has only been open a short time. Let me ask you, if you had a resturant in the neighborhood, would'nt you want to hear all the feedback in order to continiously improve? Did you not read the part about wanting it to succeed more than anything??? I also apprecited the owner saying that he was reluctant to ever take reservations so he couyld be available to the neighboirhood he was in...trying to make me feel guilt because I want them to be the best??

hiller.... The place has only been open three days, and yet you were there every night....3 times already with family and friends?

The food and service can't be that bad! : D

We went there last night. Super crowded but very gracious letting us know ho wlong of a wait to expect.

Saw lots of kids and heard from a 6th grader who came over to look at the fireplace near where we were waiting that the ham & cheese crepes on the kids menu were "awesome".

A couple of logistical kinks to work out but when we brought a couple of things to the servers attention she was quick to get them corrected.

Food was great, although the grilled veggies could have used a longer time on the grill. I had the polenta and veggie sausage. Fantastic and I am pretty comfortable at the top of the food chain so an all veggie entree needs to have some kick to it for me to like it.

They aren't taking reservations for the first few weeks to allow the neighborhood drop ins to have first dibs on tables.

...and there is no phone number listed on their website, anyone know?

What I want to know is if the restaurant is family friendly...of course after reading all of the comments waiting 40 minutes for dinner won't work with smaller kids.

How about reservations?

There is no question that Picolinos is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The transformation is spectactular! I want them to succeed, but unsure how to pass on constructive critism....first the great part....incredible staff, amazing ambiance,and customer service great. I know it is just open, but the service is so incredibly slow...the food is just not coming out of the kitchen fast enough...we have been 3 times this weekwith differnt friends, and each time an almost 40 minute wait for food. The salad once it arrived,was warm, and obviously plated well in advance. The bread salad was hard bagged croutons and not even remotely what I would expect in a simple Panzanella. The pizza was dry, not wood fired enough, so did not have that warm tasty crunch and loaded with tons and tons of roasted garlic(quit counting after 17) and a minimal amount of cheese, and a scant 2-3 tiny peice of procuitto. The pasta, great portion but too much oregano, which I agree with BC above. The waiter had no idea who made the "house wine. All in all I am more than patient while adjustments are made and kinks worked out, but PLEASE read our feedback, and if you screw up the pizza nothing else you do will be credible...you are a pizza place after all....watch how they make it at the High LIfe and take lessons. Please do well, we want you here!

I had the great pleasure of dining at the Picolinos restaurant and thought I might share my experience to the public at large. I am blown away with the beauty of the building, what a wonderfully elegant design. I was greeted right away after entering through some magnificent iron gates and sat at a table in the bar. The room was dimly lit with some spanish guitar music chirping in the background.

It was explained to me the idea behind the service in the restaurant by a wonderfully delightful fellow named Matt. He greeted me and asked my name and offered me a tour of the property. There are many additions yet to come in the near future it sounds. He made a recommendation on some wine and wanted to assure me that while I was here I was like family. Could it actually be a restaurant that cares? I believe the answer is yes. I had a Pasta dish with a side of sausage that was fantastic. I most assuredly will return with friends and family. I am so thrilled to have an escape like this to go and relax and eat great food and do it all so close to home.

well we went tonight, wife kid and me, and well lets just say there are a few cobwebs to sort out.

some random thoughts in no particular order

- great decor. very nicely finished inside. only complaint is that it was quite loud. i think they may have some sound dampening problems. i am sure they will figure this out and handle.
- food was very good. pasta very very fresh. pizza yummy. price, fair. not cheap, not expensive.
- beer and wine prices decent. not a bargain, but for the type of restaurant... good.
- service - well, this was my only complaint, and i fully understand that it is day 2, so fair enough. i asked the wait staff is the meat balls were pork or beef. the answer was "beef, i think". i asked them to check, turns out it was beef, veal and pork. i like that so no problem, but they should know the answer. i ordered that with my pasta. pasta didn't come out with the meat balls. i asked about it, and they said, "oh, it is probably mixed in". i looked and it wasn't. i asked them to check on it and sure enough they forgot. no problem, this is all stuff that they are figuring out, but the wait staff person tended to just guess when they should look into it.
- didn't charge me for the forgotten meatballs (even though they ended up bringing them out later). nice touch for the mistake.

all in all, great place that just needs to figure a few things out. i wish them a lot of luck, but it isn't a place to bring a family a ton, which is what i was hoping for.

Went to dinner there last night, and the place was packed! The ambiance is amazing, and the staff top notch. The owner was so freindly and cordial, escorting us into the fireside room (Art gallery) to wait for a table. The service was a fairly slow given the volume of customers, and the pasta we had had way too much oregano, but we hardly noticed while sharing a bottle of great wine. I ordered the chicken medallions, and was very disappointed to see that it was just chunks of chicken cut from the breast, and not what I imagined a "medallion" to be...but back to that bottle of wine and the great ambiance. I am sure the chef has kinks to work out, we are determined to support the resturant. My initial feeling was that the prices were a bit high for what you get in entrees, but we have not yet had the pizza,so that will tell it all. We are hoping for a "happy hour" that will allow more frequent trips there. All in all gorgeous, warm, friendly, and a very welcome addition to the neighborhood!

After driving by tonight, I think the neighbors should have been more worried about the parking than they should have been worried about 'live music'. Sheesh. Green Market's going to be hell to get into now.

Thanks John F...did not read down that far, the excitement was almost too much

Look at their web site, they are open to the public starting tomorrow tuesday:

http://ristorantepicolinos.com/

:)

I went to the soft opening and art opening on Saturday and it was beautiful! (the food and art) One thing you left out about the art though; it's collaborative work by Adam Ross & Diana Comstock.


;)

The last line of the story says they are open to the public on Tuesday:-)

when are they open? we went last night, lights on but no one there....when are they actually open to the public?

Lucky to be invited to that soft opening. Great ambience and food. Gracious staff attentive to all requests and questions. What a treat to find such an upsfcale atmosphere with reasonable prices in these troubled economic times. You can take the family without skipping a house payment! Check it out.

can't wait to go, sounds yummy, and it's in the neighborhood!

Would have been nice if they had invited the actual neighbors in to see the place.

elizabeth. that is a great experience. if i had known that i would have tried to get a table myself ;-)

All I can say is that you folks in Ballard are very lucky. With Chef Baer in the kitchen, you are in for a REAL treat!

I speak from experience.

My family and I went to have dinner there last night thinking that they were open to the public. The owner Tom was very kind, he explained that they were having their soft opening but offered us a few pizzas to go. While we were waiting they served us a yummy appetizer and a few glasses of wine. Both Jefferey and Jana were very friendly they offered us great service and the pizza was delicious! When we went to pay our bill, Tom said it was on the house. We will definitely be back once they are open.

Hey Louisa - wanna grab dinner there tonight?

Gooner -
We didn't catch the price for a pint of beer, but here is what I remember. $13 cured meat plate w/pickled vegetables. $9 cheese plate. Salads are in the $7 range. Pasta (a giant plate that could feed two) was $12.50 plus you could add meat for $5-$7 depending on what you get. My chicken dish was $19.

As far as whether we liked the food, let's just say that I finished everything on my plate and we brought Cory's extra pasta home.

ah, so that is why you didn't post my tip about it opening on the 14th..., b/c you were on the invite only list. you really are upscale now ;-)

can you give us an idea of what "prices reasonable" means?

the price for a pint of micro brew is a pretty good litmus test?

and how was the food? you didn't mention that it was good. is that b/c it wasn't or were you doing your best to be an impartial voice