Food should do a lot more than just taste good. Sure, I think that’s the most important part, but chefs should remember some other important things.
Food should be nutritious. I’m not saying everything should be healthy but you want some nutrient or energy provider in there (pizza even features most of the 5 food groups). It should be presented in a comfortable atmosphere. Even if you sit in a cheap take-out shop, you want to relax for at least a second. Rodents and dirty floors are not things that should be found in eating establishments. Thank you, health department. And finally, food should look appetizing. It doesn’t always have to be beautifully presented, but nobody wants to eat slop (that’s why I never ate school lunch).
And this is where our list item from Piccola Cucina faltered. We ordered the Tagliolini with Squid Ink (as TONY told us to) and when it was presented to us, it looked like a pile of thick black tar-like spaghetti accompanied with what looked like bright orange baby food. According to the menu, it was actually pumpkin pureé. Regardless, not the most visually pleasing.
I found the dish was lazily presented with no hint of creativity. The flavors were alright, but not very varied. The tagliolini was covered in the squid ink sauce, which had a briny and acidic flavor (from the cooked down tomatoes). But it was so drenched with the black ink that it was almost a bit too much. And the pumpkin didn’t seem to balance anything out. I also thought the pasta was a bit undercooked. I’m all for al dente, but this pasta was actually crunchy.
This dish was practically the same one as the Tagliolini at Scarpetta. I think somebody at Time Out has an obsession with thin black pasta. And this one paled in comparison to the other well thought-out and tastier version.
On the bright side, the staff here were friendly enough, there were no noticeable vermin running around, and I’m pretty sure I got my protein and carbohydrates for the day.
Would Piccola Cucina’s Tagliolini with Squid Ink make my Top 100 of the year? 5 out of 10 is the most I can give this uninspired, underdone, unpretty pasta dish.
This is one of the least accurate reviews I’ve seen. Contrary to your experience, the chef at Piccola Cucina presents his food in a highly thoughtful way that sets it apart from other Italian restaurants in the city. Each of the dishes is presented in different shaped plates and artistically. For instance, order the grilled fish dish. Even the desserts have their unique looking plates.
Judging from your review, you don’t like squid ink. I don’t know how you want your black pasta presented. It is black pasta. The pumpkin purée I found insipired, it adds sweetness to balance out the acidity, and very creative too.
You should give the place another try. I love it.
I’m glad you like Piccola Cucina. It seemed like a cute spot. Maybe I went on an off night.
The squid ink pasta just did not work for me. And for the record, I do like squid ink, but this one was a bit over-the-top (perhaps due to the extra richness and acidity from the tomatoes). And I thought the presentation was a bit lazy. It wasn’t the blackness I was turned off by, it was the sloppy placement of it and the shock contrast of the bright orange puree. I’ve had much better black pasta dishes that looked a lot more appetizing (see my review of Scarpetta’s version and the photo to go along with it).
Maybe I will have to give the place another try. It seemed like it had potential, but it left me rather underwhelmed.