Piccolo may look deceiving on the outside....pizza...

Piccolo may look deceiving on the outside....pizza place in a strip mall. It is anything but! There are two entrances...one for take out and the other dine in. Take out is situated separately from dine in with the option to grab cold soda and beer. DO use Open Table for a reservation. We were greeted and seated in one of the dining rooms. Bathrooms are on the left before entering the dining area. Great idea for a quick fresh up. On the bar is a beautiful square bar for those who prefer a cozy high top dinner. Foccocia bread with marinara sauce brought to the table as we looked at the menu...which was laminated and quite awkward/bulky to flip back and forth. The wine menu was a bound book. Very incongruent ways of presenting menus. We chose a bottle of Reisling and it was chiiled in a bucket at the table. The dining area has fantastic lightning, beautiful seasonal decorations with booths and tables, spacious dining and thoughtful sound proofing. The kitchen is open to the right of the room and it was lovely to see food prepared. The menu is has something for everyone..apps, salad, soup, pasta, fish, chicken and veal, kids menu and pizza fare. Gluten free options is offered along with veg. Appetizer was grilled calamari in lemon olive oil sauce with capers and lemon in a mesh bag...no seeds! It was tender but I felt a tad under done. I am not a fan of capers but this paired well in the dish. Pasta E Fagioli served in a beautiful cruet was not particularly flavorful and the beans were hard. My husband had the chicken and shrimp gumbo. It was like thick chicken soup no wow and no definitive flavor. I was immediately drawn to Fico for my entree and opted to try it with veal...sauteed with figs and porcini mushrooms in a Cognac cream sauce with angel hair pasta. My dish was one note and served with 3 small very tough pieces of veal. I had hoped for tender veal, earthy mushrooms in a cream sauce with a hint of cognac. My husband choose Pappardelle Vienna...with chicken and sun dried tomatoes in an Aurira sauce. He enjoyed it and the pasta was cooked to perfection. It also lacked a wow factor. We ended dinner with an apple crumble with ice cream on the side. It was hot and the apples were tender...but I wished there was more hints of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg and the crumble with more oatmeal, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. The bus boys service was tight...no water glass was left unfilled, dishes were whisked away and remains promptly boxed. Our server was attentive at the beginning but faded away at the end. The price point is high.