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 Set amidst the South End’s charming brownstones and bustling streets, Atelier 505 is one of the city's hottest new addresses. And on the ground floor of this swanky condo complex there’s a small restaurant creating a big buzz of its own. Picco, short for pizza and ice cream company, serves these two childhood favorites in a way any adult can appreciate.
Rick Katz - Chef/Owner, Picco: "My purpose in opening a restaurant is to make people happy, that's what it's all about for me, and certainly these are foods that people associate with good times."
The slices and scoops at Picco are anything but kid cuisine. The former Executive Pastry Chef at Legal Sea Foods, owner Rick Katz knows the foundation of any great pizza is a quality crust. That's why he spent a whopping 30-thousand dollars on a state of the art oven.
Rick Katz - Chef/Owner, Picco: "With this oven, because of the very dense heavy material that it's made of, the temperature is very stable. So we can put pizzas in there all night long and take them out, and the temperature stays where it's supposed to be."
The added expense pays off, as pies come out with a crust that's crispy on the bottom and chewy in the middle. With a homemade sauce, special cheese blend, and first class toppings, these pizzas speak for themselves, no fancy names needed.
Rick Katz - Chef/Owner, Picco: "The pizza doesn't sound unusual. If you read the menu it sounds like a fairly typical pizza place, we've got normal sounding toppings... and yet when you eat it, you take a bite and your eyes open a little wide and you sit up a little straighter and you say to yourself 'wow, this has a lot of flavor."
The sausage pizza is a prime example of Picco's understated excellence. The sausage is made in-house from a pork and veal blend, and mixed with fresh herbs. The Spinach and Goat Cheese pizza also includes cherry tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. The most uncommon creation on the menu has to be the Alsatian Variation, topped with sour cream, caramelized onions, bacon, roasted garlic, and Gruyere cheese.
Besides the perfect pies, Picco also serves creative salads, over-stuffed sandwiches, and mouth-watering desserts like Chocolate Souffle or a Fire Roasted Apple Tart. But for the ultimate sweet tooth satisfaction, everybody at Picco screams for ice cream.
Rick Katz - Chef/Owner, Picco: "If I was stranded on a desert island and could only pick one food, it would be ice cream."
Even Gilligan and the Skipper would want to stay stranded for these creamy homemade treats whipped up in small batches all day long.
Rick Katz - Chef/Owner, Picco: "This is coconut ice cream, and we're just adding fresh grated coconut to the ice cream as it comes out of the machine, and we'll just mix that in, so when you eat it you'll get the creaminess of the ice cream and a little bit of the chewy fresh coconut."
And just like the pizza, all the awesome ice cream is made with premium ingredients.
Rick Katz - Chef/Owner, Picco: "We use Scharffen Berger chocolate for all of our chocolate, including the chocolate ice cream. We use Kona coffee to make the coffee ice cream. We use fresh Madagascar Vanilla beans to make the vanilla ice cream."
For tasty trip down memory lane, you can even order an old-fashioned ice cream float from Picco's authentic soda fountain.
Rick Katz - Chef/Owner, Picco: "You can do all of the things we're going to do with the soda fountain without the soda fountain, but it's just something that's visually fun and maybe a little nostalgic."
Ice cream and pizza… Old school eats in a new school atmosphere at Picco, a Phantom Gourmet... Hidden Jewel.
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Review Date:
3/5/2005 |
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