Picasso
Ari's new restaurant, Picasso, has finally opened in the old Ricco's space. We've been there twice now, and it is fantastic!
The first time, we brought the kids. Don't bring you kids. The "children's" menu is a small assortment of dishes that children would never eat. In my humble opinion, a children's menu should be a selection of unappetizing prepared foods that are heated in the microwave. Gourmet children's food is just silly. But anyway, this is much too nice a restaurant for little kids, so we won't be doing that again.
The second time we got a sitter.
Picasso does not have a liquor license yet, so it's BYOB for now. Bring something full-bodied because the food is... the word succulent comes to mind. We went with a 2001 Sonoma Cab which was perfect.
On to the food. In total, we've tried Lamb Kabobs, Shrimp Mediterranean, Chicken Picasso, Cioppino, Bruschetta, Caesar Salad, Four Cheese Pizza (from the Kid's menu; Remy didn't care for it, see above), Molten Chocolate Cake, and Tiramisu. (That's from two trips, and we indulged a bit on the second trip.)
Everything we've tried has been exceptional. The portions are huge, and the flavors are intense. Ari uses relatively few ingredients across a wide variety of dishes, which is risky, but works wonderfully here. For example, we saw the same French Feta in the Bruschetta and the Shrimp dish, but it was a welcome visitor in each case. (Ari pointed out that it is less salty and creamier than typical Feta, and we agree.) Some highlights:
The Chicken Picasso is total comfort food. It combines flawless garlic mashed potatoes, chicken, spinach, and portobella sauce. Cherie made that "uuuuuuu" noise, you know, that noise, several times.
The Kabobs were insane. I generally don't order lamb, so I'm not sure how much of the flavor is inherent in the meat, and how much is from the preparation, but whichever... wow.
Cherie really liked the Shrimp Mediterranean on our first visit. I tried it on our second visit, and I liked it, but frankly after the appetizers and a Caesar salad, any of which would have been a reasonably sized meal, I wasn't that hungry by the time it came. So I had it leftover the next day, and it was much better, although a bit heavy for lunch.
All the portions are huge, but the appetizers are not to be missed, so plan on bringing some food home. And save room for dessert. They are clearly being made fresh in the kitchen (not always a sure thing for desserts in these parts).
Our huge meal (two appetizers, full Caeser salad, side salad, two entrees, and two desserts) set us back $70 without tip or wine. Easily worth it.
Four thumbs way up for Picasso.
The first time, we brought the kids. Don't bring you kids. The "children's" menu is a small assortment of dishes that children would never eat. In my humble opinion, a children's menu should be a selection of unappetizing prepared foods that are heated in the microwave. Gourmet children's food is just silly. But anyway, this is much too nice a restaurant for little kids, so we won't be doing that again.
The second time we got a sitter.
Picasso does not have a liquor license yet, so it's BYOB for now. Bring something full-bodied because the food is... the word succulent comes to mind. We went with a 2001 Sonoma Cab which was perfect.
On to the food. In total, we've tried Lamb Kabobs, Shrimp Mediterranean, Chicken Picasso, Cioppino, Bruschetta, Caesar Salad, Four Cheese Pizza (from the Kid's menu; Remy didn't care for it, see above), Molten Chocolate Cake, and Tiramisu. (That's from two trips, and we indulged a bit on the second trip.)
Everything we've tried has been exceptional. The portions are huge, and the flavors are intense. Ari uses relatively few ingredients across a wide variety of dishes, which is risky, but works wonderfully here. For example, we saw the same French Feta in the Bruschetta and the Shrimp dish, but it was a welcome visitor in each case. (Ari pointed out that it is less salty and creamier than typical Feta, and we agree.) Some highlights:
The Chicken Picasso is total comfort food. It combines flawless garlic mashed potatoes, chicken, spinach, and portobella sauce. Cherie made that "uuuuuuu" noise, you know, that noise, several times.
The Kabobs were insane. I generally don't order lamb, so I'm not sure how much of the flavor is inherent in the meat, and how much is from the preparation, but whichever... wow.
Cherie really liked the Shrimp Mediterranean on our first visit. I tried it on our second visit, and I liked it, but frankly after the appetizers and a Caesar salad, any of which would have been a reasonably sized meal, I wasn't that hungry by the time it came. So I had it leftover the next day, and it was much better, although a bit heavy for lunch.
All the portions are huge, but the appetizers are not to be missed, so plan on bringing some food home. And save room for dessert. They are clearly being made fresh in the kitchen (not always a sure thing for desserts in these parts).
Our huge meal (two appetizers, full Caeser salad, side salad, two entrees, and two desserts) set us back $70 without tip or wine. Easily worth it.
Four thumbs way up for Picasso.
posted by Joshua Smith | 11:39 AM
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