It’s a daily struggle. It’s lunch time, everyone is hungry and the guys at work and I cannot agree on a place to grab some grub. On a recent trip to Greek Corner European Cuisine (review to follow) my buddy Eric and I discovered a new digs opening soon: Piada, Italian Street Food.
This Lane Ave stop isn’t your campus pizzeria. The décor is modern/urban feeling with clean lines. Abundant chrome and wood play nicely together to give a feeling of cleanliness mixed with warm ambiance. For the first of many comparisons to Chipotle, the kitchen is open and you can see the fresh ingredients out for your choosing, as well as see the kitchen staff busily prepping more food. My one comment about the establishment that I found unusual is regarding the chairs. They are VERY heavy. Even my pack of burly research lab colleagues from the found them difficult to move… so I’m sure less spry individuals would be inconvenienced.
Now let’s talk about the service. We arrived around 2pm, so after the lunch rush. The place was slow as local businessmen had already finished their lunches, but non-the-less when we walked up to the service station we were warmly greeted by a middle aged man. We later found out he was one of the 3 co-owners, and had been a corporate chef for Brio Restaurants. We talked and joked with him for a while, asking for his recommendations (he pointed us to their Diavolo sauce, which as promised hit the spot, stay tuned…) His friendly manner and obvious excitment about the culmination of his dream were more than enough to make this diner feel welcome and ready to dive into the food.
For those who have never had piada before, I would describe it like the Italian’s version of a crepe- meaning it is a thin simple dough that can be filled with either sweet of savory choices. The texture, however, is like ultrathin flatbread, chewier and dry. Piada: Italian Street Food focuses on savory, and wisely so. Calling this restaurant an Italian Chipotle is rather apt. You can choose between Piada, Pasta, or Salad (like your burrito or bowl option) then you go down the line and fill/top your creation with your choices. Point 1: this foodie LOVES the fact that as they prep your Piada dough (oh, that’s another note. You’re at a place called Piada. Forget the pasta or the salad… get the dang piada! You’ll be happy you did) they slap it onto a flat iron grill, brush with some EVOO, and SEASON! Yes ladies and gentlemen, my new friends over at Piada have taken a tip from my own cookbook and are seasoning every step as they go! For those who have enjoyed my Chicken Parmesan, that’s my secret ;) Anyway, I digress. I ordered a Piada, with the pasta (think the rice at chipotle) which is a seasoned angel hair, then choose a mix of steak and chicken, some marvelous grilled zucchini, sautéed red peppers. Next came cheese choices. They boast the king of cheeses- parmigiano reggiano, as well as low moisture mozzarella, and feta. I’ll get picky, but they should sub out the feta for ricotta salata (if you haven’t tried this cousin of traditional ricotta, give it a whirl) Next comes sauce. I went with the chef’s choice, the Diavolo. Don’t let the name fool you, its not THAT spicy. It has a little kick, so to tone it down I asked for a dab of their creamy parmesan which was a nice contrast. Lastly you pick your fresh veggies; I opted for arugula and olives. They then wrap your creation up, just like their Mexican counterparts at, where else, Chipotle. Pricing was around $6-$8. Special thanks again to the chef/owner who also gave us some free dessert in the form of cannoli chips with sweet crème with chocolate chips.
Overall, I was very pleased. This is not Marcella’s, Ciao, or some other fine Italian eatery. It is what their name suggest, street food, just with a nice Upper Arlington twist. Flock past the Forum, cruise past Capri, or meander past Milan, as long as your destination is Piada.
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