As you may have noticed, we've been featuring restaurants, like Piattini Wine Cafe on Newbury Street, that have earned their place in our rotation and yours.
Update: In October a two-alarm fire that began in an art gallery above Piattini caused damage to the restaurant.
Fans, like us, are hoping for the restaurant to be up and running soon. You can check in with Piattini's site or follow them on social media. We'll help spread the word when they big reopening happens.
Piattini's scampi with sautéed shrimp, garlic, olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and white wine over linguini is one of Penny's favorite menu items.
Penny's pal Linda introduced her to Piattini years ago. While this little Back Bay gem has expanded over the years, they have not compromised on the quality of the food and the warmth of the service.
For a recent lunch, Ed chose a daily special of chicken piccata over angel hair pasta.
We mentioned to a neighbor that we were going to Piattini for lunch and she broke into a smile and began to tell us how much she enjoys the place. We hear that a lot from those who live in the area. It's good to have a few local places serving good food in a neighborhood overrun with mediocre chain restaurants.
The "Wine Cafe" in the name means that the wine list is well-matched with the food. In fact, we often order one of the house wines like the Pinot Grigio with our meals. This one was a great match for these lighter, warm weather pastas.
On a cooler day, we paired this meatball panini with a Chianti from the wine specials list.
A Nero D'Avola from the regular wine list was perfect with the Piattini bolognese with homemade fusilli.
This time of year, we often opt for a seat on the patio when there is an open table.
Well-tended flower boxes serve as buffers from the busy street. They change their look throughout the seasons. The combination of sunken patio, sheltering umbrellas, and tall greenery makes these some of our favorite sidewalk dining seats.
And we are not alone. We arrived early but before we finished lunch, every seat on the two-sided patio was filled. One table of four was having a great time passing dishes and sharing laughs and food as if at the home of an Italian Nonna.
This is the perfect patio season, so add Piattini to your seasonal bucket list!
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino