Be sure to check out our Zagat review. If you've eaten at Piccola Italia before, feel free to rate your experience on Zagat.
"There's a nod to formality in the service, a pleasant outdoorsy feel to the decor and a contemporary bent to the menu at Piccola Italia. On a prime-dining night, it's invariably crammed to the gills...All around me at Piccola Italia, I saw faces brighten as large-size plates holding bountiful portions were set in front of them....This is a fine and fun place to dine out."- Andrea Clurfeld, Asbury Park Press
"One never knows what Chef Brian has in store...a contemporary bent to the menu makes Piccola Italia a destination for fine dining. Chef/owner Brian Gualtieri prepares sumptuous creations, each imbued with vibrant color, life and flavor. If you are a fan of hanger steak, pick up the phone now and make your reservation. You will, as I am, become addicted to the dish. Select your favorite bottle from their extensive wine list to accompany the innovative Italian cuisine and enjoy a memorable dining experience in the classic tradition."- Savor
The decorative metamorphosis is quite becoming -- and the personable service more than up to snuff -- but it is the superior quality of the cuisine that sparks the imagination of the culinary cognoscenti. Mr. Gualtieri and his able sous chef, Aaron Philipson, have assembled an impressive array of innovative Italian offerings complemented by occasional international dots and dashes. Presentations are generous without being grandiose, attractively eye-catching without becoming eyesores. Proportions -- flavors, colors, textures -- are all right in sync....
Mr. Gualtieri is also quite proficient in the dessert department. But even if you're not in the mood to assuage your sweet tooth, be sure to conclude your evening at table with a potent espresso ($3.00)... one of the best I've sampled in recent memory.
..Once you've succumbed to its considerable culinary charms, this (relatively) undiscovered jewel is certain to woo you back again and again. Highly recommended on all counts.
- The Artful Diner