Foodie Digest

We were wandering through Potrero Hill with the dogs and needed a relatively quick, relatively healthy place for lunch. Oh, and it needed to have outside seating. Since we’d just had pizza from Gialina’s last night, we ruled out Piccinos. The last few meals we’d had at Aperto were nice surprises so we drove by.
Seats were available outside so we parked the car and wandered over. Small looked at the specials board and noted: huevos ranchero, huevos w/ chorizo, enchiladas verde, veggie sandwich, and orechette w/ lamb ragu.
If you’ve ever been here you know it’s a predominately italian menu. We’ve noticed that weekend brunches introduce some mexican options. In the past we’ve had the enchiladas verdes and remembered them being quite good. The menu is rounded out with classics like french toast and pancakes, along with lunchy items like a grilled chicken salad and sandwiches.
Small opted for the huevos rancheros but requested scrambled egg whites instead of eggs over medium and no sour cream.
Big went for the Orechette w/ lamb ragu pasta of the day.
Our server brought our drinks along with complimentary mini banana muffins. Big ate them so I forgot to ask if they were good.
The outdoor seating was roomy enough to fit two large dogs. There was one other couple seated outside; they also had a dog.
The huevos rancheros arrive. It’s 3 corn tortillas each topped slightly differently. One is with scrambled egg whites and a green salsa; the second scrambled egg whites with a red salsa, and the third with black beans. Both salsa have a fantastic flavor. The beans are nicely spiced as well. Something between the green salsa and the beans add a great smokey taste. This dish is very successful and very healthy.
The orechette is well-prepared (maybe a tad overcooked for Small’s al dente preference but perfectly suited for Big). The sauce is rich and flavorful. This dish is polished off by Big with Small stealing bites of the orechette.
Service is warm and friendly. Food is good. Definitely recommended. Small’s only complaint with the place is they almost ALWAYS have lilies inside. Small can’t be near lilies and usually dings restaurants a star in ratings for having something so fragrant interfering with her food. Sitting outside, tho, means the lilies are forgotten. Still, if you have the same allergies I do something to be aware of before you plan indoor dining.

Overall thumbs: Two thumbs up. Good relaxing place for brunch.

Tastiness rating: high. The food is always well prepared. The mexican dishes are a great weekend bonus and the salsas are rich and flavorful without being robust.

Service: Good. Our server was nice. We were checked on but not very frequently.

Dog friendliness: Very good. Our dogs were fine under the table and it’s not too crowded. They also keep a dog bowl filled in front of the restaurant.

WW points: 4.5 for the huevos rancheros (Small only ate 2 of the 3 corn tortillas for 2 points, plus the egg whites and beans). 

Beautiful Sunday and Big and Small are hanging in the park with the dogs. We decide it’s almost time for a bite to eat so we head over to Piccino Cafe. Piccino Cafe is in Potrero Hill right near Just For You.

We arrive just as they begin their lunch menu for the day. A little confusion as to ordering inside or staying outside at our seat. We figure it out (stay outside) and a friendly server brings us menus and water. Our two good-sized dogs fit comfortably around our table. They don’t stand out as there are many good sized dogs hanging out. This place is definitely high on the dog friendliness factor, tho no special accomodations—such as snacks or water—are provided for the dogs

Still, it’s a beautiful day to be outside. We order an antipasti plate and two pizzas. We get

• Antipasti plate This is an interesting combination of fresh peas (fresh in the pod), pickled baby carrots, olives, cheese, chickpea spread, some fatted calf speck and some flatbread. The highlights here: the chickpea spread is light and lemony. Doesn’t fall into hummus flavors at all. The olives are well flavored and rustic. The peas are a nice touch but I wanted more.
• Margherita pizza This was a very simple pizza. The crust is very homemade tasting and almost pretzel like. Rustic, again, would describe the food. The sauce is inoffensive but nothing special. The cheese is lightly applied. The pizza is almost what one would order if they were trying to conserve calories. It’s not greasy or oily whatsoever and there’s only a small amount of cheese. We both thought the pizza tasted fine, but wouldn’t proclaim it tasty or special.
• Broccolini pizza This looked very much like the margherita pizza but has small amounts of broccolini and shredded cheese instead of slices. Again, a very calorie friendly pizza. Still the two pizzas were so similar we would have been better off with one of the white pizza combos.

Overall verdict? There’s nothing wrong with the pizza here and it really is kinder to your waistline than most of our other options. The corner location was pleasant and relaxing and very dog friendly. Still, pizzas at places like South Beach Cafe are similar in size, a little bit cheaper, and offer much more flavor (and calories).

Overall thumbs Flatlined. There was nothing we didn’t like about the place, but there was nothing to rave about, either.

Tastiness rating A slight increase from flatlined. The olives and chickpea spread were standouts but not enough to lift the place up. Still, nothing was bad.

Service rating Good. Service here was very warm and friendly.

Dog friendly rating Good. Dogs are accommodated outside and have many friends nearby.