Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Vacationing on the beaches of sunny west-coast Florida, my daily morning coffee ritual led to the remarkable discovery of the Piccolo Italian Market & Deli on the Gateway Avenue shopping street. This excellent example of a combo Italian food grocery store and casual restaurant brought me to a very happy place.
Wandering about gathering delightful delicacies to bring back to our condo, I was truly gobsmacked when I saw the spectacular-looking collection of assorted varieties of pizza slices sitting on a table behind the counter. Forget about the fact that Mrs. Pie and I were headed to lunch. The sight of these beauties called me to duty.
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Clik here to view.I stayed faithful to my charter and purchased a single plain cheese slice ($2.50). I made my order amongst those checking out with foodstuffs, and they took my name as I paid for my pizza. Then, in not-so-short order they called “Mike” and I took a gorgeous extra wide triangular and visibly charred slice of pie to one of the tiny tables in the open area. On looks alone, this slice was a winner.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Unfortunately, it was uber-hot and a bit testy to comfortably eat, a fact compounded by an excess coat of oil. Working around this slow start, this soon turned into one delicious slice of pizza. Expertly toasted just the way I like it; the crust was good and crisp although perhaps a bit “cushiony” in its fluffy texture. As I prefaced earlier, it was a bit over-weight in oil, and I did need to drain off some excess onto the accompanying paper plate. In the end however, this was the only blemish to the Piccolo slice which had some truly fantastic-tasting cheese and sauce—perhaps right from the wares on their grocery shelves. They both tasted stellar!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.These folks order all their stuff from the right places! If I lived here, I’d wear this place out. This slice was incredibly delicious, and I couldn’t wait to come back to further sample their menu, possibly for a takeaway experience. I did and I love this place!
PIZZA SNOB RATING ****½ Nearer Perfection
Piccolo Italian Market & Deli
6518 Gateway Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34231
941-923-2202
www.piccolomarket.com