Anna Mokas, 2013
There was quite a crowd at Piccolo’s on the day I dined there, mostly because there was an antique car show in town going on. Piccolo’s was recommended to myself and a group of my classmates by one of the Farmer’s Market owners across the street, as a great restaurant to eat at, which means that it was also crowded due to popularity. Piccolo’s is a casual Italian restaurant on one of Lenoir’s main streets. At this restaurant, you order at the front counter and then find a picnic table or booth to wait at for your homemade Italian meal. What makes Piccolo’s truly special is that it is decorated with fifties-themed décor, making each diner feel like they are eating sixty years in the past. This large room is graced with antiques such as an old gas pump, giving it the fifties vibe that created a physical time warp for all of its diners. The tables even had old tomato cans to elevate the pizzas on each table. Piccolo’s also had their whole restaurant decorated for Halloween during the first week of October, which combatted with the already fifties themed room. There were both skeletons and tin posters hanging on the walls, creating a blend of the past and the present. Also present, close to the seating area, was their famous brick oven in which they cook all of their homemade pizzas.
I ordered the veggie pizza and it was fresh, warm and doughy. It had a savory red sauce, sautéed spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes, and warm gooey mozzarella. I ended up eating the entire individual pizza since it was that scrumptious and hard to stop eating. I was very pleased by how well the brick oven cooked this pizza, since it was doughy but not too mushy, and cooked through. If I ever find myself in Lenoir again, I will be sure to stop in for another pizza pie. If you are looking for a good Italian meal in the foothills of North Carolina, check out Piccolo’s. For more information, visit Piccolo’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Piccolos-Pizza/379629232135936