Cheap Eats 2011: Petisco

Northeast Broadway isn't exactly the Champs-Elysées, but in the cavernous confines of Petisco, one does feel transported to some vague facsimile of European city life. Chalk it up to the ample candles, low ceilings, chalkboard menus and the open kitchen. Oh, and the food! Though Petisco's year-round menu consists almost entirely of sandwiches (hard to beat the $6 fresh mozzarella-tomato-basil concoction, which comes with cute little salad), the brunch, dinner and soup menus all change daily—and they're the real reason to pay Petisco a visit. Dinnertime usually features a couple of hearty meat-based dishes and plenty of pasta (there's a nice balance of upscale and comfort food in the Italian-influenced fare), but wild-card items appear, as well. The whole menu is fleshed out daily on Petisco's website—unlike many restaurants, it actually keeps the site up to date and even posts some food-porn photos of marquee dishes, so you can get an idea of what's on deck before you commit. The only items not properly pimped on the site, sadly, are Petisco's drool-inducing desserts. The $6 apple crisp I had on my visit nearly brought me to tears. Yup, Petisco nails the unpretentious European sidewalk cafe-restaurant vibe, and it's a fantastic place to bring a date without breaking the bank.

WWeek 2015

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