On a busy, milder than usual Saturday in January six friends found the time to get together for lunch. It had been so long since we had all connected, this was practically a miracle, especially on a Saturday afternoon! The sun was shining and the mood was set for a fun day of eating, drinking wine and shopping.
The destination for this get together was Piattini Wine Café on Newbury Street. I was the last one to arrive and bottles of Verdicchio, Castelli di Jesi Masso Isolato were already on the table. This was indeed going to be a good day!
Piattini is located right in the center of busy Newbury Street, between Exeter and Fairfield. They have a tiny patio, which is perfect for alfresco dining in the warmer months and is slightly below street level. Go down the steps and you are in a cozy little restaurant and wine bar, which greets its customers with warm and welcoming smiles.
Piattini is an Italian restaurant focused on small plates so it’s perfect for sharing bites if you don’t know what you want. The lunch menu has literally something for everyone from a selection of salads, paninis, hot and cold small plate options and pasta.
We were all tightly squeezed around some tables pushed together and caught up on life while devouring their crusty house bread dipped in olive oil, sipping white wine and perusing the menu.
We all decided on a few portions of the Bruschetta trio to share. Each one is piled high with tomatoes and with fresh mozzarella, salty layers of prosciutto and creamy ricotta and my favorite of roasted mushrooms with spinach and a hint of citrus.
BRUSCHETTA TRIO $14 – Three individual bruschetta: tomato basil, and mozzarella; prosciutto with house made ricotta; roasted mushrooms, lemon and spinach
For my main, I opted for something on the lighter side with the Italian Chopped Salad with grilled chicken. I have had this salad before and it never fails to please. It’s a huge salad filled with color and textures of crispy lettuce, artichokes, provolone and sopressata, which on this day proved to be more than I could eat after all the bread, but it was perfect.
ITALIAN CHOPPED $9 – Romain lettuce, artichokes, provolone cheese, tomato, soppressata, cucumber, lemon vinaigrette
My friends enjoyed plates of creamy, rich and cheesy Chicken Broccoli.
CHICKEN BROCCOLI $12 – Penne pasta, sautéed chicken, broccoli, parmesan cream sauce
Delicious Boscaila with earthy mushrooms in a creamy tomato sauce, which I kept stealing from my friend.
BOSCAIOLA $10 BOSCAIOLA $10- Penne pasta, prosciutto, green peas, wild mushrooms, tomato cream
And soft crust flat bread with prosciutto.
FLATBREADS – $10
After our long and fun lunch, we all walked over to the Pru and Copley to do a little retail therapy followed by a little more wine and then more light bites at Porto. This was a great day!
Piattini patio dining last Spring
Piattini is amazing for the price point. A wonderful place for an afternoon with friends, a date at the wine bar or for a lazy Saturday afternoon sat on the patio in the summer months.
