Pick of the Month: Pricci {An Italian Experience}!
A lovely selection of Italian foods at Pricci Restaurant in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, GA
Pick of the Month
PRICCI: AN ITALIAN EXPERIENCE IN ATLANTA
We always pick a special place to spend leisurely birthday dinners where we know we won’t be disappointed in atmosphere, service or food. Pricci is just such a place!
At some point I don’t remember, I got a nice little freebie surprise in the mail. It came from The Buckhead Life Restaurant Group. My husband and I are frequent diners around their nine restaurants in Atlanta and I suppose they used their information gathered to send a $25 gift card to one of their restaurants as a part of their Summer Dine Around series.
The program is pretty darn good I think as it gives you your first card to a particular restaurant in June. When you use it, they give you another for July, and then another for August. A fourth given in August is for your pick of any place for September.
I mean it is a win win. You get $100 to go towards dinners for two any night but Saturday. They know you will spend more and it helps them fill places on other nights. What’s not to like right? Go on their website and sign up for your own summer dine around series!
Starting with our usual cocktail….very dry martini’s….gin for him and vodka for me
MARTINI’S PLEASE-SHAKEN NOT STIRRED
So when we got our series for this year, I was very happy that it was Pricci because June’s card is always for my birthday and I was ready for a little Italian heaven.
First off the host and hostess were great! Always welcoming-no problem with me taking pictures everywhere and everyone immediately wishing me Happy Birthday including our server who was just dynamite.
She was friendly, helpful (especially when she whipped up my phone to fix the flash that was not automatically going off….a few pics might be a little dark.taken before then 😬) and super unobtrusive which I always appreciate.
We ordered our usual suspect drinks which seemed to appear immediately and then set about telling us the specials for the night while we looked over the menus.
Friendly, helpful, unobtrusive and super cute!
APPETIZERS
Since it was so hot, my husband went for the chilled cucumber and yogurt soup. I decided on a caesar salad with white anchovies as we both love them! Neither were disappointing. The soup looked beautiful and tasted even better. The seasoning was lovely and with a spritz of salt and pepper, just perfect on a hot evening.
My salad was layered with romaine, yummy dressing and fresh parmesan with a topping of crouton and a whole anchovy for presentation which my husband promptly stole claiming it to be excellent. 😋
MAIN COURSE SMALL PLATES
As you already know, we are fond of small plates and usually end up with other items on the appetizer menu or asking if they serve an appetizer portion of an entree. I find the restaurants in The Buckhead Life Group are very accommodating when it comes to this as well.
He chose mussels and I chose short rib ravioli. Our server made excellent recommendations for a crispy white Riesling for my husband and a Cabernet for me. While waiting for our meal I took the opportunity to snap a few interior shots so my readers could get an idea of the nice atmosphere at Pricci.
We have ducked into Pricci on nasty rainy evenings to let the traffic die down before heading north just to sit at the counter and grab a little pizza and wine. It is uber awesome and the oven feels like a little fireplace!
Our server brought us our plates and liberally sprinkled parmesan as requested. We dug in and both dishes were just wonderful. The fresh pasta was al dente and the short ribs were tender magical stuff with just the right amount of au jus.
My husbands mussels were fresh with no hint of “fishiness” while the sauce was beautiful, buttery and full of fresh herbs. The crusty bread brought with it was perfect for dipping.
IT WOULDN’T BE A BIRTHDAY WITHOUT CAKE
Another thing I really like about Buckhead Life’s restaurants is the fact that they recognize special events like birthdays and anniversaries with a special dessert. You never have to order it-they just bring it for no charge which is a wonderful little piece of marketing.
This time was no different and a fantastic little dessert came out for my birthday which not only looked pretty but tasted pretty too! The pics tell the story and we enjoyed this one with a little espresso and grappa too thank you very much!
A FEW THOUGHTS
With the summer dine around card and a dessert on the house because of my birthday, dining at Pricci was great value especially for a restaurant in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.
Also, if you were to EVER have a problem with anything, I notice that Buckhead Life has trained their people to never argue but immediately take it off or comp a drink. Again, an excellent way to keep your audience happy and coming back because of the value, service and food you always provide.
This was a very pleasing evening all around. I can highly recommend it to my readers. If you enjoy reading about food and restaurant reviews, you might try reading more blogs from Edible Fare and Guest Bloggers.
My next card came with the bill and it was for Atlanta Fish Market. Look for a blog on it down the road! Until next time…
Cheers,
ArtsyChowRoamer
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