There's a new Italian show in town friends- so, in true Jessica fashion, I also overate on Wednesday night with my good friend, Candice, and my new friend Brooke at the newly opened Palazzo 53 in Pittston.
Palazzo is the foodchild of Chef Chris Barcia (Formerly of Bazil, Pazzo, Gelpiaz & Christopher's). Candice knows Chris from when he was the head chef at Bazil (Clarkes Summit), and so she gets credit for this find. I will say this, I really really loved Bazil when it first opened- fresh, delicious, wholesome pasta with homemade sauces- great seafood, good wine, good service- the whole deal. The only problem for me was that as a mere mortal teacher, the prices were a little (or a lot) steep. It's one of the "special occasion" stops. That said, I was disappointed to hear that the head chef had left, because I was such a fan. Enter Palazzo 53.
The restaurant is brand spanking new- if you've read the blog, you know commentary on decor isn't my forte- but I will say this, it seems to pull off a variety of things- It's inviting, and still quite stylish - and thank you food gods, the music isn't awful like the majority of local hotspots (Blu Wasabi, I'm calling you out).
The menu is essentially what you found at Bazil (Sorry Chris, gotta call a spade a spade). However, all of the pasta portions are available in half sizes, which I think is just delightful because it of course allowed for a larger sampling pool. The prices are appropriate for what you're being served, but still probably will fall under the "special night out" category for the majority of our readers. Lets get to the food!
Brooke and I started our meals with the special soup of the evening- a cream basil seafood bisque, think amped up New England chowder. The seafood chowder head in me loved loved loved this soup. It was a delicious pairing of ingredients, and most importantly it was loaded with garlic, which to me is an instantaneous upgrade. Next on the list, the baked clams. Served with a light breading- these clams were prepared well- the real treat on this dish (as I think is often the case for Chef Barcia) was the white buttter garlic sauce which really hit the nail on the head.
Finally, main course time. Brooke and Candice- being the more reasonably minded pair at the table split the Chicken Francaise entree and I ordered the Linguine Calamari Fra Diavlo half portion. In all honesty, I'm a Fra Diavlo head- if it's available, I'll order it. I like the spicy plum sauce, the basil, the GARLIC- and it's a slam dunk for me generally. That said, it wasn't the highlight of the evening for me. I did mention to the server that I would like it spicy, and it wasn't.... and the sauce seemed to be lacking something- it was good, it just wasn't great. The Francaise was really good- the chicken was tender and juicy and the sauce was spot on. However, when the plate was split, they seem to have lost the sides.... I think. In all honesty, Candice did ask if it came with a side and our server said she didn't think so. I'm betting they were plated separately and didn't find their way out- but who knows. In all fairness, the server is still learning the menu- and I feel certain that once things are buzzing along, little things like this will be cleared up.
Dessert time. Being as stuffed as we were, we thought it was only reasonable to order the "light" dessert to share. All of the desserts are made in house at Palazzo 53, and we decided on Strawberry Zabaglione. Zabaglione is a whipped cream, with egg and dry marsala wine- served with fresh strawberries. It is a light, delicious, creamy treat. Again, there are many variations- and it can be served hot or cold- if hot, it skips the cream- but ours was chilled and quite delicious. As we were finishing up, Chef Barcia brought us out a few more treats to sample- Chocolate Cake, Cappuccino Crème Brulee, and Tiramisu. Truly stuffed, we couldn't work our way through the majority of these desserts- but, I did sample each one. The cake was moist and rich, the tiramisu was made traditionally with the ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks and mascarpone and flavored with liquor and cocoa. The Crème Brulee was excellent- with a thin crisp top and a rich cappuccino flavored cream inside.
Overall, it was a great experience. Once they find their legs, I think this will be one of the most buzzed about restaurants. It's not far from Scranton, the food is good, the people are good- and it's definitely worth checking out. I don't know about you, but I could really go for some Spaghetti Carbonara right about now....
53 South Main Street
Pittston PA, 18640
(570)299-7571
Hours
Tues - Thurs: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Fri - Sat: 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm
