Restaraunt Review: Il Piccolo Verde

140 S. Barrington Place | Brentwood, CA 90049 | (310) 472-4939 | www.ilpiccoloverde.com | Prices:  $$

A little pizza isn’t going to taint this otherwise healthy Italian cuisine review. Il Piccolo Verde, located in Brentwood Village, strives to achieve a health-conscious approach to traditional Italian cooking, while also offering the usual temptations including Lasagna Bolognese and Spaghetti Carbonara. However, the last pages of the extensive menu, a section called “Verde Naturale,” substitutes traditional dishes like polenta and risotto with gluten-free organic whole grains, millet, quinoa e simili.

A minor veer off-course is the Quattro Stagioni (“Four Seasons”) Pizza. It fired up our appetites and the imported wood-burning oven. If their pizzas call to mind a local favorite − Il Piccolo Ritrovo – it’s because they were under the same ownership until recently.

Call me a stickler for tradition but the toppings are usually divided into four quarters, one for each season. Artichokes represent spring; pungent olives are meant to epitomize summer; mushrooms call to mind woodsy autumn; and prosciutto is equated with winter. Our pizza featured “seasons” blurred together in a flurry of randomly scattered toppings.

This is why my Nonno  (butcher and specialty food shop owner and later, chef) used to impress on me the importance of presentation. His mantra was “We eat with our eyes.” Apart from that it was a tasty version of “pizza come una volta” (pizza as it once was).

We almost ordered the Chopped Salad and I wished we had – a fellow diner said it’s what keeps her coming back. Instead we opted for the healthy Ocean Vegetable Salad from the Verde Naturale section. A salad of Romaine tossed with cucumber, wakame, red pepper and onion. The seaweed topping intrigued us just enough to place the order. Instead it was its main downfall.

No harm done. As we slowly sipped our Super-Tuscan wine while basking in the neighborhood-like vibe of the cozy dining room, a revelation was placed before us. Pollo Cacciatore, also from the Verde Naturale menu, lit up my dining companion Randy’s face like a birthday cake. Here was something he could sink his teeth into sans guilt. The grilled free-range chicken splayed across a bed of millet and blanketed by a savory tomato sauce, is understandably the most popular item on the menu.

The chicken itself is put through a series of cooking techniques – boned, grilled, then roasted – that ensures a succulent bird. There was plenty to make a meal for two out of it, but we suggest taking the leftovers home – Randy insisted it was even better the next day.

I, the carboholic that I am, decided on the Spaghetti Integrali. I know you’re wondering where the health comes into play but I found a loophole – whole-wheat pasta. It was so flavorful I didn’t miss the “regular” variety. A bowl-full of color, the lemon and white wine brought out the flavors of the spinach, broccolini, carrots and peas. Everything was cooked as I like it – al dente.

Our server, generous with her smile and our needs, derailed our intentions with her insistence on dessert. A very light and not overly sweet Ricotta Cheese Cake was served slightly warm, delicately sitting on a sunburst of berry coulis, only to be ravaged within seconds.