Piesano's Stone Fired Pizza

Piesano's Stone Fired Pizza offer dine-in, take-out, and catering. They are located in the Hunter's Crossing Shopping Center on NW 43rd street and NW 53rd avenue. We had heard good things about their food, so decided to check it out. In addition to pizza, they offer pasta, calzones, traditional Italian appetizers/antipasto, and a lunch menu from 11am to 4pm. I particularly like that their name is a play on the word "paisano," which is Spanish for a country man or slang for a friend in some countries.

Atmosphere:

Piesano's has a great atmosphere. The sit-down restaurant's walls are plastered with Italian stucco and the occasional mural. The waiters are all dressed nicely in black and white, basically what you would expect servers in a high-end restaurant to wear.

Service:

Our service was exceptional. (NOTE: Please see updates at the end of this post.) All of our food came out at the perfect pace. The only thing worse than a restaurant that takes too long to bring your food is one that brings out all of your appetizers and entrees at once. So, your entree ends up getting cold or just sitting in its juices while you hastily stuff salad in your mouth. Piesano's did not have this problem. Everything came in order, without much lag time in between. We never wondered where our food was. Another plus was the frequency of our waiter visits. Our waiter did a great job of being both attentive and invisible. We barely noticed when he refilled our water glasses or brought our food out, and he was always pleasant.

Menu:

Piesano's has done a great job with their menu. There are plenty of options for everyone, and everything you would expect a decent Italian place to have (and then some). Some appetizers include garlic knots, calamari, buffalo wings and mussels. Some of their gourmet pizzas include margherita, chicken pesto, San Genaro (sausage, green peppers and caramelized onions), baked ziti pizza (with actual ziti on top), three cheese philly, shrimp parmesan, and plenty more. You can also create your own pizza or calzone. They have a few subs, which I completely ignored since everything else looked so good. Their traditional entrees and pastas looked amazing. Five layer lasagna, baked cheese ravioli, eggplant rollatini, and chicken parmesan were expected, but they also threw in some specialty pastas such as chicken scarpariello (sausage, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes), Penne Piesano (peppers, onions, sweet peppers, mushrooms, chicken, Kalamata olives and potatoes on penne), spinach ravioli, penne alla vodka, and shrimp & mussels Fra Diavolo.

Food:

When we first sat down, our waiter brought us a basket of garlic rolls. We figured they would be the usual drippy rolls swimming in garlic butter, but they were actually resting in a balsamic vinaigrette and dusted with parmesan cheese. It resulted in a lighter tasting roll with a tangy flavor. It was very original, and a great start.

As our appetizer, we ordered the calamari. Not only were the calamari tender, but the batter was crispy and light. They came with 3 dipping sauces- marinara sauce, wasabi aioli, and what they call "bistro sauce." The marinara sauce was so flavorful it definitely made me think their pasta must be to die for! The wasabi aioli was pretty good, but not much more to it than heat. The bistro sauce was basically a spicy mayo. Another plus to the calamari was that they came with plenty of tentacles. Most of the time, you only get a couple of tentacle pieces with your calamari rings, but ours were about half and half.

For our entree, we decided to go with Piesano's staple, their stone-fired pizza. We ordered a large Italian Veggie, which came with spinach, fresh garlic, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and mozzarella. I must say, we were pretty impressed by the amount of toppings. Unfortunately, all of our toppings made the bottom of the crust a little soggy. I love that I got more toppings than I paid for, but I do wish they had cut the artichoke pieces smaller. Those things were unwieldy! Overall, the pizza was great. The cheese was so good, we actually wished we had less toppings. Next time, we would go with a simpler pizza.

Price:

We were so surprised when our bill came. The pizza was huge and fed us twice over, but it only cost $18. It could feed 3-4 people for lunch, especially if you get an appetizer. Appetizers were, on average, $8 each. We'll go back eventually to try their pasta.

Overall:

7/10. You should definitely check out Piesano's. Go with some friends and share a huge pie. Definitely try one of the appetizers.


Update 11/10/09: Pasta!
We went back for their pasta (again, at lunch time) and were not disappointed. I had the spaghetti and meatballs and Alex had the baked ziti. The pasta was cooked al dente and the marinara sauce was flavorful and meaty. The meatball had a great texture, soft and well-seasoned. Yes, it was only one meatball, but it was pretty big and the marinara itself had meat mixed in throughout. Two would have probably been a better idea. For a lunch portion, I definitely got plenty of food. We paid about $8-9 each, and both of our meals gave us enough leftovers for another lunch. We also got 3 of those delicious garlic knots in balsamic again, although 3 is a weird number of rolls to give 2 people. Both dishes got a thumbs up.

Unfortunately, the service was not as good this time around. Our food came out quickly, but the waitress virtually disappeared after that. We sat around for at least 15 minutes after we were done eating before anyone passed by. Eventually, someone who seemed to be a manager asked how we were doing, and we had to ask her for boxes and our check. This knocked our overall rating down a notch.

Update 6/13/10: Service during lunch time has continued to disappoint me. It has been slow and very difficult to get in and out of there in time for a traditional 1 hour lunch break. The quality of their pizza has also dropped some. Dinner may still be as good as it was, but they are definitely getting lazy at lunch. Having said that, I still recommend this restaurant. The food is still very good, just not as amazing as it was originally. Again, this may just be a problem during lunch, when a lot of restaurants get sloppy.

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

There are very few chain restaurants Alex and I would endorse, but BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, besides having a fun name, filled our bellies with delicious food and great beer at equally delicious prices. Who wouldn't be happy with that? BJ's recently opened here in Gainesville by the Oaks Mall, in the former location of Don Pablo's. Think Hops, but with a wider selection of food. This is fitting, considering that our Hops recently closed.

Atmosphere:

About what you'd expect at a chain restaurant/pub. There's plenty of booth and high-top seating, along with a bar if you don't want to deal with the wait. They are apparently good at accommodating large parties, and will often hold birthdays and other large events. Their interior decorators are skilled, sticking to a stone and black decor both on the walls and floor, with a black exposed-duct ceiling. The indoor space is pretty large and they have a small outdoor patio as well.

Service:

Alex and I sat at the bar and our waitress was great. She knew what she was doing and checked on us often enough without getting in the way of our conversations. She never got an order wrong and made us feel welcome to take all the time we needed to have a great experience. Other servers I saw walking around, however, were having a tough time of it. BJ's had just opened a week or two ago, so they were all still learning. It was also a really busy lunch time, so they were stepping on each other's toes while trying to be helpful. This includes my toes, which were painfully stomped by a rushing waiter. He apologized, but I was too worried that he had torn my Reef sandals. After a few more close calls, Alex and I moved to a spot against the wall while we waited for some seats at the bar to open up. The bar seemed to be the information hub, because there was almost a constant stream of waiters/waitresses asking where they were supposed to take their food, and we were brought random items that didn't belong to us twice. No worries, though, our waitress promptly corrected them and sent them off in the right direction.

Menu:

As any chain restaurant should, BJ's has a large selection of various types of food. They have salads, soups, deep-dish pizzas, appetizers, desserts, sandwiches, pastas, and plenty of hot dishes to fit everyone's tastes. They also have lunch specials Monday through Friday that include an unlimited soup and salad special. They also have a great selection of beer. Really, we were impressed (and we've been to Stubbies). BJ's has their own microbrewery as well as other decent beers on tap (including Orange Blossom Pilsner, Arrogant Bastard, Hennepin, Purple Haze) and available by the bottle (including Chimay, Westmalle, Delirium Tremens).

Food/Beverages:

We started with the avocado egg rolls, with cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, red onions, pine nuts, and chipotle peppers. They took ingredients that I wouldn't have thought to toss with avocado, wrapped it in a wonton wrapper, and fried it to crispy heaven. And this was the best part, it came with a sweet tamarind sauce. Tamarind is popular in Latin cuisine, and has a very tangy flavor. The sauce was a great compliment, although the rolls on their own were just as good. Warning, tamarind has a STRONG flavor. Just dip a tiny bit. I loved that the ingredients were mixed together before they were spooned into the wonton so it all blended into a perfectly spiced filling. The food was prepared well and decently flavorful. Alex had the mini deep-dish Mediterranean pizza. It had toppings of basil pesto, grilled chicken, roasted garlic, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and sliced pepperoncinis. I had the shrimp tacos, which came with a delicious avocado cream sauce and fire-roasted salsa.

The beers were impressive. We had the seven-5 oz. samplers. This let us try all of their microbrews. The stand-outs: a citrusy sweet hefeweizen, a hoppy pale-ale, a fruity Irish-style red ale, and a flavorful porter with a creamy head.

Price:

Alex and I got out of there with 2 beers, an appetizer, the seven beer sampler and two entrees for $40 before tip. That's pretty good. The dishes are about $8-13. A majority of the beers were priced, surprisingly, under $5. Even the higher-end bottles were on the frugal end of things.

Overall:

7/10. If we're ever feeling some good beers and a larger variety of foods, we'll probably stop by BJ's. Their site: www.bjsbrewhouse.com.

Satchel's Pizza

If you haven't been to Satchel's pizza yet, you are missing out. Both Alex and I agree they're the best pizza joint in town. Pair their delicious crust and fresh ingredients with an amazing atmosphere, and you can't go wrong. Please don't forget the are CASH ONLY. There is an ATM, but you don't want to have to pay those service fees.

Atmosphere:

The best. Satchel's is a hippie joint. There is cool local art on the walls, great music playing (live on busy nights), a junk shop and greenhouse in the back, and even an old VW van you can sit in. There is beautiful garden seating out front and a great fountain built out of old junk the owner, Satchel, collected. Each menu has a different back to it, thoughts and photos from Satchel. He started with one menu back for people to read while they waited for their food, but he added more since all of his regulars had read it. Now there are about 45 different menu backs.

Satchel's is a real treat. So take your time, explore the junk shop and back patio, and have a beer while you wait. They tend to have live music Thurs-Sat. They are closed Sunday and Monday. Check the website for live music dates.

Service:

Very good. The servers all share the tables and tips. This makes sure that someone is always looking at your table. All the servers will make sure you have drinks and that someone took your order. A warning... SATCHELS TAKES A LONG TIME. Don't go for a quick bite. It takes about an hour to make your pizza, but believe me it's worth the wait. On a busy night when the live music is going, it can also take an hour or more just to get your table. Again, worth it. Go with some friends and enjoy your time there. One way to get around the wait is to order your pizza to go and walk it out to the back patio to eat. They allow it and you enjoy fresh air.

On a side note, Satchel also offers his workers great benefits. They are happy, and this shows through their service. Check out the website for more info: www.satchelspizza.com .

Menu:

Satchel's offers slices, whole pizzas, calzones, and a delicious salad. They also have a deep dish pizza that you have to order in advance. They also have some fresh-baked desserts by the register. They have about 30 different fresh pizza toppings. Pretty good beer and wine selection. Plenty of other beverages, as well.

Food:

Delicious! Like I've said, the pizza is worth the wait. Do me a favor, though. Don't just get a slice of cheese or pepperoni and a Coke. Okay? They have great toppings. Be adventurous! Alex and my favorite is the Mama, which is a 4 topping pizza. We always get ricotta as our first topping. Some of our other favorites are fresh basil, mushrooms, garlic, spinach, roasted red pepper, or feta. You can always ask your server for suggestions. The different kinds of meat they offer are good, too. We always start with one of their salads. It has pieces of apple, Romano cheese,almonds, sunflower seeds, and a great vinaigrette they sell by the bottle. Try it.

Price:

They are pretty affordable, but you don't want to eat there every day.They have a good lunch special of a salad and a slice for $6.25. The whole pizzas range anywhere from $16.50 to $26, but they're a good size and pretty filling. Calzones are $10-15.

Overall:

Amazing. The best place in Gainesville overall. This is the one place I will miss dearly whenever I move away. You'll never find a more unique, relaxing, and welcoming place to eat. 10/10