Picnic Pizza Restaurant

Having gone to Italy has ruined me on Italian food in the United States. For two weeks after returning nothing tasted good. I could taste the freezer burn on the meatballs at Olive Garden. Nothing «Italian» tasted like the food in Italy.
In the nine years since, I have again grown accustomed to American cuisine including the Italian version. Olive Garden has become once again an acceptable substitute. I imagine when you have limited food quality choices, the best available becomes the best period. Then someone comes along and gives you the real thing and shatters your world. That’s what happened when my wife and I came to Picnic Pizza.
We started off with fried Calamari and it was the perfect mix of slice rings of the squid mantle and small whole squids. The key to good calamari is timing when cooking, and these were well timed; not too tough, not too soft, but just right. Add a little red pepper to the homemade marinara and you’re in for a real treat.
Then we had Fettuccine Milano. This dish is a mixture of fettuccine, homemade Alfredo sauce, ham, peas, and mushrooms. The moment I tasted it I was taken instantly back to the first moment I tasted Spaghetti Carbonara at a small restaurant in the shadow of the Pantheon in Rome. The sauce was thick but not overly thick, and compared to most American restaurants serving what they call Italian food it wasn’t in the same ballpark. To steal a quote from Pulp Fiction, «it isn’t even the same… sport!». This sauce was to die for.
Now, mind you I stared my review before my wife ordered the tiramisu for dessert. I was already in culinary heaven. But then I put a fork full of this exquisite confection into my mouth and my mind froze. I could hardly chew it was so good! Normally I eat my food like a marine rushing off to battle, but the tiramisu was so well textured, so perfectly chilled, and such an explosion of deliciousness I had to eat slow so I could process what my senses were telling me. Even after swallowing it I had to pause between bites because the flavor lingered teasing my taste buds and olfactory senses.
To top it all off the bill didn’t break the bank. The service was great, the owner’s wife even came out to greet us, it was all so perfect. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much as its in a strip mall next to the main mall. The sign is a little faded, the inside is plain looking, and the music on the radio was country. There is nothing wrong with any of that, but they certainly don’t have a façade screaming «great Italian food here!» Even the name implies it’s just another pizza place, but if anyplace ever had reason for you to say «never judge a book by its cover» this is the place!
In summary, if you want to eat in Italian looking surroundings with food that has Italian names go to Olive Garden. But if you want the best homemade authentic Italian food west of the boot and south of the Mason/​Dixon line come to Picnic Pizza!

Best pizza in Albany. Chicken and veal dishes well prepared, reasonably priced, generous portions. Clean but unpretentious ambiance, but well worth a visit.

In my opinion this is the best pizza in town. They aren’t skimpy with the toppings and never have been in the twenty plus years I’ve eaten their pies. I’ve never had their other Italian dishes but judging by the amount of folks I see eating something other than pizza, I’d guess the other dishes must be pretty good. They also offer an assortment of beer and wine. For my in-​laws, who cook most meals from scratch and rarely eat out, this place is one of their favorites. The service here is usually pretty good, but we have eaten here in the past and they were severely understaffed. On recent visits it seems they’ve hired more help and we’ve had a great experience each time. As far as store layout goes, this place is a wide open large space. There are below the shoulder booths along the left and right walls, small 4 person tables and larger tables in the middle, and 2 person tables along the back wall. As far as attire, some come dressed up but most folks come wearing pretty casual clothing (jeans, shorts, t shirts, sandals).

Best pizza and Italian food in town hands down.