YEE: Elite & VIP Tasting At Piada

Setup: trying out the brand new fast Italian concept
The good: So. Much. Food! Quite tasty as well. Plenty of options with pastas, soups, salads, and of course the piadas (wraps). Small additional sides and Italian sodas were nice.
The bad: They were doing tasting events all week so there was a bit of confusion for those of us that showed up a bit early (we got caught in the tail end of the event prior to ours and weren’t sure what to do). No alcohol — but that may have changed by now.
Observations: The staff was so friendly and informative. Some of the line was still learning to mesh for more smooth operation, but that’s to be expected for a new place that gets slammed with non-​stop tastings
Overall recommendation: Great concept. I can see this place being a hit during business lunch and a quick dinner. Another awesome time with Farrah and the crew!

Piada is a cool concept — made-​to-​order sandwiches, wraps, salads, and pastas. I was a little worried when I saw the line, but our hosts were super-​hero fast. Once the line whipped through, I ordered the a crispy calamari salad. Paper-​thin coated calamari was lightly fried, not rubbery at all. Bright green spinach, pops of hot peppers and cherry tomatoes create a balanced, filling salad. Perfectly sized for portions for a hearty dinner after a long run.
It was cool to mingle with other Elites and munch on cannoli chips for dessert. Thanks Farrah for setting this up!

Piada really went out all for this event. The reason it is called Elite & VIP Tasting is because not only Elites were invited but also VIP customers who all came for free food and drinks. But this is also a great way to train the new staff as they need to feel the pressure of the long line along with various combination of customers’ orders. As soon as the Elites are all here and ready to go, the staff members went over the menu with a small group at a time while we wait in line, they even generously let us know that we are welcome for seconds (!).
Now this place is selling itself as Italian street food, but I only been to Italy back in 1995 and I don’t recall the street food being like this but hey, a fast casual is a fast casual. We get to choose between tascas (sandwiches), piadas (wraps), pasta bowl, and salad bowl. There’s a pre-​set food for each of the category or there’s a create your own for the piada, pasta, or salad. I went with the basic of the Italian Trio with a small lobster bisque soup. Like many other fast casual, there’s an assembly line with each workers have it’s own station to take care of. Then there’s also people in the kitchen doing the prep work (chopping vegetables, re-​filling sauces, etc.) and the line cook doing the meat grilling.
I sat with old and new Unilocal Elites and made some new friends. But most of all, now I know a new place where I want some delicious food on the go. Again, I am not quite sure how authentic this Italian street food is because it sure is tasty and filing. I did get back into the line to play around with the create your own for the pasta bowl and it looks like they got it right. I could see how hard each workers were at each station and I’m glad that they served many of us that night. I am planning to come back and try the meatball soon!

Another awesome elite event, this time at Piada. Piada is basically the Chipotle assembly line concept applied to Italian food. For those that don’t know, a piada is an Italian bread that is similar to a tortilla. Piada has pasta, salads and of course the Piada on the menu. The elites were asked to line up and order whatever they want. I had to go for the namesake, Piada, which is basically an Italian burrito. Like chipotle, you let the assembler know what you want in it, they roll it up and give it to you. I also had the crab bisque which was surprisingly good for a fast casual restaurant.
The location is right off memorial with its own lot. The staff was very friendly and efficient. They have a selection of italian sodas and teas available from their fountain. The food was excellent and filling. So much so that I decided to order some take out as well. When I asked about it, the restaurant was not open yet, but they were kind enough to allow me to have some things to go as and extra Elite perk… yes it’s good to be elite. I got the chicken Alfredo and a cheese and pepperoni bread stick. The food was awesome and plentiful.
A giant thanks to Farrah and all the folks ats Piada for making such an awesome event happen. I will definitely be back and will bring more folks to partake!
Stay sexy fellow Unilocalers!

Second food Unilocal event that I have attended. It was very packed when you first walk in. Everyone that worked at Piada were very friendly, had a smile on their face and very willing to help.
The place itself is pretty much an Italian chipotle.
Steak Diavolo: pretty much a beef burrito with their special sauce. I did enjoy the sauce but I wouldn’t call it spicy, at all. It has a slight kick, but that’s it. I wish I added extra veggies in this because it seemed to lack it, but it was still good. (⁴⁄₅)
Calamari Fritto Misto: same as the steak but with some peppers, again, not spicy. I liked the steak slightly better. (⁴⁄₅)
Lobster bisque: my friend and I loved this! It was very flavorful and creamy. Yes, it did lack lobster, but I was not expecting much of that from a place that’s pretty much fast food. (⁵⁄₅)
Pepperoni sticks: kind of greasy. Not as crunchy as I thought and wanted. Pretty much a bread stick with pepperoni in it. (³⁄₅)
Would I come back? Yes! That lobster bisque has me hooked!

This was a great opportunity to meet fellow Unilocalers in a pretty casual atmosphere as Piada prides themselves in giving you the Italian street food experience. When you walk in, you are greeted to a very open and modern space which was very welcoming. I really liked the open windows for people watching and loved the variety of dining options-​booths/​benches/​high top/​bar with the central display of fountain sodas as Cherry A. mentioned.
OK on to the food, this is essentially an Italian version of Chipotle where you can choose your vessel (tascas/​piadas, pasta or salad bowls), toppings, protein, and sides/​desserts if you want them. However, choosing what to get was a struggle as everything sounded/​looked amazing and I wanted everything or I was just really hungry as per Farrah’s instructions to come hungry! In the end instead of choosing their preset choices I opted to create my own!
Round 1: Salad bowl with calamari with hot peppers and pretty much every single topping they offered with a side of Diavolo sauce, yes a pasta sauce. They gave a generous amount of fried calamari which was perfectly fried with a nice mild heat from the peppers, and to my surprise, even after adding in/​tossing with all the toppings it was still crispy! The Diavolo sauce was tomato based and really not spicy as advertised, but still tasty! In addition to traditional toppings of cucumbers, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, I loved how Piada offered sun dried tomatoes, candied pecans, and for an extra fee grilled artichokes, fresh Pancetta (which was super crispy) and fresh Mozzarella!
Round 2: Pasta bowl with Diavolo and Parmesan Alfredo, yes best of both worlds as the creaminess of the Alfredo blends so well with the acidity of the Diavolo, my only comment was they didn’t mix my pasta for me? I opted for salmon this time, and they got this system down, the salmon was fired and ready to plate as I finished choosing all my toppings! The salmon was surprisingly not dry and quite tender and the pasta was cooked al dente!
Sides:
The Kale Salad was quite refreshing, light, and dare I say yummier than Local Foods…
Tomato Basil Soup: Hm this was so good, I don’t know how to describe it but would definitely like a cup/​bowl of this during the winter.
Lobster Bisque Soup: I wasn’t very impressed with this but it did have a hint of sweetness, but I didn’t find any lobster.
Piada Stick: OMG ok so if you are a lover of bread and cheese this is the side for you, super cheesey and just yum yums, would also pair perfectly with the Tomato Basil Soup. You can choose plain cheese or with pepperoni, I liked the pepperoni more.
Cannoli chips: Hm… I would prefer for my cannolis to be prefilled, but I liked the chocolate chips of the icing.
Overall, thanks so much to Piada and Farrah for such a fun and gluttonous night of yummy food! When we went, there were still some kinks to work out, such as training staff to follow instructions a bit better, but this is probably due to how open the place is and noise just bouncing around. I had to repeat myself multiple times to ask questions about foods or request toppings, but in the end everything worked itself out and I will be back! Also, thanks Eugene for taking all the pics, can’t wait to see them!

This was my first YEE and I had an amazing time and was very impressed with the planning and execution of the evening. Farrah and the staff at Piada did a wonderful job and I was very impressed with the speed of service, attention to detail, and most importantly the quality and freshness of the food.
I love this concept and if I had to compare I would say it’s a cross between Mission Burrito and Torchy’s Tacos. I was skeptical about this whole Piada thing and almost ordered the pasta but figured I had to try it. It was good and flavorful but what really stood out to me was the uniqueness and quality of the side dishes.
I tried both flavors of the Piada sticks, which consisted of piada dough rolled and filled with a delicious ample stuffing of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese with some additional parmesan baked on top. An order of these with some soup or one of the salads would make a perfect lunch or light dinner meal. Speaking of salads the crunchy orzo was to die for. Perfectly cooked orzo with fresh green peas and an array of crisp skillfully cut greens and veggies tossed in a light seasoned olive oil with crunchy toasted almonds.
I was also impressed by the concepts selection of Italian beverages. I have a fetish for real Italian sodas and was so excited to see them on the menu. I drank about a gallon of the fizzy orange soda and will be back to try the lemon and berry.
What a great meal and to top it off, baked canolli shells dusted with powdered sugar and served along side a marscapone dipping sauce.
I’ll be back when they open for sure but will probably skip the Piadas and just load up on sides and Italian soda.

This was a pretty dope event after all the riff raff subsided. Got to kick it with fellow Unilocal and meet new Unilocalers. The food was pretty darn good and I really don’t enjoy Italian food much, but I will definitely return here to try some more of the menu. I tried the calamari Piada and it was dope. Eugene was taking many pics throughout the event (yup, you may see my face everywhere! Lol). We were also allowed to get seconds or thirds of your stomach could handle it. I took seconds to go but ended up giving them away. Thanks Farrah, Piada, and the Unilocal team for making this event happen, it was really coo.

What’s going on here? Back to back Unilocal Elite Event? No way!
Anyway, I enjoyed this event a lot more than I did the Taste of Tarakaan. Both events were good, but this was better; even though there was no alcohol involved. Let me tell you why.
You don’t only get to sample the food. You actually get a whole meal. Or two. Or three. No, I’m not kidding. You wait in line (the initial line was kind of long — about 20 minutes of wait or so), but then you can order one or two entrée and side dishes. And if you still have time and some room in your stomach, then you can get back in line and order more. You can even order to go. Do you know how many to go bags I saw at the event?
I tried the Chicken Diavolo Pasta and it was delicious. The sauce had a bit of a kick to it, but it wasn’t too bad. I also tried the Pepperoni bread and O.M. G. This stuff was good! I mean, the bread by itself was already good, but then you dip it in some ranch dressing? NoMmMmMmMmMm… forreal! I also had the Orange Italian Soda and I couldn’t get enough of that drink! I don’t usually drink soda, but when I do… Orange Italian Soda from Piada. Delicious, sugary, and loaded with calories. Awesome!
My mistake during the event was I chatted too much during and after my meal so I didn’t get to get back in line until they were closing the kitchen already. This means, I didn’t get to take a to go bag. But no worries, that was entirely my fault and not Piada’s since they were already super generous with how much food they were giving away.
The only downside I can think of about this whole event was parking. The parking lot was super tiny, the streets all around the shopping center had no parking signs all over. I ended up having to park across Memorial street next to some apartment building. But then again, this was only an inconvenience instead of a bad thing.
Thank you, Farrah A. for yet another awesome event. Keep them coming please. And thank you to Piada and all of its members for providing the food, the space, and the time to serve us Unilocalers.
I’ll be back when Piada opens to the public!

Another great Unilocal Elite event put on by Farrah and her team! Kristina N. and I showed up to Piada Italian Restaurant not knowing what to expect. It was quite busy when we arrived, and we had to wait in a long line of Unilocal Elites to order our food. While waiting in line, we mingled with the other Elites and even had an employee come out and explain their menu to us. Their food selections range from Tascas (a lighter Italian sandwich made-​to-​order on a thin crust Piada dough), Piadas (think like a Chipotle burrito, but with Italian ingredients), pastas, salads, street sides, and a few seasonal dishes. This employee was very helpful and let us know that the entire menu was free for us and let us order anything we were interested in.
I decided to order a «Create Your Own» Piada with grilled chicken, spaghetti pasta, red onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, mixed greens, and cucumbers with a diavolo sauce (spicy tomatoes, garlic, and chili peppers). I also ordered the Lobster bisque soup and a dish from their seasonal menu called the «Orzo Crunch.» This consisted of orzo, olive oil, amonds, sugar snap peas, sweet glazed pecans, currants, and red bell peppers with a lemon basil dressing.
When we sat down, Farrah came around and gave us some Unilocal Elite Swag. She gave us all these awesome rescue chargers with the Unilocal logo on it. These could be used for when our phone batteries were running low, and we needed some extra juice without access to a plug. I was impressed as this is something I could actually use and not some cheap garbage. Thanks Farrah!
The Piada was delicious, but all I could think about was how it was a higher-​class Italian Chipotle burrito. However, instead of rice, they use spaghetti. I really liked the texture of the thin crusted Piada dough. At a fair price of $ 7.99 /​Piada, it has good value comparable to Chipotle. The Lobster bisque soup and the Orzo Crunch season side were fine, but nothing spectacular to write about. Overall, I wouldn’t necessarily see myself craving Piada Italian Street Food, but if I was in the area and needed a quick bite, I would definitely stop in.

Wow, I’m still full. So. Much. Food.
This event was a little different from some of the other Unilocal Elite Events, but still a good time was had by all.
This was more of a soft opening. I’ve been to a few of these, Pollo Tropical and Verts Kebap come to mind, so after I realized what was going on, I knew what to expect. Piada is somewhat assembly line, like Chipotle and Verts. There were a lot of moving parts in the kitchen. The rush in the kitchen seemed to border on chaos, but things moved along relatively smoothly. The long line of hungry Unilocalers moved pretty quickly. I almost didn’t notice the wait, since I was too busy making new friends with the people in front of and behind me.
The food was pretty tasty, and I’m really digging the Italian Street Food concept. Parking was a challenge, given the small lot and limited street parking next to the building. Overall, this was a success, though. Shout out to Farrah and Piada for making this happen!

This was a nice event. When I arrived I wasn’t sure what to expect since there was a pretty long line. But with the friendly staff greeted several of us and explained what was available on the menu. Conversations with other elites helped the line moved in no time. I had the calamari fritto misto which came highly recommended. It tasted good. It was flavorful and a little spicy. Just right. I think there could have been more calamari in the wrap but it could have just been me.
I also had some lobster bisque which wasn’t bad for a fast food place. Although I wouldn’t rave over it. I tried the cannoli as well it tasted ok. It tasted slightly stale.
The service here made the experience worth while. People were attentive to removing trash and keeping the areas clean and that’s a plus.

This was my first event as a Unilocal Elite so I was nervous but looking forward 2 trying out the new restaurant. I arrived a bit early so we were greeted by the hostess at the door. She told us there was still a crowd there and Unilocal members were reserved for 7pm — until and would have the entire restaurant to dine and enjoy. She briefly explained the menu as we waited in line. The line was a bit long but it moved pretty quickly.
I chose the ‘Create Your Own’ with angel hair pasta, added chicken and steak, the diavolo sauce and Parmesan cheese. We were also given a cup to grab a drink. I started off with their specialty lemonade. It was good and not too sweet. The pasta was tasty but not boasting with flavors. You could tell they use a lot of organic flavors. It was a bit much 4 my appetite so I wrapped the rest up to take to-​go. I had the remainder for lunch and it was still fresh.
For round 2, I got the lobster bisque and the berry soda. I’m unsure if it was just me but the soda was very light in color and flat in taste. I took one sip and poured the rest out. Not sure if that’s how it is supposed to taste but I highly doubt it. I also had a chance to taste the dessert crispers (I think that’s the name) and they were pretty good. They were served with a heavy creamy sauce which was a perfect blend.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I generally like foods with bold flavors but this food was mediocre. It wasn’t bad, just not my particular style of Italian. I commend them on working very well together on keeping the line moving and the customer service top notch. Parking can be a bit crazy if you can’t park in the parking lot. Thanks so much to Farrah and Piada for putting this event together. I’ll still tell my friends to support the new business.

I purposely waited until I tried the chicken basil pesto dish that I had for lunch today. I wanted to make sure it was as amazing as last night’s event at Piada. Annnnnd it was! :-)
Like many, I’m new to the Italian street fare concept, but this allowed me to come in without any expectations. Italian food happens to be in my top three, so where there is fresh salad or pasta to be had, I’m usually game.
Piada is located off Memorial in an area that gets pretty heavy foot (and vehicle) traffic, so the location is prime for a new business. Upon arriving, the lot was full, so many Elites had to park in the lord for surrounding business (e.g., Shell, Starbucks, etc.). Thankfully, this wasn’t a problem, but in the future, I’m wondering if a valet option is feasible? But, I digress. The décor is very modern. Although inside isn’t large, they’ve done well with the adequate space, arranging the various seating options around the centered-​soda machine.
The line to place orders was long, but it moved fairly quickly. Big kudos to Farrah, who greeted us at the door and kept things organized in the midst of chaos, as another party was wrapping up when we arrived. Though everything looked appetizing, I chose the steak diavolo for my first round (yes, I had seconds because Bertha demanded it!). Piada was VERY generous in allowing us to place subsequent orders to try other menu items as long as we stood in line for each round. This was my first time having a piada, which I was told is more like an Italian burrito, but baked on a stone grill (very accurate, I might add). It. Was. EVERYTHING. That diavolo sauce gave it a great kick and it was packed with fresh romain lettuce and both shaved and creamy Parmesan. Definitely a great choice.
My chicken basil pesto pasta was also packed with lots of goodness — grilled chicken, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil pesto and a Parmesan Alfredo sauces and topped with shaved Parmesan. That’s always a nice touch. The flavor really set in since I waited. And the serving was enough for two to share. That’s always a plus because had this been a paid meal, I feel j would’ve gotten my money’s worth. (Bertha likes saving coins)!
Overall, I was excited to try Piada and was very pleased with the experience. As always, it was great to see the Elites I’m already familiar with (waives at Alex W., Ako E., Shawn S., and Jamie L.), but more importantly, it was great to see and meet some of the newer Elites, who might not know that we’re a crazy, fun-​loving, HUNGRY bunch! Shout out to Ke W. and Courtney W. (no relation LOL).
Thank you to everyone who had a hand in planning this event. Piada has been added to my bookmarks so I definitely won’t be a stranger.
XO,
Tash

I have to admit that I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this at first — there was a very long line, there were non-​yelpers there, and I even saw a couple of people get cuts in the line (I see everything!) and overall it seemed a bit chaotic, but as soon as I saw the giant Piadas and bowls on people’s tables, it changed my mind and knew we were in for a treat.
I pretty much changed my mind a few times while in line but I went with the Steak Diavolo and it was good but wasn’t a big fan of the side the name of which escapes me (it had snap peas and was crunchy). I wasn’t aware that we could get multiple stuff at first so I didn’t try the other sides but I did try the pasta as well and it was very good.
I can’t even imagine how hard the staff had to work to feed us and my heart goes out to them so hopefully the event served a purpose for them as well other than back breaking labor but I guess this was a sort of training for them too and if they can handle this many people in a short amount of time, I’m sure they can handle a lunch crowd without a sweat!
I’m still having a debate about whether this is the Chipotle of Italian food with my facebook friends. On one hand, they do assemble the stuff in front of you like Chioptle. On the other hand, Chipotle’s «Mexican» food barely even resembles Mexican food so calling Piada the Chipotle of Italian food kind of gives the impression that this isn’t exactly Italian food. I don’t know, sometimes I overthink. It’s good tasting food.

Thanks so much to Farrah & Piada staff for a night of good food & company! :)
Piada offers a fresh interesting concept. Hate to repeat what others said, but it really is Chipotle/​Subway in serving style with Italian food. Food is fresh and customizable. This restaurant is a nice change of pace from the typical Italian pasta.
Parking was a bit tricky since the lot was full and most nearby parking lots were reserved for their customers only with tow away signs, so I ended up street parking farther away.
Staff was very welcoming. One staff member guided us through the menu and mentioned personal faves while we were waiting inside. Once inside, another staff member guided through the menu for those who didn’t catch the walkthrough earlier.
The 45 min wait for food caught me off guard, but once I got the food, all was good. Calamari fritto misto was delicious — perfect combo of tangy sauces, tingly spice of peppers, crunch of calamari (my fave!), all wrapped in delicious soft flatbread. The lobster bisque was good at first but for some reason it became really salty. I sipped the orange Italian soda, which was refreshing and sweet goodness, between spoons of lobster bisque to offset the saltiness.
I wish I could have gone for seconds, but by the time we finished eating, the line had closed because the event closed at 8 pm. The restaurant staff were very accommodating throughout the dining experience and had smiles on their faces. I’m sure the kitchen staff were having a hectic time feeding so many people, but they kept an upbeat attitude that could be seen just in the way they handled the food and their body language.
A tip for other Unilocalers: Piada is opening 2 other Houston branches in Sugar Land & Vintage Park if you’re looking for one closer to home, and they’re offering pre-​opening VIP access on the website!

GREAT EVENT and FOOD was delicious.
Even though we had to wait approx. 30 minutes for the food, it was well worth it. Plus, if we had a sit down dinner, it would take equally as long to get the food.
Food was on point… Fresh, High quality, and delicious!
A ton of people but that’s expected with a Unilocal event as well as a VIP event. We will be back once they are opened!

Piada reminds me of an Italian-​style Chipotle. I liked the décor and the casual dining environment in general. I particularly liked how clean everything was even with the restaurant being packed with Unilocal Elites.
I happen to enjoy seeing my food prepared in front of me. And this place doesn’t disappoint. I chose a create your own pasta with sausage and pomodoro sauce, a dollop of spicy diavolo sauce and sun dried tomato. Yum! Both the sausage and the diavolo sauce were spicy but not overbearingly hot. All of the food on the line was very fresh and surprisingly neat considering the volume of people that were present.
Service is the one area that I recommend for improvement. Although the employees were friendly and working at a feverish pace, my pasta had to be re-​made because one of the young ladies on the line added a handful of black olives instead of sun dried tomatoes. Normally this would not have been that big of a deal but the young woman commenced to picking them off one-​by-​one when I alerted her of the error! It wasn’t until a gentleman in a chef’s jacket told her to stop that she actually did so. She seemed clueless and simply a bit unaware of what to do next. Fortunately, the remake was done well.
I’m glad the restaurant had the chance to experience this trial run with us so that they have time to work out the kinks before their opening day.
Thanks to Unilocal for coordinating this event.

OMG, OMG, OMG! I’m so happy I was able to attend this official Unilocal Elite Event! Thank you Farrah, Piada staff, the friendly Head Chef who came around and brought me a to-​go bag and Jordan (I think) who explained to us how to order while we stood in line.
If you’re like me, you always feel a little bit indecisive when standing in line and deciding what to order when everything looks good. And tonight, everything looked really good! I opted for create your own pasta and added the Pomodoro sauce and crispy chicken with sun-​dried tomatoes. The pancetta was a delightful thinly sliced round of bacon, fried crispy and deliciously.
I was particularly impressed by the beautiful central display of fountain sodas and most importantly, delicious array of Italian sodas. The iced tea was remarkably tasty and the orange soda was heavenly. I would love to put a little heavy cream in that, sip and enjoy conversation with you next time. Yes, YOU!
And if there was a little red wine to go with my Italian street pasta maybe that conversation could lead to something more? (LOL hair flip here, giggle here!) how about some Prosecco? That would be lovely. Can we get that for next time? If they sold red wine or Prosecco or something I would definitely buy it. If not, may I BYOB?
The staff was so lovely to bring us to-​go desert. The powdered sugar was a little messy but totally worth it. The cannoli cream and chocolate chips were mesmerizing!
I will definitely return to try the Piada and more kale salad. It was a little bit noisy and seemed very crowded tonight but I am always ecstatic to attend any Unilocal party. Everybody is so friendly and happy. If you have not made it out to any Unilocal event, like I always say, clear that calendar of yours and come on out and make some friends. The water is warm and hugs are always great especially on a Tuesday night! Thank you Daniel L. for switching nametags with me and making the party into an adventure!
Eugene, you did a great job taking pictures and made the event very fun! I enjoyed seeing all of my Unilocal friends and loved meeting all of the new Elite folks. Thank you for all of the new friending online and I will see your gorgeous face on Unilocal

Point 1: This was a huge amount of food from a kind staff that gave grumpy me a very positive first impression.
Point 2: Piada people, you really need to start serving wine. Texans like their wine. We consume a lot of it. It is happy juice. Farrah suggested that people like me mentioning happy juice in our reviews will plant the seed. And once you get some wine on the menu, yes, I would like some cheese with that whine too.
And now the miscellaneous rest since the important stuff is out of the way:
The locals had already been posting their reviews on the real biz page since this is «VIP week» where Piada dispenses free food to people in the know, or whatever. I was extremely amused by Joe C’s hilariously negative review @
so I was interested in seeing what’s what since this OYE was hooking me up with free food, without having to be in the know about this VIP week from some other source.
This was event #2 of 3 in the OYE Super Happy Fun Week following on the heels of the event last night at Tarakaan. This event included no booze unlike last night with the wine flowing freely like it was a mandatory House Lannister party.
Because I am cheap (thx stereotypes) I have the free version of pandora. I have been hearing the Piada advertisements on my free pandora for months. I am familiar with the thing and I shudder slightly when I hear that annoying ladykin voice come on my commercial breaks just after my stories have abruptly ended from the The Hood Internet vs Chicago mixtape. So I figured I might as well come eat for free since the ads were ‘memorable’ if by memorable, you mean annoying to someone trying to listen to gangsta rap at work and do other lawyerly things during the day.
Piada is fast casual so they are in the ballpark of Pei Wei, Chipotle, and whatnots. But their thing is Italian street food — which isn’t a euphemism for picking up a cheap hooker for a ZJ, as I had to explain to that nice Italian law enforcement officer (whom had to ask what a ZJ was so he obviously couldn’t afford it b tee dubs) from this nice toothless hooker that had also been detained nearby on an unrelated but nearly just as humorous of an incident earlier in the evening.
So anyway what to heck is a piada? You ask. Well the answer is: a wrap baked on a stone grill and hand-​rolled with fresh authentic ingredients. That’s what she is. In more detail the two piadas I got a sample of were:
CALAMARI FRITTO MISTO — Calamari with hot peppers, spicy diavolo sauce, creamy parmesan, romaine, sweet & spicy peppers, mozzarella; and
STEAK DIAVOLO — Steak, spicy diavolo sauce, romaine, shaved parmesan, creamy parmesan.
My tasting notes are that the piadas are not filled as well as they could be, there is a lot of wrap left over. And it is mostly lettuce filling anyway.
The small pieces of steak were well seasoned and delicious, I wish there was more of it to enjoy. The spicy diavolo sauce was not spicy (thx masculine ability to withstand intense heat and win dumb bar bets with my frat bros) but it was creamy and on point with a sensual aftertaste.
The calamari pieces were much bigger and thus fared better. The hot peppers were a nice touch of color and flavor. But the sauce was almost non existent in this one. The steak one was so wet it’s like I just told a Harry Potter pick up line. The calamari one as dry as when I talk to a peer (30something year old) single lady about Harry Potter.
My first time through the line the lady in front of me fucked up on her order and then she stole my steak diavolo piada, but left the calamari fritto misto piada she had ordered. Since Alan had ordered the steak one too, the people behind the counter scrambled to make an extra steak one. Alan let me take the first steak one since I was hungry, and he ended up grabbing his new steak one and the extra calamari one which he kindly split with me. It seems just like Batanga they have a bit of a problem with the locals taking plates that ain’t theirs and the staff don’t stop these assholes in time. But at least Piada people apologized for the minor inconvenience.
Our second pass through the line since everyone else was taking to go stuff I got the pasta thing since that will keep better for lunch tomorrow. I did sample the parmesan piada stick and holy heck, this thing is amazing.
This parmesan piada stick was so good if we ended up marooned on an island like in LOST I would probably marry her on our second day, then I might eat my wife on day three. If you don’t take away anything else from this review and you visit Piada months from now, remember to get your parmesan piada stick and thank me later fam.
A huge thanks to Farrah and her crew for setting up another nice OYE to follow up on Tarakaan last night. And a thanks to Piada for accommodating us and our shenanigans this evening.