Piccolo's Italian Steakhouse

We were looking for something local, Italian and well reviewed.  We came across this place and after living in the area for 15 years wondered how I missed it.  Well, it was easy to figure out once the dining experience began--Appetizers we ordered were attempts at craft bread, both of those were tasteless fail.

Drink list was cheap wine/beer.  Nothing craft or high quality available.  Entre--now this is where the fun began.  My wife ordered scallops and pasta, and I ordered talapia and pasta.  Other servers came to the table to present the dinner and announced each entre.  The server placed my talapia in front of me and I looked at it like, when did they put a crust on a baked/broiled talapia?  Maybe it was their style so I cut, and cut and cut and cut--it was not talapia, it was some other form of meat.  I inquired, and our server said it looked like it was veal---isn't that what you ordered?  No, it was talapia, broiled, that I ordered.  

She took it back to the kitchen and said they got the order mixed up.  I declined anything else and then all of a sudden my broiled talapie arrived at the table.  It looked ok, I was still hungry and gave it a shot.  What I was thinking is the origial meat served was veal, yes, veal so tough you'd though it was shoe leather.

We finished our meal (My wife's sauce on her pasta was overly hot) and both agreed this was a Sam's Club type of place--a dining spot that buys all its stuff at Sam's Club, then attempts to turn low cost (and quality) ingredients into something that aligns with their theme--italian, mexican, chineses.  

My advice is to go to Des Palmas or another discover in the Athens area.  I don't care for Olive Garden either, but even that would be better that this ciao!

Great family-run restaurant away from the college kids.  I highly recommend trying the Greens & Beans.  The unique buttery flavor is perfect for bread dipping, and the solid beans provide a nice contrast from the soft, mushy greens.  

It is both an Italian restaurant and steakhouse.  You may choose from the Italian staples such as Chicken Marsala, Eggplant Parmisian, etc.  Or you can go with steak or seafood.  It is all delicious and portions are very large.  If you are not a fan of leftovers, ask for the "lunch portion" instead.  The food is prepared fresh and the service is always excellent.  It is definitely one of the top restaurants in Oconee.

This is our favorite restaurant.  The food is excellent, the service wonderful and the owner, Tim, loves what he does.  Even though it's an Italian Steakhouse, I have not had a better burger in Athens.