July 25th, 2006
PICCO
In between rainstorms this past weekend, I visited PICCO, or Pizza and Ice Cream Company, a cutesy pizza and ice cream parlor in the South End.
Despite the frequent showers, PICCO was hoppin' and we sat at the bar to avoid waiting for a table. After some flagging, a waitress distributed red-rimmed menus and told us she'd alert the ice-creamtender? to our presence.
It was just dessert for me and my friend, so no comments about the pizza, which appeared to be old-school style with greasy cheese and plentiful meat toppings along with some more creative gourmet pies.
The open kitchen and compartmentalized wine shelves of PICCO make you feel as if you've wandered into some fantastical, over-sized kitchen, where you could easily order a sundae made with eight different types of ice cream, should you desire.
The ice cream selection was suprisingly limited, however, with around dozen homemade flavors and standard sundae selections. J.P. Licks certainly has PICCO beat in terms of selection, though one option, the Toasted Gingerbread with a scoop of your choice of ice cream and hot fudge ($6), stood out.
I indulged in a Brownie Sundae ($6) with vanilla ice cream (for purity's sake) and my friend ordered a two-scoop hot fudge sundae ($5). The superior creamy quality of PICCO's homemade ice cream cannot be disputed and the strong, fresh vanilla flavor made me realize how manufactured and grainy cheapo supermarket ice cream really is. Even more delightful was the hot fudge, a thick, semi-bitter dark chocolate syrup that stood apart from other gluey, oversweetened varieties. Instead of just one brownie, PICCO layers its sundaes with several dense chewy chunks that you alternately encounter between spoonfuls of rich cream.
With pricy sundaes, sluggish service, and a smallish dining room, PICCO doesn't lend itself to being a premier sit-down destination location. There is also the option of ordering at the counter and perambulating on trendy Tremont on clear evenings.
The Info
PICCO
513 Tremont St., Boston
www.piccorestaurant.com