Piccolo Buco by Cooper's Hawk — Restaurant in Citrus Park

The greatly anticipated Piccolo Buca by Cooper's Hawk is finally open. Located in the old Macaroni Grill building on the corner of N. Dale Mabry and Erlich. Boasting authentic fare from Rome Italy and specializing in puffy crust pizza, Cooper's Hawk and Italian wines and delectable pastas, Piccolo Buca does not disappoint. My server was Brook and I was her 1st customer. The GM Giovanni introduced himself.

A very clean and open space where conversations carry like seeds in the wind, it was moderately loud while only half full and very loud when full. They have dining in the bar area, a slightly more quiet environment and an outdoor patio that was actually the quietest area today. The central dining room has a view of the kitchen with occasional sounds that eminate from within. The floor is cemented with with booths surrounding and the middle area that houses tables and chairs is carpeted. The service was excellent and the place well staffed. The vibe was certainly Italian.

I ordered the Stuffed Squash Blossoms, a bucket list item for me. Also the Calamari and the Tre Carne (Three Meat Pizza) in Yellow Sauce with a side of Calabrian Chili Oil. The Roma pizza, is another item off my foodie bucket list. The Squash Blossoms were denser and crispier than I imagined. It says 4 cheese but all I could taste was ricotta. The more I ate the more I liked it. The white sauce with small dots of red sauce the perfect bedfellow. The Calamari was just that, truly nothing special, I should have tried something more authentic. Lesson learned. The Pizza, however, was a Roman revelation. A tall, puffy and light crust that was delightfully charred on one side and pale white on the other. With time they will learn how to turn a pizza in the oven while it cooks. It is sliced table-side with scissors. The flavors were intense, bold and complex. The drizzle of chili oil was delectably piquant on the pizza. Savory, flavorous and gratifying. I tried the Buca Riserva wine from their barrel and it was excellent.

There are many reasons to return, flights of wine, enticing pastas, house desserts and main dishes like short ribs! Also, I intend to try more of the amazing pizza's. Come...

Absolutely decadent, delicious experience from Piccolo Buco!

Upon entering, there is an expansive waiting/standing wine area, very similar to Cooper's Hawk. You can get a glass from their very extensive wine list (some exclusive to them) to drink while waiting for the rest of your party As a matter of fact, if you are a Cooper's Hawk winelist member, your membership carries over!

For the food, they have some memorable and very tasty appetizers and entrees. They are known for their pizzas, which they cut in either 4 or 6 pieces, with pizza scissors right in front of you.

We got for 2 appetizers the Crispy Buttersquash petals and Mama Luca's Meatballs. The squash petals are definitely the star attraction, with a light tempura coating the 4 or 5 butter squash petals, the crunch giving way to a very soft and indescribable perfection of a filling (it's 4 cheese). The Mama Luca's Meatballs are nice and ample, placed on a bed of melted cheese and Calabrian peppers sauce (which is something one must get on the side to provide an extra zest to their food)

The pizzas came out shortly thereafter, with a Fungo for him (wild mushrooms, black garlic, Parmesan fonduta, basil, white truffle oil) and Spicy Calabrian Sausage for me (’nduja, Calabrian salami, Mama Luca’s house-made Calabrian oil, and basil)

Since we had GORGED ourselves with the appetizers, we hardly had any room for the pizzas, so we ate a slice each and boxed the rest home. The crust was THICK, supple, with the edges having the char of the fire.

Definitely a welcome place to have lunch or dinner. Will be back...

Disorganized and Disappointing – A Rough Start

We were excited to try this new spot, but that excitement quickly turned into confusion and disappointment. At 6 PM on only their second day open, there was no wait, which seemed odd — until we stepped inside.

The restaurant was packed, not with customers necessarily, but with chairs. Nearly every inch of space was taken up with seating, giving the place a cramped, chaotic feel. The staff seemed overwhelmed and visibly stressed, which I can understand to a degree — it’s the early days for the restaurant. But isn’t that what soft openings are for?

We ended up at the bar, where we waited about 10 minutes for the only two usable seats to open up. The others were so small and awkward that I doubt a child could sit in them comfortably. Despite having four bartenders behind the bar, the service was nonexistent. It felt like they had way too many seats and not nearly enough structure or coordination to handle them.

After sitting for almost 30 minutes without anyone acknowledging us — not even offering water — we decided to cut our losses and leave. It left a bad taste in our mouths… or really, no taste at all, since we never got to order.

If this is how things are starting off, I seriously question how long...