Good Friends and Good Food

We are getting older, though of my core group of college friends I am the youngest (thank goodness for that), and it was time to celebrate the birthday of our beloved Kakes. Lea, we would have been with you for your birthday, but you were in NJ and we were in Boston. Regardless, you were missed terribly!

The scene for the 25 plus a couple years birthday dinner for Kakes was Piattini on Newbury Street in Boston. Our resident Back Bay media director, Michele, selected this delicious and quaint Italian restaurant for the celebration dinner. It was a cold and rainy night so we were not given the opportunity to sit outside. That was a bummer, but not a surprise given how terrible the weather has been this summer.

The tables inside have a beautiful copper top on them which lends a bit of color to the small interior of the restaurant. Despite the fact that the interior was small, I didn't feel like we were sitting with the neighboring diners, nor hearing their conversations. I liked that we could speak at a comfortable volume with one another while not feeling like we were too loud.

Our server, forgive me for not remembering his name, was very nice. He noticed the birthday cards on the table for Kakes and wished her a happy birthday. I liked that he let us catch up and picked up on the subtle signals that we were ready for our drink orders. He did not rush us into ordering either.

For drinks, Kakes went with a white wine and I can't remember which she went with. Michele went with the house wine and I am still obsessed with Argentina and went with the Malbec. When we got our wines, our server presented us with a small card that with mentions of where the wine is from with a brief description of the flavors.

The menu is quite large, though not overwhelming. There are quite a few small plates, the English translation of the restaurant name is small plate, but we all opted to have a salad to start and then a pasta dish. Kakes selected the salad special of beets and goat cheese. Michele opted to have the Caesar. I went for the Salmone salad. We were all quite pleased with our selections. I appreciated that the salad was not skimpy with the portions of salmon. I loved the balance of the saltiness of the capers with the soft texture of the smoked salmon.

We each ordered different entrees, but all had some pasta with them. The birthday girl ordered the lobster ravioli. It looked spectacular. Michele ordered the Ziti con Pollo. I was eyeing both of these dishes on the menu and once again when they hit the table. I went for the Frutti di Mar. Once again, the portions of fish were not skimpy. There was a generous amount of mussels, shrimp, scallops, but I would have like a tad more calamari. I ordered it with the spicy red sauce and was please with the level of hotness in the dish.

We did not order dessert much to my dismay, but not to the dismay of my hips. Though, when we celebrate my birthday, we will absolutely be ordering dessert. It will be my birthday wish. I can't be the only eating the sweets!

I would definitely go back to Piattini. I liked the casual and laid back atmosphere. The food was delicious and the prices were ok. We did spend a bit, but it could be traced back to the wine. If I go back, I would love to try some things from the small plates portion of the menu and of course I would get something sweet to finish the meal.