Pikappa - ALASSIO

My last review of them was a little over a year ago. Early in the winter week, rain, wind, blowing sand, fairly cool temperatures all limit the options in Alassio at this time of year. We decided to return because it was close and got us out of the rain. Most of my concerns, raised in my last review, have not diminished. We had a decent pasta dish, a very good carciofi salad, a lackluster half bottle of wine and a forgettable dessert. The service situation hasn't improved; friendly but somewhat amateurish. This might be a very good choice for red meat lovers judging from the window into the meat freezer. There are quite a few restaurants in this mid price range in town, and many of them operate with more finesse. They were doing a good business with plenty of local trade. They won't miss us. But we aren't in a hurry to return.

That is about all that isn't on the menu. We enjoyed the prior version of the restaurant and yet are open to new directions. You can't try everything on a first visit, and so you start somewhere. The welcome is genuine, the wait staff friendly, energetic but a bit erratic. There seems to be a lot of aimless walking around. Dishes appear, eventually, and people disappear. There needs to be more attention to customers not just putting meals on tables. We ordered two pasta dishes for lunch and mixed salads. All were very good, but the portions were too large. Are they feeding football teams or insatiable teenagers? I don't like to waste food or have too much of it go to our waists. The bread and bread sticks placed on the table were supermarket quality. My sense is that the kitchen can do quality, and we all want that these days. There are plenty of mid-range restaurants. Those that survive and thrive do so by winning repeat clients. The jury is still out. Very pleased to see some decent half bottles of wine. With two diners the alternative is usually to buy a good bottle of wine and leave much of it or accept a very mediocre glass of industrial grade. The panna cotta we had for dessert was very nice. We will come back and try their meat dishes, perhaps some appetizers and pizza, but not all in one sitting. As to sushi, poke and other imported trends, we would prefer to have them where they come from. Sure, patrons have a wide range of tastes. I'm skeptical that you can successfully cater to all of them.