Comments on: Is Piada Just a Fancy Italian Word for Quesadilla?

By: choosy

choosy — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:49:00 +0000

I don’t love piadas but I do love this place. First off, the flatbread is not at all like a tortilla (ok except for being round and made of flour) — it’s thicker, spongier, tastier. Also, the ingredients are fabulous — you can tell you’re not eating crap (which is generally what’s available around lex at lunch). Next, the espresso-based coffee is perfect. Finally, try the soup! At $5, it’s usually hearty and filling and again made of ingredients your granny would approve of. Let’s keep this place around…

By: foodlover

foodlover — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:51:04 +0000

finally a decent sandwich place. i work in midtown a few times a week, and it is so hard to find a decent place to get some real coffee and some food that is actually tasty, fresh and different. when i first found this hidden place, i entered because of the lovely orange interior.

i lived in italy and it’s really hard to find real italian place in midtown. especially for a quick lunch. however, here, with 8 dollars you get real speck and real fontina cheese sandwich. oh yes.

By: ssp242

ssp242 — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 18:21:03 +0000

I’ve tried La Dolce Vita, a bit dry. Gonna try a “wet” cheese like mozzie next time. The thing that get’s me angry though is on their menue they say their flatbreads are made from some special dough and are made to order. While I appreciate it might be hard to roll out a piece of dough and make it fresh, quickly, for the lunch crowd, these flatbreads seemed like day old flour tortillas that weren’t even steam heated and tasted stale. I’ll give them one more shot and then I’m done.

By: rockcentereater

rockcentereater — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:27:26 +0000

OK, full disclosure, I’m friends with the owners, but I got to know them because I like their food.

#a. They import all their ingredients from Italy (the owners are from Bologna) and spend a lot more on quality, so it’s a bit more expensive than your tortilla, brick mozzarella and salsa (also the flatbread they use doesn’t taste like a tortilla). Maybe the one commentator won’t get too excited over a piada no matter how good the ingredients – and while it probably wouldn’t be unique in Italy – I think it is here.

#b. Why get prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula. Try La Dolce Vita (bresaola, parmesan and arugula) or Cassanova (prosciutto di parma, stracchino cheese and arugula).

#c. Their coffee is my favorite: not too fancy, not too dull.

By: joer

joer — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:54:36 +0000

Just be warned…if you want want a drizzle of balsamic on your $8.00 tax included sandwich, they charge you an extra $.75

By: DocChuck09

DocChuck09 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:19:23 +0000

Do you have ANY idea how many Texans would be ROFLTAS (okay, sorry, that is shorthand for ‘Rollin On The Floor Laughing Their Ass Off’ for the NYC crowd) if they were to read this post?

Looking for a decent Quesadilla in New Yawk City is akin to pickin’ cotton in Alaska.

I mean, come on, gays (sorry, I meant ‘guys’), — good Tex-Mex ain’t gonna happen in the Wormy Apple.

Carry on.

By: KLM

KLM — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:46:50 +0000

Thanks Zach – and thanks drew212 … actually i was referring to the place on 10th st and 6th ave … piadinanyc.com. Don’t know if they are related.

By: drew212

drew212 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:31:13 +0000

@KLM:

Sadly, the place Piadina, which was on W. 22nd St. just east of Sixth Ave., closed at least two years ago. It was long empty and now has been an Ashby’s CafÃ© and Catering for over a year.

By: Samwich

Samwich — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:10:57 +0000

The second pic looks like applebess Quessadillas…actually applebees might look better

By: mghu777

mghu777 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:02:40 +0000

I think this place just got Next’d. I am glad that you reviewed this place, so that people can avoid it. This thing is $8! Do they shine your shoes and comb your hair while you eat it? I don’t mind paying a little extra for higher quality ingredients, but this thing just doesn’t translate very well to being unique. They better get cheaper ingredients or a really attractive staff. No matter how good the thing is, I bet there’s a bitter aftertaste of being hosed when your stomach is rumbling around two hours later.