Pietro’s ups the game for fresh, local Italian food

The farm-to-table movement in Macon now has an Italian contender, and it is a glorious thing. Considering that fresh, local food is a large part of the appeal of Italian food, it’s no wonder Pietro’s is quickly becoming the hottest restaurant in town.

We came on a Thursday evening and the tables refilled as soon as customers left them. An order of pesto flatbread was placed on our table as soon as we were seated so we could nosh while we chose our meals. The tables are a mix of booths and four-tops, with a large — and largely unoccupied — bar in the front and an open kitchen in the back. If the place is full when you visit, ask for a seat at the bar.

Everything that can be local, is. We started with the fried goat cheese from Southern Swiss dairy in Waynesboro. It comes with a spicy dipping sauce and a cucumber relish (made with cucumbers from Dirt Farmers in Macon), but they taste excellent on their own as well. We also had the scallops from Native Seafood in Brunswick, coated with pumpernickel crumbs and served with sweet braised cabbage and a tarragon aioli. Most appetizers are about $10.

Dinner entrees average about $18 each, so we had the chicken piccata and the ravioli of the day. The chicken was a large breast from Greenway Farms in Roberta and was cooked perfectly with a lemon caper sauce. The best part of that entree, though, was the side: squash pancakes. These tender little circles have a perfect consistency and slight sweetness — I could eat them at every meal.

The daily ravioli was perfectly done, with tiny slices of asparagus and scallops on the inside and shaved Parma on top. We’ve had the lasagna bolognese before and would order it every time if the other items weren’t so tempting. Next time, I’d like to try the black truffle rigatoni on black tagliatelle and the grass-fed filet of beef.

Get to Pietro’s before it’s too hard to get a table. It’s casual but you’ll feel like a king.

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Pietro’s ups the game for fresh, local Italian food."