At Piccadilly comfort food is everywhere you look. There’s meat loaf and mashed potatoes, smoked ribs, cheeseburgers, pulled pork, Italian pastas, fried chicken, and homemade soups. Their barbecue is ranked among the best in the city. Don’t overlook the fruit cobblers, the dessert of which dreams are made. This is mom’s home kitchen, where you can get a rendition of the American classics. So sit a spell. Enjoy.
Piccadilly has the feeling of a vintage St. Louis neighborhood bar and diner.
It had been a while since I was at Piccadilly. In addition to the hearty, home-style meals, I recall that the lighting in the window where I sat provided me an opportunity for some great food photos. Bloggers remember things like that.
Piccadilly is tucked away in the relaxed Ellendale neighborhood of Maplewood and has been in the Callida family since the 1920s.
I’m joined by friends and fellow foodies: Sheila, Virginia, Mary Anne and Cyndy. Three of us opt for the chicken pot pie with the flaky crust that overflows the bowl. The others go with the fish sandwich and meatloaf. With permission, I sample each selection. Since I’m an “investigative” food blogger, people at my table often permit testing and photography in the interest of the culinary arts. I’ve not tried this intrusion on total strangers—yet.
Fried Chicken plate
Moist, tender fried chicken
Short Rib Pot Pie with rib and brisket filling and mashed potato center.
Chicken Pot Pie, with flaky crust and creamy vegetable filling
Meat Loaf plate
Piccadilly fish sandwich
Dessert, or Not?
Blackberry Cobbler from an earlier visit
We spend a few moments weighing the dessert options—as lunching women always do. One does not like to dessert alone. (I’m not sure “dessert” has ever been used as a verb before, but there’s a first time for everything.)
The cherry cobbler is hard to ignore. I had their luscious blackberry cobbler the last time I was there. But after serious consideration, we reluctantly pass on any sweet indulgence, feeling a bit saddened, but buoyed by our collective virtue.
The Piccadilly at Manhattan, 7201 Piccadilly Avenue. (The corner address is incorporated in the name, making the location easy to remember.) Open: Tu-Sat. 11a-10p. See menu.
