Pizzeria and Coffee House
La Piccola Casa is aptly named and appropriately revered in Pacific Grove. Translated to “The Little House,” the quaint Victorian on 17th Street in America’s Last Hometown has been full-blooded Italian for the last decade.
Local “paisan” Joe Rombi added La Piccola Casa to his restaurant realm in February of 2005. And a few years ago when he sold his self-named Joe Rombi’s La Mia Cucina (right next door), he and his wife Laurie put full focus on the little house that smells of fresh-roasted coffee by day and marinara by night.
Home to breakfast fare (Laurie makes all the morning pastries and goodies, they pour locally roasted Acme Coffee and there is free wi-fi), lunch favorites (pizza, pasta, panini, salads) and dinner entrees (grilled calamari, grilled sand dabs and more), La Piccola Casa also provides food to go. Rombi’s fans love to bring home a variety of sauces (basic tomato, Bolognese, puttanesca), and take-and-bake items such as meatballs and lasagna, along with soups and salads. Instant dinner!
At La Piccola Casa it starts with the pizza (there is even a breakfast pie). The 10-inch pizzas come with a variety of fresh ingredients. Classic pesto elevates the Margarita pie; the Quarto Formaggio includes mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Parmesan and asiago; a caramelized mélange of leeks, green onions, red onions and sweet onions gives Totally Cipolle its signature flavor; mixed wild mushrooms, spinach and pancetta make Crazy for Mushrooms wildly popular; prosciutto, red onion, mozzarella and fresh arugula highlight the Famous Mauro’s; and The Godfather is all about the meat, with Italian sausage, meatballs and pepperoni weighing down this monstrous pie. Diners can also order pizza by the slice.
Italians call grilled, flattened sandwiches panini, and La Piccola Casa features five signature varieties, including Joe’s famous meatballs with mozzarella and Parmesan and another with roasted chicken, arugula, red onion, Parmesan, fontina and lemon aioli.
La Piccola Casa seats up to 24 in one room, or up to 36 in the entire charming Victorian house setting. There is also a quaint, dog-friendly patio.
Longtime supporter of the arts, the Rombis display artwork that rotates monthly. During big sporting events, a large television entertains the crowd, but when the game’s over, it closes with a special cover that hides the TV with artwork.
La Piccola Casa is open daily (Monday and Tuesday, 6:30-11:30 a.m.; Wednesday through Sunday 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m.). Find out more at www.joerombi.com.
