Why? Piada Review and Giveaway!

By Jen @ Why CLE?

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to mryjhnsn (Comment #8), the winner of 2 tickets to see Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody at the Hanna Theater at Playhouse Square! You will also be receiving 2 complimentary pre-show cocktails. Please check your email and respond by the end of the day or a new winner will be chosen. Winner was chosen by random.org after removing pingbacks and the one non-giveaway-entry comment.

Thanks to all who entered! If you didn’t win, you can still purchase tickets to see Spank!, which is showing January 17-27, by clicking here.***

As I mentioned yesterday, I tried out some new restaurants this past weekend. On Saturday, Matthew, our friends Rich and Rachel, and I headed to the newly-opened Piada in South Euclid.

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Piada is kind of like an Italian-style Chipotle, with made-to-order meals in a fast, relaxed atmosphere.This small, Ohio chain started in Columbus and has locations throughout the state, including South Euclid and Canton.

For the “base” of your meal, you can choose a piada, a pasta bowl, or a chopped salad bowl (or a combo with two of the three). Then you add a grill item and choose your sauce and toppings.

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We had a bit of a line to wait in when we arrived, which gave us time to sort through all the different combinations. By the time we left the restaurant, though, the line was out the door!

All four of us chose pasta bowls for our meals.

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The pasta bowls are generously-sized and Piada isn’t stingy with the toppings either! I got Italian sausage, spicy DIavolo sauce, mushrooms, zucchini, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, and red peppers in my pasta. It was very tasty. The pasta was cooked well and the sauce had a nice spice.

Matthew and I also split a side of the calamari. We were pleasantly surprised: the breading was crisp and the calamari was meaty and not rubbery.

We finished off our meal by all splitting the cannoli chips, which are mini cannoli shells served with a chocolate chip cream for dipping.

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I enjoyed the cannoli chips, but found the shells a bit hard to dip. I recommend the flip-and-dip method with these!

The meals range from $7-$9 and side dishes, appetizers, and soups range from $2-$5. You can even enjoy beer and wine for less than $2! This is a great option for lunch or dinner on the go (you can even order ahead online) or if you’re craving a good Italian meal without breaking the bank. You get a lot of bang for your buck!

So, do you want to check out Piada for yourself? I have a $25 gift card to give away to let you do just that. Here’s how to enter (leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry):

1. Go to Piada’s online menu and leave a comment telling me which item you most want to try.

2. Follow @mypiada and @WhyCLE on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know you’re following.

3. Tweet the following phrase and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted: I want to try Italian street food my way from @mypiada and @WhyCLE: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1eQ #mypiada

You can tweet once per day for additional entries. Just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

The giveaway will close on Thursday, January 17 at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced on Friday, January 18. Good luck! And for another chance to win, check out Happiness is a Hot Pierogi’s giveaway!

***Disclosure: I was asked by Piada to help promote their new location. In exchange, I received a $25 gift card for myself and a $25 gift card to give away. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

jenclesig_pur

65 Responses

  1. dbcowooster

    I had Piada in Easton for the first time a month ago. I would love to try the Piada with Italian sausage, a little bit of angel hair pasta with the pomodoro topped with sundried tomatoes, spinach, and peppadew peppers!

  7. ali lukacsy

    I had Piada for the first time in Colombus on the way back to town from Indy a few months ago and I fell in love counting down the days til the one on Cedar opened! Their calamari is awesome for the price point, and the perfect level of spice. I have to try a wrap, still and their itsy bitsy bottles of wine!

  8. Theresa

    I’m so glad you wrote about Piada – I’ve been meaning to try this place (it’s around the corner from me!)

    I’I would order a Piada with crispy chicken fritte, creamy parmesan, red onion and arugula

  14. Renee

    What a fun concept. It actually seems like you can also make your meal fairly healthy, which is rare in a fast food environment!

    I’d try a similar dish to yours- a pasta bowl with Italian sausage, diavolo sauce, olives, eggplant caponata, fresh mozz, reggiano, pepadews, spinach, sundried tomatoes and white beans. Actually, I think I’m gonna try that whether I win or not!

  26. Jessica

    I would prob try first a pasta bowl with chicken, pomodoro sauce, artichokes, eggplant, feta, and cucumbers. And I would definitely want to also try the pepperoni piada stick.

  35. Jacquie

    This is a really smart way for Piada to advertise. If it wasn’t for you and Alana’s contests, I might not have heard of them this soon! Now I can’t wait to try them! (PS… your new profile pic is super cute!)

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