Chapter 22 Is Alive And Well At Atticus...
In Chapter 22 of the Pulitzer Prize winning book,
To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch -the namesake of our most recent blog outing - comes downstairs to find his kitchen table "loaded with enough food to bury the family."
For those of you who never had to read this book in high school, the food found on the table was given to Finch as a gesture of gratitude for his actions. Atticus Finch was a lawyer who defended a black man in an act of good conscience. Because the timeframe of the book is between the years of 1933 to 1935, the black people in his neighborhood understood and admired the courage Atticus showed to help a member of the community at great risk to himself. Therefore, they brought him food as a sign of their appreciation.
The website for Atticus describes itself as a place you can find comfort food, good friends, warm hospitality, laughter and libations. Well, they aren't lying. The staff of Atticus loves their community and really tries to convince the neighborhood to come together and congregate at this local eatery. They sponsor community dinners for a flat fee. During these dinners, they push the tables together and offer games and good food as a way for the locals to dine together while getting to know each other.
Atticus is a farm to tavern restaurant. All produce is grown locally by the restaurant, and it is evident by the taste of the food. For example, we ordered the fried green tomatoes and were not disappointed. Heirloom tomatoes were lightly fried in a delicate batter with crispy edges, and a wonderful dipping sauce. Instead of the typical thick, fried, soggy tomato we were treated to a slightly sweet, flavorful tomato that still had its firmness in tact. Just excellent!
Additional appetizers included the Brie Hot Pot and Crostini with thinly sliced peaches, cherries, fresh mint, ricotta cheese, and balsamic vinegar drizzle. However, undoubtedly the most daring choice tried that evening was the charred octopus. It was served with a leak brodo and chimichurri. Admittedly our server, Roman, had to bribe us into ordering this appetizer. We agreed, only after remembering that trying new things was the one main reason for starting this blog in the first place. The octopus was actually quite nice. The meat was dense and briny with a heady seafood aroma. The sauce was a nice accompaniment and helped offset the saltiness of the dish. It would probably not be something we would order on a regular basis, but it is definitely something to try once in our lives, and we are really glad we did. Thank you, Roman for helping us be brave.
Our dinner selections included a delicious Osso Bucco served with citrus farrotto, grilled asparagus, and roasted grape tomatoes and the Atticus Burger served with crispy onions candied bacon, roasted garlic aioli, cambozola cheese and fries. However, the most mind blowing meal of the evening was definitely the Herb Risotto. Roasted sweet corn, Hazel Dell Mushrooms, and a splash of pure heaven. Those of you who follow the blog know that we are big meat eaters. It is so rare a vegetarian dish wins the prize but Atticus' Risotto is the stuff of legends. Absolutely amazing!
Speaking of vegetarian meals, Atticus also offers gluten free and vegan meal choices so all are welcome and can have a great meal.
Moving on to dessert we tried the Bananas Foster Cheesecake - a New York style cheesecake texture with mashed bananas and chocolate sauce. Very light and refreshing. We also tried the Pot of Crème with Peanut Butter Fluff. It was dark, rich, creamy, and was a beautiful ganache.
We found Atticus to be a very cozy and family friendly restaurant. Our server, Roman, was hilarious and well informed. He is one of those rare people in the service industry that believes everything should be fun. He really made our night. Be sure to request him when making your reservations. That being said - be sure to make reservations. Atticus is a smaller space and fills up really fast.
Because the food was amazing, the service was terrific, and the feeling of community was so strong, we awarded Atticus the coveted golden spoon. We met some great people during our visit both staff and guests alike and wish to thank all of them for a truly wonderful evening.
P.S. We debated quite a bit about adding this note. While we do not intend to sway anyone's decision to try Atticus, we think it is only fair to disclose that after dining at this restaurant, one of us suffered a bout of tummy trouble (you know the kind that keeps you near the bathroom for 24 hours). We have never had this happen before and we cannot be completely certain that the issue lies with our dinner; however there were few other possibilities. Although this in no way takes away from the experience, we feel we needed to mention something about it. MenuManiacs is sure this is not a usual occurrence; however, it happened, and we need to be open and honest about it. That being said, we hope this does not prevent anyone from trying this wonderful restaurant. We will be sure to make a return trip in the future ourselves.
The Officially Unofficial Voting Legend
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Take it with a grain of salt, we're not professionals.
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Awesome place, we’ll shovel more food in our face!
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It was okay. Not our favorite, but we’ll take another stab at it.
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Didn’t make the cut.
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Pellegrini's is tucked away in the Cottonwood Square shopping center on 23rd Avenue and 16th Street. The owner, Carlo, is from the old country of Italy and is passionate about bringing authentic Italian flavors to the thriving metropolis of Greeley. The restaurant is a moderately sized building, and it can accommodate both large and small parties. We found it to be nicely appointed and it smelled like food! You would be surprised how many restaurants we visit that smell like nothing. It is a very strange phenomenon. However, Pellegrini's is like going to a friend's house for dinner and experiencing the wonderful aroma meeting you at the door. As usual, we were the last to arrive and the rest of our party was already seated. Our server, Mandy, greeted us right away, let us know the specials, and took our drink order first thing. 
It is SO hard to find good gnocchi and Pellegrini's did a really good job. The pasta was soft and creamy with a vibrant tomato cream sauce. Boscaiola, a pappardelle pasta sauteed in white cream sauce with Cremini mushrooms, home made sausage and tomatoes was one of the stand out dishes. This was one of Carlo's recommendations and he certainly didn't steer us wrong. The fresh sausage and handmade pasta really gave this dish a truly unique taste. Rounding out our favorites, was a classic lasagna. The noodles were thin and delicate between a layering of rich bolognese sauce and gooey cheeses. Nothing fussy here, just classic deliciousness. There were a lots of other dishes warranting an honorable mention including Ravioli, Salmon e Pesto Genovese, Risotto, Pomodoro, and grilled chicken; however, the three mentioned previously were the dishes the table enjoyed the most.
