Italian Comfort: Lo Coco’s 

Restaurants in Oakland come and go and keeps me on my toes. There is a small Italian restaurant that sits on Piedmont Avenue in North Oakland that has been around for quite some time. Lo Coco’s is an authentic neighborhood restaurant that serves Sicilian style food.  

A couple of weeks ago, I was craving Lo Coco’s. My BFF was happy to join me. “Remember it’s cash only,” she said. I picked her up after visiting the ATM. Actually, you can write a check, but who carries around a check book anymore?  

For the two of us, we decided on getting a pasta dish and a pizza. We ordered the pappardelle pasta with porcini mushrooms. My BFF had tried ordering it before when it wasn’t available, so the desire to have it had grown. The scent of the mushrooms were intoxicating as the dish arrived. The pasta had the perfect level of creaminess and cook with a strong earthy flavor. It exceeded my expectations.
 My usual pizza at Lo Coco’s is #9, the Vesuvio, which is topped with pepperoni and green onions. The pizza crust is well cooked and chewy and the tiny crispy pepperoni and the chopped green onions offers a royal match. The leftover pizza I reheated in my toaster oven the next day tasted even better.
 We shared the special homemade chocolate cannoli for dessert which is hand packed with ricotta cheese. The cannoli was pretty good, but slightly grainy.  I have enjoyed much better on the East Coast. The other option for dessert is tiramisu which I’ll need to try next time. Nonetheless, Lo Coco’s is there to satisfy my cravings for Italian comfort food. Don’t forget to bring cash!