Piecasso Brings Big-Pizza Energy to Stowe

A crisp pizza crust can carry a lot of personality, and Piecasso gives it plenty to do. The Stowe restaurant builds pizzas around familiar pleasures such as pepperoni, bacon, sweet sausage, peppers, tomatoes and black olives, then heads in more colorful directions with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pineapple and pesto.

It is an easy place to land when a group cannot agree on dinner. One person can order a straightforward cheese pie, another can go for a loaded specialty pizza, and someone else can skip pizza altogether without having to settle for a token side salad.

The room has a lively, welcoming energy, with indoor tables, a bar area and an outdoor patio. It works as a lunch stop as readily as a fuller dinner, including for travelers making their way along Vermont Route 100.

The classic cheese pizza has the simple but important balance of sauce and dough that makes a plain pie worth ordering. For diners who prefer to build their own combination, the topping list opens up plenty of possibilities rather than treating customization as an afterthought.

Vegetable-minded diners have room to play here. A build-your-own vegetable-and-pineapple pizza has arrived on a notably crisp crust, and there are dedicated meatless directions on the menu beyond merely asking for toppings to be left off.

The specialty pesto pizza is a good example of the more elaborate side of Piecasso: spinach and sun-dried tomatoes come together with balsamic drizzle. It is a distinct change of pace from the old-school supreme pizza, and the menu also includes the Leonardo pizza for another house-style option.

Pizza can come with assorted seasonings on the side, a small table detail that lets everyone adjust a slice to taste. Garlic knots with marinara sauce make a sensible opening move before the pies arrive.

Piecasso's kitchen reaches well beyond the oven. Salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, calzones, pasta, appetizers and chicken dishes give the menu the breadth that keeps a mixed-age family or a group of friends from negotiating over one category of food.

The quinoa roots and leaves bowl offers a satisfying non-pizza meal, especially for someone looking for a lighter-looking plate that still has enough substance for dinner. Butternut squash soup has also appeared alongside the larger entrées.

For a more traditional Italian-American dinner, the choices have included spaghetti and meatballs, Pasta Rovetto, Chicken Marsala and chicken Parmesan. A meatball sub covers the sandwich end of that same comfort-food territory.

The house cheeseburger can be finished with Cabot cheddar, a fitting Vermont touch. Calzones provide another route for anyone who wants the pizza flavors folded into a more contained, knife-and-fork-friendly package.

Vegetarian choices get meaningful attention, including a build-your-own vegetable pizza, the pesto pizza and the quinoa roots and leaves bowl. That gives a meat-free diner several genuinely different ways to order rather than one default option.

The gluten-free selection has extended unusually far into foods that are often hard to find in a gluten-free form. Breaded, fried mozzarella balls and calamari have been offered, along with a chicken-fried breaded sandwich.

Menus and preparation can change, so diners needing strict gluten-free accommodation should confirm current options and procedures directly with the restaurant. Still, the range of dishes represented here is far more interesting than a lone gluten-free crust.

A pizza meal can stay casual with a local Vermont beer or Mountain Glow Cider, while Pinot Grigio offers a wine option. Clausthaler Zero provides a nonalcoholic beer choice for someone who still wants that cold-bottle-with-pizza ritual.

The patio is a popular place to settle in when outdoor conditions cooperate. It adds another seating option beyond the dining room and bar, though the tables are exposed to direct sun.

Inside, the mood can be energetic and social, particularly around dinner and on weekends. At other times, it can be comfortable enough for an unhurried conversation. A trivia night has added a little extra amusement to at least one evening, though it is best treated as an occasional bonus rather than a standing promise.

Families have practical help in the form of high chairs and crayons for children. Those little touches matter when adults are lingering over a second slice or deciding between pasta and a burger.

The menu also makes sharing easy. A table can begin with garlic knots, add a couple of pies with different topping styles, and still make room for someone who wants soup, a salad or a separate entrée.

Service is generally friendly and professional, helping the restaurant maintain an easygoing tone even when the room has some buzz.

Piecasso has a free parking lot with ample space, an especially welcome convenience in a busy visitor town. Seating is divided among the indoor dining area, bar and patio, so the feel of a meal can shift depending on where a table opens up.

Dinner and weekend periods can get crowded. Seating availability varies, and an advance waitlist may be useful at busier times; a short wait is also possible even on a busy Saturday.

For a quick lunch, a shared pizza and garlic knots can keep things simple. For dinner, the wider menu makes it easy to stretch the visit into pasta, salad, a burger or a round of drinks without leaving the pizza people behind.