Il Giorgiano Pizzeria & Wine Bar

Happy Friday.

I don't often recommend restaurants, but I had such a great meal last night, I'm compelled to let you know about Il Giorgiano. It has what I would consider some of the best pizza and pasta in Columbia. Seriously.

After attending the MIRCI fundraiser at 701 Whaley last night, Mrs. Permanent Press and I decided to take advantage of the fact that we already had a babysitter and get a little late dinner. We went over to Il Giorgiano since we had heard good things about this local pizza place. Sitting outside, we had a perfect evening to enjoy. The outside patio is a little brick area that is cozy and peaceful. There was a little fountain to give the place some old Italian charm.

We ordered some of a pizza and some pasta to share. I don't take very good pictures of food, but trust me it was amazing. My pictures would not do justice to the food.

I've been to Tuscany, and this food tasted like the food from Florence and Siena. It was like I stepped into a time machine and ended up back on vacation in Italy. The pizza was a smallish (maybe 9" in diameter) and perfect for sharing with another person. It was thin crust, lightly topped, and amazing. The pasta we had was the little stuffed tortellini kind in a cream sauce. Oh my god, it was good.

For dessert, we shared some bananna pudding gelato that was made in-house. In fact, they make all their desserts in-house. It was one of the best meals I had in a long time. The food was amazing, the prices were actually very reasonable, the service was great, and the atmosphere was perfect.

At the end of the meal, one of the owners (Monica) came out to thank us for coming in and talked about her love of Italian food. This place is a local restaurant that does everything right. They're located on Devine Street right next to where Dianne's used to be.

Side note: You're officially from the South when you give directions by referencing where certain landmarks used to be. All the time, I find myself telling people "You know where Rice Music House used to be? Yeah, my office is two blocks down from there." I'm not sure what the deal is, but that's a Southern thing.

Anyway, if you're looking for some authentic Italian food in a casual atmosphere, stop by Il Giorgiano, and let George and Monica take care of you.

Top Five for Fried Chicken in Columbia, SC

Apparently, someone important [probably a Southerner] decided to make today “National Fried Chicken Day”. Only in America, right? In honor of the best way to eat chicken, here are the top five places to get fried chicken in Columbia, SC:

1. Bernie’s Restaurant: If you live in Columbia, you owe it to yourself to go to Bernie’s for fried chicken at some point. The “3 piece special” is the standard order, and it’s always perfectly crispy and delicious. Being over by Williams-Brice, there’s always a good crowd during the fall over at Bernie’s, but they keep the line moving. It’s the best fried chicken in Columbia. If you say otherwise, it will be pistols at dawn.

2.  Zesto’s Their trademark may be the big soft-serve ice cream cone over the building, but make no mistake – they do some serious fried chicken here. (They also own Rosewood Dairy Bar, which is excellent.)

3. Yesterday’s. Their fried chicken is topped with white gravy, but I eat it so fast, I don’t ever let it get soggy. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

4. Bojangles. It’s a national chain, but they have some awesome chicken. What I really like about theirs is the spicy rub that goes under the skin.

5. Chick-fil-A. Yeah, it’s not really “fried chicken”, but it’s so good that it deserves to be in here. I recommend the Jackie Bradley, Jr. combo. Go the one in Five Points and ask for that.

If you're looking for the top places to get fried chicken in Columbia, SC, you could do much worse than these places. I ranked both Bojangles and Chick-fil-A down because they weren't local places. If you have problem with that, start your own list, bro.

Disagree with any of this? Have I left out anywhere that deserves to be ranked higher?

2011 "Best" of Columbia Awards (Ridiculous)

Once again, The State newspaper has beclowned itself. The 2011 “Best of Columbia” awards are atrocious. How bad are they, you ask?