Tokyo Dining, Life & Business: A Bicultural Perspective: Il Pacioccone di Chianti Review

La Cittadella is an Italian Styled Quarter (Mall) located within a 5 minute walk from the East Exit of Kawasaki Station. You’ll find Cinemas, Restaurants, Cafes, Clothing Shops, Book Stores and a Fountain that’s choreography and lighting pays tribute to its larger cousin in front of the Belagio in Las Vegas.

Our family ventured to the La Cittadella last Saturday to try a Restaurant called Il Pacioccone di Chianti. My better half found several reviews on the Japanese Restaurant Critique Site TABELOG.com. Most encouraged ordering the Restaurant Specials & raved about the Desserts. They also suggested reserving seats on weekends and stated that the tables outside the Restaurant were preferred.

We reserved a table inside the restaurant to avoid the heat and received a friendly greeting to a Venue with an interesting and entertaining atmosphere. The Waiters were knowledgeable and helpful but seemed more comfortable speaking Italian than English. (A well designed English Menu is available.)

Il Pacioccone di Chianti tries to mesh Italian Recipes with fresh produce & Pork from Niigata (a prefecture located in the northern part of Japan), the home of the Restraunt’s Patron. Parma Prosciutto wrapped around fresh Niigata “ichi-jiku” (fig) was delicious and “tamogi-dake” (mushrooms) offered in salads and pizza were well worth ordering. We tried Gorgonzola with Fig Pizza served with honey on the side & it was terrific.

Our Waiter informed us that they receive weekly shipments of meats, cheese and wines from Italy. (They have a purchasing office in Bologna.) Fresh produce and other essentials are the key to this establishment. Our table was located just a few feet from the slicer wheel that a skilled technician used to prepare plates of meats, cheese and other combinations of antipasto. (The Imported Italian Machine ran constantly thru the night serving Diners at the packed Restaurant.)

The restaurant direct imports wine and presents them well. We asked for a full bodied wine recommendation and went with the directly imported Tenuta Uccellina Burson IGT: Ravenna Rosso 2005. We found it very dark, plumy with a little spice and were pleased with the results.

Even Il Pacioccone di Chianti can’t be all things to all people. The Pasta Dishes were not overly tasty and the pasta itself was border line Al Dente. The Desserts raved about by Japanese Bloggers were “milky” & without character. Our Japanese Experts (Wife & Daughter) compared their desserts flavor to Fujiya Candy & my 8 year old was reminded of her earliest meals. (She claimed that they tasted like “breast milk.”)

We will return to Il Pacioccone di Chianti and Reserve seats at tables with high backed chairs located on the Restaurant’s Patio. The customers who venture inside the restaurant sit on stools at tables strategically and carefully spaced tightly around the confined space. (Fun but hard on the back of a middle aged veteran of contact sports.) We will restrict Orders to Antipasto with attention to the Specials, Pizza and some more wine from the interesting selection.

The Service was professional, entertaining and sincere. The Waiters do their best communicating with each other in Italian, know their menu and went out of their way to assist our young daughter. The prices are competitive with Italian Restaurants around Tokyo but are not inexpensive. Our dinner with a bottle of wine, sparkling wine cocktails, salad, antipasto, pizza and spaghetti amounted to 20,000 Yen.

One option for Dessert can be found just a few steps away from the Il Pacioccone di Chianti at Creamamore (Italian Gelato). The wide selection of Gelato by this Italian Franchise is appealing and delicious. We purchased some cones filled with Pistachio and other favorites & enjoyed them while watching the fountain and listening to Andrea Bocelli. Another fine Kawasaki Evening.