Ed U.
Yelp
** The following review reflects my takeout experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. **
I had been anticipating its opening for at least a couple of years when current owners Susannah Schnick and Leslie Nishiyama took over this prime location.on the northwest corner of Solano and San Pablo right next to the Ivy Room. However, they hit every conceivable roadblock possible and an inconceivable one, COVID-19. When they were able to open in December, they decided to operate on an order-ahead basis, and that was part of my own delay in trying them out.
That's because when I want rotisserie chicken, I usually want it like NOW. Don't blame me for my impetuosity, blame Costco because there was a time when that would be the first thing I opened and devoured after I got home. Picnic asks you to order by Wednesday (and they run out quickly), so you can come by at a designated time on Saturday to pick it up. After two failed previous attempts, I finally secured an order for Jamie W. and me, and you know it was all about the poultry.
It was billed as "pasture-raised, non-GMO, heirloom chicken with our signature brine, cooked to perfection in the rotisserie", and for $23, we were expecting the moon. It was quite good, nicely seasoned if a tad salty but quite moist, even the white meat (photo: https://bit.ly/3tjFcFy). As the inevitable accompaniment, we also got the $11 Herby Green Salad with sliced sweet pears, freshly chopped herbs, watermelon radish, pickled radicchio and pepitas (photo: https://bit.ly/3e9zdPc).
On the side was a lemon shallot caper vinaigrette which brightened the freshness of the ingredients (photo: https://bit.ly/3eej4rE). We also figured we could afford the $5 Marinated Mushrooms where they indeed marinated maitakes, brown mushrooms, and shallots and made it a side dish served cold (photo: https://bit.ly/3eejXAk). Well, it is called Picnic after all. It's definitely worth a return visit because they also serve porchetta, roast potatoes, and even ramps. But like I said, when I need a rotisserie chicken, it's hard to convince me to get anything else.
FOOD - 4 stars...not my absolute favorite chicken but awfully good even if you have to order it in advance
AMBIANCE - n/a...looked nice inside but I could only peek through the window
SERVICE - 4 stars...they had the order ready to go in a matter of minutes
TOTAL - 4 stars...definitely higher-end picnic fare
RELATED - Exploring Albany? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3ebRKbk