Outside dining... I love, love, love it. So recently in Savannah, despite the heat and mosquitos, I wanted al fresco dining. Enter Leoci's Trattoria on Abercorn. 

When I was in school in Savannah a - "ahem" - long, long time ago, the neighborhood Leoci's is in was bad. Way bad. So I was super duper excited to see this charming trattoria with an amazing deck and bocci courts welcoming me to enjoy my evening. 

Leoci's hit several high notes with me, and a few not so high. One of the biggest positives though is that even though Leoci's is an Italian restaurant, there are lots of gluten-free options. A bone-in pork chop was a special and there are several seafood dishes. The kitchen had no problems substituting shrimp for the hangar steak that usually accompanies the wild mushroom risotto. The menu lists two portion sizes. I would suggest the small... it was substantial! 

My companion had the lasagna, which may have been as big as my head. He said it was very, very good. It looked like it had lots of cheese which is a requirement for me!  Another highlight was the quality of arugula in my salad. Sometimes, this green gets limp and has no spice. Not the case at Leoci's. The buffalo mozzarella was not the most flavorful I've ever had, but it was nice and better than many restaurants I've been to. So these are all the things I loved. 

What I didn't love was a wine list that could be updated with a few higher end vintages and more unique offerings. I didn't understand the abundance of Argentinean and California wines in the mix and like to see things not available at the grocery (Cavit???). To be positive, we did find a great prosecco though so try the Bisol Jeio. It's great and only $30. I was told the bread was dry, and the dipping oil was not very high in quality. The dessert we had, similar to a créme brulée, had a strange, lumpy texture. The server said that ricotta had been added. I liked the rustic quality, but if you are expecting silky smooth custard, steer clear. The true travesty though was the grilled pineapple that accompanied this dessert. It was from a can for sure, but worse, it was grilled where a steak had formerly been. No one likes steak flavored pineapple except maybe on a shish kabob. This was such a shameful way to end what had been a lovely meal thus far!

Still, I loved my festive bubbly, the risotto was great, the service and staff, super helpful, and the whole experience very affordable! I'm sure I will head back again for proscuitto and mozzarella. Or maybe it will be the antipasti platter. Or perhaps the beet salad. And then,  there's always that pork chop with my name on it too.