Kaleidoscope Cafe, Eh?

I'm taking a break from wedding planning to pick up where I left off with my eating habits. PID and I recently went out to dinner with one of our groomsmen and his lovely wife, who are both Pescatarians. With the Gluten-free and vegetarian options available at Kaleidoscope Cafe in Lawrenceville and the good things we'd all heard, we made reservations without hesitations.


We were seated right away and immediately attended to, though the service in the tiny, 10-table establishment was touch-and-go throughout the rest of the evening.

Kaleidoscope is BYOB, which, to me, is a wonderful feature. It's such a blessing to be able to choose the EXACT wine (or, in PID and his g-man's case, locally brewed beer) you want and not pay a fortune.

Don't judge me. The Yellow Tail was affordable and available. And delicious, for that matter.

Kaleidoscope charges stem fee as opposed to a cork fee, so you can drink as many damn bottles as you want. And so we did. And the meal went fairly darn well from there...

Deep Fried Gnocchi small plate w/ homemade marinara - $7

 We all started with the fried Gnocchi appetizer. The homemade marinara was outstanding. I didn't fall in love with the Gnocchi, but I've sort of always found that dish to be one-note. G-man liked it so much, he ordered the larger version for his meal!

Gnocchi Nirvana - $14

Lady G went with the scallops and farfalle pasta in a brown butter sauce. Her scallops were cooked wonderfully, with just a hint of a sear.

Scallops Buerre Noisette - $18

PID made a statement by being the only one to order meat at the table. He went with the, aptly named, Cow Jumped Over the Blue Moon Pasta, which roughly translates to sliced beef over a gorgonzola (SQUEE!) pasta. I'll leave you with this: I ate half his pasta. Not because he didn't want it, but because my fork was quicker than his eye. The beef was ever so slightly tough, but the creaminess of the pasta sauce helped wash it down.

The Cow Jumped Over the Blue Moon Pasta - $16

I've saved the best (my meal) for last. The Basa was OUT OF THIS WORLD. A perfectly buttery, flaky fish, it would have stood out on its own. But add a lobster bean puree and bacon greens? Holy moly. You've hooked me.  I would recommend this dish to ANY hungry diner, pescatarian or no.

Pan Seared Basa - $23

Restaurant Information:
Kaleidoscope Cafe
Address: 108 43rd Street, tucked away in Lawrenceville
Phone: 412-683-4004
Reservations: Taken
Hours: Tues - Sat, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Overall Opinion:
With only a few minor service blips and a stellar meal, I'd have to say this place is worth a return trip. My fish was some of the best I've had in Pittsburgh. If you're looking for an intimate, BYOB establishment in a neighborhood that offers a plethora of post-meal hot spots, Kaleidoscope is your place! If you're a vegetarian or looking for Gluten-free options, this is DEFINITELY your place. Pittsburgh Magazine once called Kaleidoscope Pittsburgh's "Best Kept Secret" - and, though I wish I could keep it that way, I feel obligated to out it as the little restaurant that could. Bringing color and light to the Pittsburgh dining scene. So head out to Lville and give Kaleidoscope a spin. You'll be glad that you did.

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