Georgetowne Inn: Fine Dining on a Low Budget

I've done some thinking.  My original New Year's Resolution was to eat "better."  And while that's still a goal of mine, it's something I shouldn't simply "resolve" to do on January 1.  It should be something that I simply aspire to infinitely. That being said... I simply love to eat the best, most delicious food I can when I'm out to review a restaurant.  So that technically qualifies as "better," right?

That being said, I've made a NEW resolution.  To keep better control of my finances!  So with PID's and my anniversary on the horizon we knew we had a challenge in front of us: find a nice place to celebrate that wouldn't make the sun set on my checking account, especially after a particularly expensive holiday.

So, obviously, we went to Mount Washington. (cue the record scratch...)

If you take a look to your right, you'll likely see a small icon that reads "Restaurant.com."  Your first step to dining fine on a dime is clicking that link and snagging yourself a $25-50 coupon for just a few bucks.  That's what we did with the Georgetowne Inn.  Surprisingly, neither of us had ever been there before (and PID, if you didn't already know, has lived his entire life in the 412).

I'll start with the story.  The night PID and I began dating, we ate dinner with a group of f.o.r.ts at The Fajita Grill on Ellsworth Avenue.  Our plan was to head there for our anniversary but, alas, it was closed.  So we dug through our repertoire of Restaurant.com coupons and decided it was finally time to check out the Georgetowne.

I was a bit nervous because I knew we both wanted to make a serious attempt to spend less money, but we thought hey, $25 is a good start. So off we went.

And it all started with the crackers and cheese...(yes. that's right. crackers and cheese.)

Alright.  You've already won my heart.  Sesame and poppyseed crackers and cheese (forgive me, I don't know my cheeses) were the perfect start to the meal.  But wait folks, we're not done.  We still got bread...

Freshly baked, brought to the table nice and warm with a surprisingly light, but fully flavored butter.  I was in amuse-bouche heaven.

We decided against wine since wine always tends to rack up the bill.  So we immediately moved on to the appetizer and salads...

Though it may not look like much, all I have to say is "wow."  This appetizer caught me by complete surprise.  The Crabmeat Hoezel was something I'd heard of, but never had before.  I wasn't expecting it to be served cold, but it was, and though it shocked me, it was a pleasant shock.  The lemon and vinegar blended so well together and provided a completely light and fresh perspective to the way I've too typically looked at appetizers.

Normally I don't talk about salads since they're generally so standard.  But when I was asked if I wanted "mixed greens or the bacon vinaigrette," it was an obvious choice.  You had me at "bacon."  It was AGAIN such a pleasantly surprising blend of flavors! The spinach and this deliciously subtle bacon flavor was (dare I say it) divine!  Yes people... I know I'm still on the salad here.

PID and I both opted for the French Onion soup.  PID thought it was some of the best he'd ever had, but I found myself missing the ridiculously unnecessary glob of melted cheese on top of the bowl.  Call me old fashioned. Lots of great flavors, though!

Next we moved right on to the main event...

PID and I have similar tastes.  I was leaning toward the Blue NY (New York Strip topped with crumbled blue cheese) but PID beat me to it, so I went with my second instinct, the Veal Oscar.  We both totally and completely enjoyed our meals.  Everything was cooked to perfection, we couldn't think of a single bad thing to say about the meal or the service.

And because of this, though we knew it would add a few bucks, we couldn't pass up dessert.  When that tray came by we found ourselves hungry all over again.  On the count of three, we both said "Raspberry Cheesecake," and so that was what we got!

It was a sweet ending to a beautiful meal and anniversary.

BUT... I will leave you with a warning.  It is January, and though we were absolutely delighted to be seated at a beautiful, secluded corner seat by the window...

I. Was. Freezing.  I'm talkin' teeth-a-chatterin' cold. If you happen to go and have any desire to sit near the window, bring a SWEATER (or two or three).  We could over hear the table next to us saying the same thing.  Let this be a warning!


Restaurant Info:
Georgetown Inn
Address: 1230 Grandview Ave (Mount Washington)
Phone: (412) 481-4424
Hours:  Lunch - 11a-3p
            Dinner - 5p-midnight
Reservations:  Highly recommended
Price: $$$ (unless you've got a Restaurant.com coupon which you can get right over there ----->)


Cliffs Notes:
Restaurant.com Coupon: $3.00
Drinks: 2 Diet Pepsis @ $2.75
Appetizer: Crab Hoezel @ $11.95
Entrees: Veal Oscar @ $31.95
             Blue NY @ $33.95
Dessert: Raspberry Cheesecake @ $6.00
Tax @ 7% (Allegheny County only): $4.50
Restaurant.com Coupon: -$25.00

Total for two: ONLY $68.85!!!

Overall Opinion:
We were very impressed.  We were under the (wrong) impression that this was one of the less expensive restaurants on the Mountain and thus the quality would falter. It definitely did not.  We adored our server, she was right on top of refilling our drinks, the meals were cooked perfectly, the cheesecake was smooth and delicious.  If it weren't for the bitter cold, this would have been damn near a five-star experience (turn up the darn thermostat, GI).  I really enjoyed the rustic atmosphere that reminded me of a cabin getaway. The two of us felt very comfortable and happy.  If I haven't said it enough, I will say it again: we were very pleasantly surprised over and over again, especially at the end when we saw our totally reasonable bill. It was a very happy anniversary indeed.