Today, we actually went in an ever so slightly different direction and had our very first tasting at the one and only SAVOY in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
Showing posts with label lamb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lamb. Show all posts
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Enjoy Savoy
Today, we actually went in an ever so slightly different direction and had our very first tasting at the one and only SAVOY in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
Friday, November 2, 2012
The French Disconnection
Not long ago, it came to my attention that a Groupon we'd purchased nearly a year ago was about to expire. So I grabbed PID and two of our favorite F.O.R.Ts and we headed to Brasserie 33 in Shadyside to get our French on.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
My New Year's Casbah-lution
For auld lang syne, my dears.
Yes, indeed it was so long ago that I last shared my culinary opinions with you all but I have resolved to resume blogging -- both here and at Life is Cake. Though I had a few options of reviews to share with you today I thought it only appropriate that I post about our New Year's Eve dinner last evening at Casbah in Shadyside.
Casbah is a part of the wonderful and fabulous big Burrito Restaurant Group with whom, I can tell you now, I've never had a poor meal. I'd only eaten at this particular restaurant once prior to last night -- a lunch meeting eons ago. After doing extensive research on New Year's Eve menus throughout the 'burgh, we landed on Casbah due to it's prix fixe menu choices of "Land" or "Sea" and their wine pairing options.
Our reservations (which we made nearly four weeks in advance via my awesome Open Table iPhone app) were for 6:15 p.m. which we all agreed was early for New Year's Eve, but the place was already almost booked! We arrived to a very pleasant and polite valet attendant -- valet parking is free for those dining at Casbah or Mad Mex. As soon as we stepped inside (my first time doing so at night and PID and FORTs' first time doing so ever), we felt like we were transported into the garden of a Mediterranean villa. I completely adored the romantic and mythological ambiance in this place. I've always been a sucker for fairy lights and stucco appeal, but put them together and you've got a god among dining rooms.
We were lucky enough to be seated in this charming faux-outdoor (though heated -- talk about awesome in the chill of the December night) section, though Casbah does have additional, equally-appealing seating indoors.
But lest we forget the most important part of a restaurant review -- the food. As I'd mentioned, we chose Casbah because of the special New Year's Eve menu. Mrs. FORT and I both chose the "Sea" option and it's paired wine choices while Mr. FORT and PID went for a mash-up of both "Land" and "Sea" options for the perfect combination.
We started with the bread, butter and...labneh? Yep, that's right. Casbah offers a home-made strained Greek yogurt spread which upped the ante on the would-be moderate bread offering.
The men both ordered a confit of veal shortribs with cider glazed root vegetables, arugula, apple and pistachios. The pistachios added a welcomed but surprising kick of flavor and variation of texture which really added a lot to the dish. The veal was extremely fatty, but in a very good way. The fat was full of flavor which melted in our mouthes.
Mrs. FORT and I were both graced with the scallop served with a wild mushroom-spinach ravioli, sherry emulsion, mache and delicious black truffle. The scallop was cooked, quite possibly, better than any scallop I've ever had. It sprung back at my fork prongs, but was far from chewy. The ravioli, however, was the pleasant surprise of the evening. What was surely meant to be a mere mortal of the evening turned out to be certainly not of this world...except for the delicious earthiness of the mushrooms. Off to a spectacular start!
The men of the table were served the sage gnocchi with chanterelle mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, Madeira, foie gras butter, black walnuts and Piave (a deliciously sweet, dense Italian cheese). Apologies for the picture, folks -- I let PID do the clicking on his meal this time and he was just so excited to dig in. Both men sighed with elation after just one bite and I have to admit I was a tiny bit jealous after just one taste of the flavorful gnocchi and sprouts.
The Mrs. and I had the lobster ravioli next. The second ravioli of the night in a pre-determined menu which I thought a bit odd, but definitely had no true qualms. The saffron tomato sauce was - by far - my favorite part of the dish and it paired beautifully with the pancetta béarnaise AND the delicious Chablis (don't quote me there, I'm merely making an educated guess as to what my wine could have been). It was just a triple-threat match made in Greek heaven.
My first "complaint" of the evening (if you can call it that), was the abundance of residue in PID's wine. He could taste it the moment he took his third swallow and it lingered on his glass. Slightly disappointing for a place labeled as a wine bar, but not necessarily a deal-breaker.
The ladies - still sticking strong to our "Sea" menu - received the wild striped sea bass (perfectly cooked) with grilled potatoes, leeks, and a delicious lemon caviar butter. This sea bass was perfectly cooked and I was amazed beyond words at the crispyness of the skin -- a must-have when it comes to serving skin-on whitefish, but often difficult to execute with a kick of non-charred flavor. This was my favorite fish skin I've ever been served...aside from the size of the serving.
Beverages: Wine pairing menu, carefully selecting wines perfectly paired with each (4) course @ $30 per person
Diet Pepsi @ $2.75
2 Prix-Fixe menus @ $65 per person:
First course: Sea Scallop
Dessert: Flourless chocolate cake
Tax: Food AND drink tax @ 7% (Allegheny County only) @ $13.49
Yes, indeed it was so long ago that I last shared my culinary opinions with you all but I have resolved to resume blogging -- both here and at Life is Cake. Though I had a few options of reviews to share with you today I thought it only appropriate that I post about our New Year's Eve dinner last evening at Casbah in Shadyside.
Casbah is a part of the wonderful and fabulous big Burrito Restaurant Group with whom, I can tell you now, I've never had a poor meal. I'd only eaten at this particular restaurant once prior to last night -- a lunch meeting eons ago. After doing extensive research on New Year's Eve menus throughout the 'burgh, we landed on Casbah due to it's prix fixe menu choices of "Land" or "Sea" and their wine pairing options.
Our reservations (which we made nearly four weeks in advance via my awesome Open Table iPhone app) were for 6:15 p.m. which we all agreed was early for New Year's Eve, but the place was already almost booked! We arrived to a very pleasant and polite valet attendant -- valet parking is free for those dining at Casbah or Mad Mex. As soon as we stepped inside (my first time doing so at night and PID and FORTs' first time doing so ever), we felt like we were transported into the garden of a Mediterranean villa. I completely adored the romantic and mythological ambiance in this place. I've always been a sucker for fairy lights and stucco appeal, but put them together and you've got a god among dining rooms.
We were lucky enough to be seated in this charming faux-outdoor (though heated -- talk about awesome in the chill of the December night) section, though Casbah does have additional, equally-appealing seating indoors.
 |
| thanks, bigburrito.com/casbah! |
 |
| thanks, bigburrito.com/casbah! |
We started with the bread, butter and...labneh? Yep, that's right. Casbah offers a home-made strained Greek yogurt spread which upped the ante on the would-be moderate bread offering.
Next came our first wine offering, we ladies received a sparkling Rose wine and the men a sweet white which, if I had to guess, might have been a Riesling of sorts.
The two were paired with our equally outstanding appetizers:
 |
| Veal Confit |
The men both ordered a confit of veal shortribs with cider glazed root vegetables, arugula, apple and pistachios. The pistachios added a welcomed but surprising kick of flavor and variation of texture which really added a lot to the dish. The veal was extremely fatty, but in a very good way. The fat was full of flavor which melted in our mouthes.
 |
| Sea scallop with truffles |
Next we received our second wine and course. Silly me, I never wrote down our wines. They were delivered backwards at first and our servers were quick to make sure they made things right. It made for a slightly awkward moment, but in the end no harm was done. Mrs. FORT actually liked Mr. FORT's wine so much, she asked not to switch!
 |
| Sage gnocchi |
The men of the table were served the sage gnocchi with chanterelle mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, Madeira, foie gras butter, black walnuts and Piave (a deliciously sweet, dense Italian cheese). Apologies for the picture, folks -- I let PID do the clicking on his meal this time and he was just so excited to dig in. Both men sighed with elation after just one bite and I have to admit I was a tiny bit jealous after just one taste of the flavorful gnocchi and sprouts.
 |
| Lobster ravioli |
The Mrs. and I had the lobster ravioli next. The second ravioli of the night in a pre-determined menu which I thought a bit odd, but definitely had no true qualms. The saffron tomato sauce was - by far - my favorite part of the dish and it paired beautifully with the pancetta béarnaise AND the delicious Chablis (don't quote me there, I'm merely making an educated guess as to what my wine could have been). It was just a triple-threat match made in Greek heaven.
My first "complaint" of the evening (if you can call it that), was the abundance of residue in PID's wine. He could taste it the moment he took his third swallow and it lingered on his glass. Slightly disappointing for a place labeled as a wine bar, but not necessarily a deal-breaker.
Next we moved on to our main courses and their respective wines. I will say that although for a brief moment they mixed up who ordered what (not uncommon and in no way a problem), the service here was impeccable. From the friendly demeanor of the staff to the appropriate timing of the delivery of the wines and meal (and even to the patience of our server who continued to retreat to the kitchen to ask the chef my seemingly never-ending questions about our meals), I could not have been more pleased with the service at Casbah. After what felt like mere moments after our third wine selection was delivered, we received our meals.
 |
| Wild striped bass |
The ladies - still sticking strong to our "Sea" menu - received the wild striped sea bass (perfectly cooked) with grilled potatoes, leeks, and a delicious lemon caviar butter. This sea bass was perfectly cooked and I was amazed beyond words at the crispyness of the skin -- a must-have when it comes to serving skin-on whitefish, but often difficult to execute with a kick of non-charred flavor. This was my favorite fish skin I've ever been served...aside from the size of the serving.
 |
| Lamb loin |
The men stayed on land once again as they both chose the lamb loin served with lentils, cauliflower, roasted tomato, herbs with a lamb jus. The boys concurred that the ratio of lamb-to-lentil was far from appetizing and only receiving one, lonely cauliflower was a bit of what we call a "wah-wah..." moment. I personally thought the lamb was delicious, but PID wasn't ecsatic about it and neither was Mr. FORT who was appalled at the miniscule serving size of the entree. We hadn't questioned the serving sizes to this point because we were well aware that they were starter-courses. However I have to admit I was on Team WTF when it came to the size of the main course. Even at an elite location like Casbah, I expected just a bit more, especially for the price we were preparing to pay.
Finally, we received our fruity, sparkling, dessert wines and our final course -- a unanimously chosen flourless chocolate cake.
 |
| Flourless chocolate cake |
This photo does not do this cake justice. We unanimously chose the cake and unanimously agreed that the cake was a shining star of the evening. The fudgy-ness of the cake was a heavenly textural complement to the peppermint and cacao nib ice cream. We each looked up at one another sheepishly as we realized -- one-by-one -- that we were loudly scraping our plates.
Restaurant Information:
Address: 229 S. Highland Ave, Shadyside
Phone: 412-661-5656
Reservations: Taken, strongly suggested especially for Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings (and you can make 'em via OpenTable.com)
Hours:
| Lunch: | Mon–Sat 11:30–2:30 |
| Brunch: | Sun 11:00–2:00 |
| Dinner: | Mon–Thurs 5:00–10:00 |
| Fri–Sat 5:00–11:00 | |
| Sun 5:00–9:00 |
Cliffs Notes:
I should mention that, as is the trend these days in seasonal menu selections, Casbah's menu changes almost daily. We chose a special, one-night only menu but hope that our review of these meals will be a nod to what Casbah does on a daily basis.
Diet Pepsi @ $2.75
2 Prix-Fixe menus @ $65 per person:
First course: Sea Scallop
Veal Confit (shortribs)
Second course: Lobster Ravioli
Sage Gnocchi
Entree course: Wild Striped Bass
Lamb Loin
Tax: Food AND drink tax @ 7% (Allegheny County only) @ $13.49
Tip: $40.00
Total for two: $246.24
Total for two: $246.24
Overall Opinion:
I've admitted time and time again that I base my reviews on ambiance, service and flavor. And this place, my friends, excelled in all three. I had but two qualms of the evening and it was entree portion size and the TINY mishap of the wine residue. Personally I adored this meal and would recommend Casbah to anyone looking to enjoy a beautifully framed evening of deliciously prepared food. If you're STARVING and looking for nothing but a belly-filler, maybe look elsewhere. This place will blow your socks off when it comes to flavors, textures, setting and service. I'd suggest it for a date OR a business dinner, anytime.
Καλή όρεξη!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Bistro 19
I love Washington Rd. in Mt. Lebanon.
I've come to that conclusion before during Saturday afternoon window shopping jaunts and former lunchtime trips to Mineo's Pizzeria but was happily reminded this past Friday evening as PID and I ventured to Bistro 19 on the corner of Washington and Central.
We waited just a bit too long to make reservations so our only available time slot was 8:30 p.m. but I've been dying to try this place for a while. So we headed down a bit early to grab a drink at the bar and hope for early seating.
It was a bustling Friday evening during Halloween weekend and with Molly Brannigans and The Saloon just a stones-throw away, those late reservations came in handy as we got to catch an entertaining glimpse of countless vampires, fairies, Ninja Turtles and Super Mario characters walk by. We were also highly entertained with Kevin, the Bistro "regular" who seemed to have gotten a head start on the weekend.
The space was quaint, but the atmosphere was well thought out. It made me hungry just sitting there. For the smallish size of the restaurant I didn't feel crowded in the least which -- as you know -- is one of my biggest pet peeves. I really liked the feel here.
No go on the early seating, but I was OK with that because I spent the time at the bar looking over the menu in an attempt to make a VERY difficult decision on what to order. Everything looked so good! Both the hostess and server were quick, efficient and quite pleasant. I made my decision. We started with the bread...
At PID's suggestion, I ordered the first listed item on the entree menu, the horseradish encrusted Chilean Seabass served on a bed of Napa slaw. PID went for the Jamison Farm Lamb Shank with whipped potatoes and a truffle ragout. The lamb fell of the bone and was deliciously tender. PID said that his first few bites we absolutely delicious, but it became a bit redundant as he continued through his meal. I only had one bite, so I have to give it two blazing thumbs up. But I'm wondering if a few greens would have helped the cause at all? (And the inedible sprig of rosemary just doesn't count.)
Tax: @ 7% (Allegheny County only) @ $6.83
It was a roller coaster evening. There were a lot of ups and downs but I'd have to say the downs weren't as low as the ups were high. Combined with the pleasant atmosphere, fast and friendly service and great (in my mind) location, I'd have to highly suggest Bistro 19 as a place to add to your list. Let's hope it's not as long as mine!
I've come to that conclusion before during Saturday afternoon window shopping jaunts and former lunchtime trips to Mineo's Pizzeria but was happily reminded this past Friday evening as PID and I ventured to Bistro 19 on the corner of Washington and Central.
We waited just a bit too long to make reservations so our only available time slot was 8:30 p.m. but I've been dying to try this place for a while. So we headed down a bit early to grab a drink at the bar and hope for early seating.
 |
| Thanks, Bistro19.com |
It was a bustling Friday evening during Halloween weekend and with Molly Brannigans and The Saloon just a stones-throw away, those late reservations came in handy as we got to catch an entertaining glimpse of countless vampires, fairies, Ninja Turtles and Super Mario characters walk by. We were also highly entertained with Kevin, the Bistro "regular" who seemed to have gotten a head start on the weekend.
The space was quaint, but the atmosphere was well thought out. It made me hungry just sitting there. For the smallish size of the restaurant I didn't feel crowded in the least which -- as you know -- is one of my biggest pet peeves. I really liked the feel here.
 |
| Thanks, Bistro19.com |
No go on the early seating, but I was OK with that because I spent the time at the bar looking over the menu in an attempt to make a VERY difficult decision on what to order. Everything looked so good! Both the hostess and server were quick, efficient and quite pleasant. I made my decision. We started with the bread...
None of the bread options were particularly appealing so I was relying on the butter to nail it home. It was a sweet butter with chives. To me, an extremely odd combination of flavors which left an odd aftertaste. But PID liked it quite a bit, so don't necessarily take my word for it.
Then, on to the appetizers...
Though it looked absolutely delicious, we were strongly against ordering the calamari because we wanted to shake things up a bit (and we always order calamari) so went for what was called "Crab Grilled Cheese." It certainly sounded interesting! But once our server read the specials we knew we couldn't pass up the Mushroom Bisque, either. So we ordered one of each.
We were torn here. The crab grilled cheese was served atop a balsamic glaze and baby greens and while I'm typically a balsamic junkie, I actually thought it really took away from the flavor of the crab. However, I tried a bite without any glaze and it was rather bland. It was either too much or too little. PID and I were both pretty disappointed. (I have to say the Parmesan encrusted tomatoes were VERY good, though!)
But -- though it could have used a better presentation method -- the Mushroom Bisque blew us both away. I actually sent my compliments to the chef (which I don't often do) and filled out a comment card requesting that it be put on the permanent menu. Typically bisque's are composed of pureed seafood of some sort, so the mushroom really intrigued me. It was perfectly creamy and had that hint of buttery aftertaste which I love. Technically this was PID's order, but I made sure to sneak as many spoonfuls as I could when he wasn't looking. Hey Bistro -- add this to your permanent menu PLEASE... but dress it up a bit, would ya? It deserves a prettier presentation!
Since it was a Friday, PID ordered another Captain and Coke as we waited for our entree...
But now we get to the fun part. My completely delicious, pleasantly surprising Chilean Seabass. Seabass is tricky (for me, anyway). If you don't cook it perfectly, I find it far too fishy which is why I rarely order it. But I was feeling adventurous so I gave it a shot. And I'm so happy I did! The fish sliced like butter with my fork and every bite melted in my mouth. The oriental horseradish crust fit the fish to a T and the crunch of the slaw gave it a great texture.
I wanted to save some room for dessert so I boxed up what I didn't finish (knowing full well that I rarely EVER eat leftovers) but I have to tell you that I woke up thinking about it the next morning and wound up eating it -- cold -- for lunch. Yes -- I liked the meal THAT much that I ate a left over, a FISH leftover, a COLD FISH leftover!! That certainly says a lot.
The dessert I saved room for wasn't half bad either. Once again, PID and I had differing opinions (three in one night is quite odd for us...) but I loved the Wildberry Sorbet. I had seen a neighbor order it when we were first seated and new I wanted to be a copy cat. Sadly, however, I made a point to ask if the sorbets were made in-house and the server responded "I wish." What a bummer, because it was GOOD. But served on a doily? C'mon Bistro....you're better than that.
Restaurant Information:
Address: 711 Washington Rd. Mt. Lebanon
Phone: 412.306.1919
Reservations: Taken, strongly suggested especially for Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
Hours: Monday – Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday – Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 – 2:30 (brunch) and 4:00 – 9:00
Cliffs Notes:
Beverages: 1 Cab Sav @ $8 2 Captain & Cokes @ $5.50
1 Diet Coke @ $2.00
Appetizer: Mushroom Bisque @ $5.00 Crab Grilled Cheese @ $10.00
Entree: Jamison Farm Lamb Shank @ $28.00
Chilean Seabass @ $29.00
Dessert: Wildberry Sorbet @ $4.50Tax: @ 7% (Allegheny County only) @ $6.83
Tip: $21.00
Total for two: $125.33
Total for two: $125.33
Overall Opinion:
It was a roller coaster evening. There were a lot of ups and downs but I'd have to say the downs weren't as low as the ups were high. Combined with the pleasant atmosphere, fast and friendly service and great (in my mind) location, I'd have to highly suggest Bistro 19 as a place to add to your list. Let's hope it's not as long as mine!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday Night Raw (Tuna)
Let me start off by saying that PID and I are not millionaires. We're far from making Pittsburgh's Finest lists of any kind and it's a rare occasion that we get out more than once a week, especially to a fancy establishment. So while this may be my second post about a schwanky restaurant in two days, don't let it fool you. I do not have the income to supply posts of this caliber at this frequency. But it just so happened that last night was one of those evenings where the stars aligned (and by "stars aligned" I mean it was a miserable boring Monday that we wanted to spice up, we'd been holding on to this groupon for quite some time, and I was jonesin' for some TarTar). So we bit the bullet, printed out our groupon and headed to Willow on Camp Horn Road.
I hadn't heard much about this place, to be honest the first I'd heard about it at all was the moment I received my daily groupon e-mail alerting me of the 50% off deal. But the moment I clicked on the link which drove me to their website, I was intrigued. I'm in PR. A good website speaks volumes to an overall first impression and ultimately impacts your potential diner's decision making process. At least that's what happened with PID and me. I was sold on the general appearance and Chef Rudman's rap sheet before I'd even glimpsed at a menu. I will say I've been fooled by magical photography and/or Photoshop in the past, but let me assure you that Willow uses no such trickery. The website gallery barely comes close to doing justice to the ambiance at Willow. It's truly a beautiful atmosphere.
As the website promises, the restaurant is nestled safely in a bed of trees, hidden from commercialized society and free from the chaos of evening traffic. Though we opted to forgo the seemingly beautiful patio due to the cold front and drizzle, we could tell upon walking in that things tended to remain quiet regardless of it's proximity to I-279. Though I can't speak to it directly, I'd definitely suggest taking advantage of outside dining here during the summer.
We had made reservations on www.opentable.com and the hostess was waiting for us when we arrived. She showed us through a few rooms (though the restaurant seats up to 300, it maintains an intimate setting by hosting multiple dining rooms, all with a different yet equally appealing feel)...
...until we reached our destination. PID and I were seated by the fireplace, but not before first being asked if it suited us. It did. We sat.
And so it was time for the wine.
When our waiter arrived with water in hand, he was slightly nervous, but extremely friendly. He reminded me of a friend from college and made both PID and I feel comfortable and welcome. I ordered a stem of one of my favorite vices, Rhein River Reisling for $8, while PID went for the Chilean Veramonte Merlot for $11. We were overly pleased with the wine list. We had the option of ordering by the glass, 1/2 bottle or full bottle and the choices went on for 12 pages. There was also a reserve list at which, sadly, we couldn't even afford to tease ourselves by taking a peek.
Then came the bread.
Always an exciting amuse bouche. Though I only indulged in a half a slice, we were quite pleased with the oil and herbs. But that's not what I came for.
Then on to the appetizer.
I'd been excited about this for a while. Without boasting, I would like to shamelessly proclaim that I consider myself a connoisseur of tuna tartar. It is, by far, my favorite dish. You'll learn quickly that if tuna tartar is on the menu, I will order it and tell you what I think, whether you like tartar or not! Willow's Hawaiian Tuna Tartar (for $14) looked promising; a different take on a classic dish. I wasn't at all disappointed, but you'll learn something else about me quickly: I consider cucumber a cop-out. Though refreshing, to me it's less of a flavorful component and more of a cooling agent. I've rarely found it to be particularly appealing in use in salads, sandwiches, kabobs, and especially not tartar. While I do appreciate the palate cleansing affect it has on odorous raw fish in some Maki, tuna is far from an odorous fish. I personally feel the crunch and cool of the cucumber took away from the overall texture and taste of the tuna, avocado and sirachi. Some, especially those who have a greater appreciation for cucumber, may disagree. However, pieces were easy enough to navigate around and the remaining tartar was fresh and flavorful. Another thing I love about ordering tartar at different restaurants is seeing how creative they can be with what to serve with it. In this case, we were served large crispy wonton chips. As I'd suspected, we ran out of chips before we ran out of tartar, but our waiter was quick to bring us more (without us even requesting them) and I was pleasantly surprised!
And finally the main course.
This took us a while on our own accord. Our waiter was very patient, continuously allotting us more time to read the menu (repeatedly) and answering every question we had. I tend to ask for a waitstaff's opinion only if I deem them a reliable source. PID and I both agreed that ours was "normal like us" and thus, reliable enough. After asking us about our tastes and mood, we both, surprisingly, went with his recommendations. PID ordered the Lamb Osso Bucco for $23, and I the Willow Shellfish Trio (entree version) for $25 (what can I say, it'd been a fishy couple of days).
Sadly, after all the hemming and hawing over my abundance of delicious looking options, I was brought the wrong order. The waiter admitted the mistake was his and not the kitchen's -- which I very much respected -- and promised to put a double rush on my replacement. I encouraged PID to dig in, and so he did.
I ordered another glass of the Reisling while I waited.
His meat instantly fell off the bone which we learned was because it had been braised for 5 hours. He was so kind as to let me try a forkfull. I thought the herb demi-glace complimented the salty meat perfectly. He admitted he could have used a bit more meat and potatoes (he's a man, what do you expect), but overall seemed genuinely satisfied and pleased with the meal.
When my originally ordered meal arrived, I had been so pleased with the service, wine, atmosphere, appetizer and PID's delightful company that I'd barely noticed my 8-10 minute wait (or was it longer?). I dug right in and immediately realized it was worth the wait, however long it was. I was half tempted to ask for the recipe right then and there of the Korean BBQ Sauce in which they marinated the shrimp, and the red onion caper sauce was a perfect complement to the all natural crab cakes. Bravo to Chef Rudman and his very apparent 22 years of experience.
We decided against dessert as we're amidst a rigorous diet plan (yes -- this past Saturday was our cheat day, hence the pasta and Panna Cotta) and called it a night.
Cliffs notes:
Groupon: 1 @ $20
Drinks: 2 Reisling @ $8
1 Merlot @ $11
Appetizer: 1 Hawaiian Tuna Tartar @ $14
Meals: 1 Lamb Osso Bucco @ $23
1 Shellfish Trio @ $25
Tax: @ 7% (in Allegheny County) $5.67
Tip: @ 20% for excellent service $17
Groupon discount: - $40
TOTAL FOR TWO: $78.67
In my less-than-professional opinion:
I was thoroughly delighted with our entire dining experience in both taste and setting. I'd not only recommend it, I'd recommend it to people who owe me dinner because I plan on coming back sooner than my wallet might allow it. Though PID and I are far from wrecking the planet by reproducing, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the restaurant offers a separate children's menu, making this a family friendly destination (though I'd still recommend your first visit to be of the 1:1 date variety).
I don't even think PID minding me forcing him to miss a Monday Night Raw...
I hadn't heard much about this place, to be honest the first I'd heard about it at all was the moment I received my daily groupon e-mail alerting me of the 50% off deal. But the moment I clicked on the link which drove me to their website, I was intrigued. I'm in PR. A good website speaks volumes to an overall first impression and ultimately impacts your potential diner's decision making process. At least that's what happened with PID and me. I was sold on the general appearance and Chef Rudman's rap sheet before I'd even glimpsed at a menu. I will say I've been fooled by magical photography and/or Photoshop in the past, but let me assure you that Willow uses no such trickery. The website gallery barely comes close to doing justice to the ambiance at Willow. It's truly a beautiful atmosphere.
As the website promises, the restaurant is nestled safely in a bed of trees, hidden from commercialized society and free from the chaos of evening traffic. Though we opted to forgo the seemingly beautiful patio due to the cold front and drizzle, we could tell upon walking in that things tended to remain quiet regardless of it's proximity to I-279. Though I can't speak to it directly, I'd definitely suggest taking advantage of outside dining here during the summer.
We had made reservations on www.opentable.com and the hostess was waiting for us when we arrived. She showed us through a few rooms (though the restaurant seats up to 300, it maintains an intimate setting by hosting multiple dining rooms, all with a different yet equally appealing feel)...
...until we reached our destination. PID and I were seated by the fireplace, but not before first being asked if it suited us. It did. We sat.
And so it was time for the wine.
When our waiter arrived with water in hand, he was slightly nervous, but extremely friendly. He reminded me of a friend from college and made both PID and I feel comfortable and welcome. I ordered a stem of one of my favorite vices, Rhein River Reisling for $8, while PID went for the Chilean Veramonte Merlot for $11. We were overly pleased with the wine list. We had the option of ordering by the glass, 1/2 bottle or full bottle and the choices went on for 12 pages. There was also a reserve list at which, sadly, we couldn't even afford to tease ourselves by taking a peek.
Then came the bread.
Always an exciting amuse bouche. Though I only indulged in a half a slice, we were quite pleased with the oil and herbs. But that's not what I came for.
Then on to the appetizer.
I'd been excited about this for a while. Without boasting, I would like to shamelessly proclaim that I consider myself a connoisseur of tuna tartar. It is, by far, my favorite dish. You'll learn quickly that if tuna tartar is on the menu, I will order it and tell you what I think, whether you like tartar or not! Willow's Hawaiian Tuna Tartar (for $14) looked promising; a different take on a classic dish. I wasn't at all disappointed, but you'll learn something else about me quickly: I consider cucumber a cop-out. Though refreshing, to me it's less of a flavorful component and more of a cooling agent. I've rarely found it to be particularly appealing in use in salads, sandwiches, kabobs, and especially not tartar. While I do appreciate the palate cleansing affect it has on odorous raw fish in some Maki, tuna is far from an odorous fish. I personally feel the crunch and cool of the cucumber took away from the overall texture and taste of the tuna, avocado and sirachi. Some, especially those who have a greater appreciation for cucumber, may disagree. However, pieces were easy enough to navigate around and the remaining tartar was fresh and flavorful. Another thing I love about ordering tartar at different restaurants is seeing how creative they can be with what to serve with it. In this case, we were served large crispy wonton chips. As I'd suspected, we ran out of chips before we ran out of tartar, but our waiter was quick to bring us more (without us even requesting them) and I was pleasantly surprised!
And finally the main course.
This took us a while on our own accord. Our waiter was very patient, continuously allotting us more time to read the menu (repeatedly) and answering every question we had. I tend to ask for a waitstaff's opinion only if I deem them a reliable source. PID and I both agreed that ours was "normal like us" and thus, reliable enough. After asking us about our tastes and mood, we both, surprisingly, went with his recommendations. PID ordered the Lamb Osso Bucco for $23, and I the Willow Shellfish Trio (entree version) for $25 (what can I say, it'd been a fishy couple of days).
Sadly, after all the hemming and hawing over my abundance of delicious looking options, I was brought the wrong order. The waiter admitted the mistake was his and not the kitchen's -- which I very much respected -- and promised to put a double rush on my replacement. I encouraged PID to dig in, and so he did.
I ordered another glass of the Reisling while I waited.
His meat instantly fell off the bone which we learned was because it had been braised for 5 hours. He was so kind as to let me try a forkfull. I thought the herb demi-glace complimented the salty meat perfectly. He admitted he could have used a bit more meat and potatoes (he's a man, what do you expect), but overall seemed genuinely satisfied and pleased with the meal.
When my originally ordered meal arrived, I had been so pleased with the service, wine, atmosphere, appetizer and PID's delightful company that I'd barely noticed my 8-10 minute wait (or was it longer?). I dug right in and immediately realized it was worth the wait, however long it was. I was half tempted to ask for the recipe right then and there of the Korean BBQ Sauce in which they marinated the shrimp, and the red onion caper sauce was a perfect complement to the all natural crab cakes. Bravo to Chef Rudman and his very apparent 22 years of experience.
We decided against dessert as we're amidst a rigorous diet plan (yes -- this past Saturday was our cheat day, hence the pasta and Panna Cotta) and called it a night.
Cliffs notes:
Groupon: 1 @ $20
Drinks: 2 Reisling @ $8
1 Merlot @ $11
Appetizer: 1 Hawaiian Tuna Tartar @ $14
Meals: 1 Lamb Osso Bucco @ $23
1 Shellfish Trio @ $25
Tax: @ 7% (in Allegheny County) $5.67
Tip: @ 20% for excellent service $17
Groupon discount: - $40
TOTAL FOR TWO: $78.67
In my less-than-professional opinion:
I was thoroughly delighted with our entire dining experience in both taste and setting. I'd not only recommend it, I'd recommend it to people who owe me dinner because I plan on coming back sooner than my wallet might allow it. Though PID and I are far from wrecking the planet by reproducing, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the restaurant offers a separate children's menu, making this a family friendly destination (though I'd still recommend your first visit to be of the 1:1 date variety).
I don't even think PID minding me forcing him to miss a Monday Night Raw...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)