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.

thanks, bigburrito.com/casbah!

thanks, bigburrito.com/casbah!

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.

 

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

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!

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:

Casbah

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.

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

                                Veal Confit (shortribs)

Second course:      Lobster Ravioli

                               Sage Gnocchi

Entree course:     Wild Striped Bass

                              Lamb Loin

Dessert:                 Flourless chocolate cake

Tax:                        Food AND drink tax  @ 7% (Allegheny County only) @ $13.49

Tip:                           $40.00
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!

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.

Mallorca Double Date Night

Not long ago, PID and I were asked to be Best Man and Maid of Honor in our close friends' (Mr. & Mrs. FORT) wedding! We are SO excited for them and to accept for the responsibility!

To celebrate, the four of us decided to choose a romantic setting for a double date.  Mrs. FORT (who, I should mention, has impeccable taste in both men and meals) made the suggestion to head to Mallorca on Carson Street for the occasion. Mr. FORT, PID and I could not have agreed more enthusiastically!

Thanks, mallorcarestaurant.com

Being a Saturday and all, I made sure to call well ahead to make reservations.  The last two times I'd been to Mallorca, I remember having shown up for my reservation well on time and still having to wait in the tiny bar.  So this time we shot for an exact arrival time. But whaddaya know, as we were pulling in to the complimentary valet lot at five 'til seven we received a FORText telling us that they were seated at the table and waiting for us.  Splendid!

I was excited, because this was my first time sitting in what I'll call "the room to the left."  I had eaten in what we'll call "crazy wallpaper room"

Thanks, mallorcarestaurant.com

a few times and welcomed the change. But the busy wallpaper and slightly tighter quarters aren't what make or break this restaurant.  The eclectic atmosphere certainly gives it character, but it's the food and service that I've always felt makes it stand out.

We started with the bread.  The butter was of factory descent (i.e. we had to unwrap it at the table) which doesn't ever bother me, but doesn't add extra points, either. We appropriately referred to the bread as "butt bread."  Not because it tasted bad, but because...well, see for yourself:

Then, we moved on to the wine and the appetizer.  The table decided unanimously on a bottle of Pinot Noir and and an order of the Champignones Relleno (or Fresh Stuffed Mushrooms).  

What I love about Mallorca's menu is that it's not only extensive and authentic, but it's completely in Spanish -- helps me to brush up on my conjugation!  That may deter some, but the staff is extremely friendly, knowledgeable so they are always around to help answer any questions (and believe me, I had them). Anyway, the Champignones Relleno were excellent! Very juicy and the seafood and Parmesan stuffing with roasted red peppers melted in my mouth. 

After the salads (Which, I'll admit I completely forgot to take a photo of but in the way of simple house salads, they hail almighty. The house dressing is a delicious mystery and the heart of palm  was a unique-to-the-region accent that I wished there were more of), we moved on to the hard part. Choosing an entree... 


Here's where the impeccable service comes in to play.  Put aside, for one moment, the fact that the staff is so extensive that you have one person to greet you and take your order, another to make sure your water is always full, still another sommelier to ensure your wine is just right and even more to brush your table clear of crumbs (these guys have their hands full with the likes of us). And is it me, or do every single one of them have a beautiful Spanish accent? But the part that impresses me the most is how many darn specials this place always has and how no waiter has ever once read it off of a piece of paper. They KNOW what their kitchen is serving.  Not just the names of the meals, but how it's going to taste, wine pairing suggestions, the works.  I was so impressed!  That being said... our waiter rattled off so many specials I couldn't remember a single one of them when it came time to order. 


Mrs. FORT and I requested that he repeat the Pescado specials because we were 84% sure we'd heard something interesting among them. Sure enough, we did.  In fact, we all ordered specials since the lot of us had been there a handful of collective times in the past and were, for the most part, familiar with the standard day-to-day menu. 


Mrs. FORT chose the Stuffed Flounder (which I found appropriate since Mr. FORT has been called "Flounder" since approximately 2002).  

 

Stuffed with lobster and crabmeat, Mrs. FORT genuinely seemed to enjoy the flavors.  I gave it a shot myself and agreed that they did a great job cooking the flounder to perfection.  A particularly boring presentation, the taste was far from lacking.


Mr. FORT had seen (/smelled) a sizzlin' steak go by our table earlier in the evening.  It's sheer mass attracted him to try it for himself, so he ordered the 32 oz. prime rib special. He didn't say much...because he didn't stop eating it until it was completely gone, all 32 ounces, which made me think he really liked it!

PID ordered the Veal Osso Bucco which I totally called.  His meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, the sauce was delicious and he enjoyed sucking the marrow out of the bone in the most inappropriate manner possible.  He told me the ziti was "lame" but that wasn't what he cared about.  

I chose the Chilean Sea Bass -- yes again.  I think I may have been so jaded by my amazing Sea Bass experience at Bistro 19 that I'm always expecting the most delicious meal of my life.  Though it wasn't the same caliber, I will say that this meal was extremely tasty.  The sauce was excellent!  I would absolutely recommend it. 

Another great part of Mallorca is the family style rice, steamed vegetables and homemade chips that come with every meal.  Big eaters? Yes, you can order more for no extra charge. 

And then it was on to dessert!!

The Spaniards sure know desserts.  PID and I shared the triple chocolate cake (chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and white chocolate filling) which was rich and dreamy and far too caloric for how delicious it was!  

Mrs. FORT ordered the Flan which we all tried and racked our brain for a good five minutes trying to figure out the flavor that was on the tip of all of our tongues...literally.  Finally it came to me (nailed it.), Pumpkin Pie! The smooth pumpkin flavor paired with the sticky caramel seriously brought a tear to my eye. Dare I say it was Flan-tastic?


Mr. FORT ordered the Tiramisu.  I think PID hates that I'm "allergic" to coffee because you could see a glimmer in his eye and a quiver in his lower lip when the waiter brought it around.  But dear old Mr. FORT let him have a bite and both agreed it was outstanding!

Restaurant Info:
Mallorca
Address: 2228 E. Carson Street
Phone: 412-488-1818
Hours:  Mon-Thu 11:30am-10:30pm
            Fri-Sat 11:30am-11:30pm
            Sun 12pm-10pm
Reservations: Suggested
Price: $$$$

Cliffs Notes:
Beverages:  2 bottles of Montoya Pinot Noir @ $39
                  1 glass of diet coke @ $2
Appetizer:   Champignones Relleno @ $9.95
Entrees:       Chilean Sea Bass @ $39.95
                   Veal Osso Bucco @ $32.95
                   Stuffed Flounder @ $29.95
                   Prime Rib @ $27.95
Desserts:     Tiramisu @ $6.00
                   Triple Chocolate Cake @ $6.00
                   Flan @ $6.00
Tax @ 7% (Allegheny County only): @ $16.55
Total for Four: $253.30

Overall Opinion:
Obviously, Mallorca is a restaurant that keeps me coming back for more.  The unique cultural cuisine and service make it TOP-notch in my book. My only complaint is that I believe that as tasty as their menu truly is, I can't be sure it's 100% worth the high price.  Once a year? Sure, absolutely.  But the costs deter PID and I from frequenting.  

¡Buen provecho!

(VERY close to four stars)