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| - I wanted to love Eleven. I really did. This really should be a 2.5 star review. Ate there two years ago and remember a gorgeous pork chop, cooked perfectly. I came back in October 2011 with very high expectations. Alas, I was somewhat disappointed. The space itself is nice - quirky and intimate. The service is polished and knowledgeable. The cooking is hit or miss.
I started with the cider glazed plums with gorgonzola and speck. A nice idea in theory, but I found this dish to be very harshly flavored. The glaze was extremely acidic - almost astringently so. The speck was good, but the gorgonzola should have been a sweeter version thereof. I found it too harsh with the plums, a combination that I would have otherwise thought perfect.
My entree was the Jameson lamb done three or four ways - lamb saddle roasted and sliced, lamb bacon and some other slow roasted cut that fell apart like carnitas. The lamb was nicely cooked and presented, the beets and potatoes perfectly cooked. The red onion marmalade was, to reuse a word, astringent. It caused heartburn soon after I left the restaurant, and I only had a couple of bites. Does the chef taste his sauces? Maybe not, based on my recent dinner there.
Had an unmemorable deconstructed banana cream dessert. Meh.
For the money, I am sure one can do better in Pittsburgh. I know I will try someplace else next time I am in town. Very disappointing.
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