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| - We had planned on going to Piper's Pub one Saturday night before taking in a movie. Fortunately (you'll find out why it was fortunate soon) Piper's was packed and had a wait too long for us to be able to make the movie. So, we pulled up No Wait, and decided to hit up Carmella's. There was no wait, ha, and we had recently read an excellent review and had planned on trying this place soon anyway. We walked the half block to Carmella's and were seated immediately in the small but lovely dining area.
It has a rustic feel, with exposed wooden beams, picnic-style wooden tables, and deer heads on the walls. There are what looks to be old family photographs and paintings on the wallpapered walls. Though warm in ambiance, I was a little cold the entire dinner due to sitting directly beneath a vent, but it was a small inconvenience quickly forgotten once we began eating.
The food was amazing. As always, I notified the waitress of my numerous food allergies, and after conferring with the chef she gave me suggestions and alternatives for my dinner (another wonderful experience with a Pittsburgh chef being willing to work with my restraints). I ended up with the smoked pork chop with braised kale and dirty rice. The pork chop was perfectly cooked, and the sauce on top complimented the meat wonderfully. The fatty portions of the pork simply melted in your mouth. The kale came out a bit cold, but it is hard to keep that vegetable warm. The rice was tasty, and made in what I believe was pork fat. My boyfriend started off with the venison kielbasa and kale soup. He enjoyed it, but liked his duck confit tacos much better. The Korean BBQ sauce was spicy and the duck tender. He did note that they were a bit hard to eat on the slate on which they were served, though he did appreciate the careful presentation of the food. We shared an order of the duck fat fries, which were thick and crispy potato wedges (they reminded me of KFC potato wedges somewhat, if KFC cooked in duck fat and didn't let the wedges get soggy).
For beverages, we each tried one of the classic cocktails listed on their drink menu. While good, they were no where near as unique and complex as those at Bar Marco, Butcher and the Rye, or Tender. But, the clientele in the bar area did not seem like the type to seek out a craft cocktail. They do have a nice list of wines, available in carafes or by the bottle. The list also includes some PA wines, which is (sadly) not something often seen in local Pittsburgh restaurants.
Overall, we enjoyed our experience here and look forward to returning soon, hopefully with friends!
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