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| - The meal I just had at Gypsy Cafe was the best dinner I've had in months. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I truly was blown away. The people who left mediocre reviews kept my expectations fairly low, but with each new consistently-excellent dish I tried, I went from "pleasant surprise" all the way up to the sudden shock of realizing this might be my new favorite restaurant.
I went on a Thursday, early evening, and it was fairly dead inside- maybe 60% of tables empty. That meant that we got very attentive service, though. The waiter was very eloquent and knowledgeable- really top-class.
I was with a party of 4, so I sampled a ton of different foods over the course of the evening. Literally everything- from appetizer to dessert- was made with fresh ingredients, creatively prepared and arranged, and all-around excellent. I don't know if we just happened to hit the restaurant on a good night or what, but I was stunned by the quality.
One particular highlight was the hummus platter. There were three varieties of hummus (black-bean avocado, garlic, and tomato-basil) and all were excellent- some of the best hummus I've ever had. They were served with both little pita triangles as well as with slices of fresh vegetables (cucumber, carrot, raddish, etc).
Another appetizer highlight was the ajvar (pronounced EYE-var), which is a sort of spiced red-pepper puree with feta cheese on top. It was fresh, mild, and delicious with the pita.
The menu was quite small (I understand it changes often, depending on what's in season) but we all picked different entrees, including salmon, pasta, an eggplant dish, etc. I sampled all four at the table, and I would have been happy to have any of them as my meal. I can't stress this enough- everything was very fresh, and the recipes were masterful.
I'll have to go back a few times to see if every experience is always this good, but as for right now, I think I may have a new favorite Pittsburgh restaurant.
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