| rev:text
| - So, before we begin with the review, let's start with reminding everybody how to use the Star guide - 3 is everything is par for the level of restaurant it should be, 4 is service OR food is above par, 5 is both, 2 is something is off and 1 is both service and food is off. Leaving that there.
This station both Food and Service were just off and that's just the way it is, but food more than Service.
I came here with my favorite foodie KB, having gathered up our pennies for one night and coordinated our reservation book for a highly anticipated night at a new, greatly and positively talked about restaurants in one of my favorite parts of town: Station. After reading all the positive reviews, I couldn't wait to in dig myself into an appetizer of chicken liver mousse, while KB started salivating for days over popcorn panna cotta as a desert.
We got there for a 7 o'clock reservation during a weekday. The hostess was lovely setting us at a table for 2 in the second add on room. This place is absolutely gorgeous. The carved out wooden pillar that line up the wooden bar, the metal offset that rims the bar stools, linked together by an elaborate tin ceiling which transports you back in time and the railroad photographs that line the wall in the adjacent room. Absolutely lovely, but that was where it about ended.
We received the menu as well as the cocktail menu and had a waiter arrived with good timing. I asked for a guide as I glided over the cocktail list and eventually settled on a Signature drink the Settlement which is a version of a Manhattan. It was an easily forgettable drink, especially for the price and if you're used to the likes of Tender, Grapparia, Acacia or Mardi Gras. KB was asked what kind of cocktail she would like after me. Not being able to find anything on the Signature lists she asked for an Americano which perplexed the waiter into an apology for not having Espresso. Sigh and Ding. I shrugged it off as a simple mistake as waiter are waiters and not bartenders.
We decided to try two appetizers, first the Corned Beef Tongue and the Chicken Liver Mousse. Corned beef tongue was the first in my mouth and my favorite thing of the evening, but barely. With the slightest slip of the hand the salt level would have been unbearable and you forget that you're eating Tongue. Which is a shame, because if you order it for the taste and don't get it, why would you fork over $12 dollars for it? Addendum - after rehashing with some service industry friends who naturally know more than me, from the picture alone the peppers seemed dilated, which apparently just indicates bad prep work, I will take their word for it until I see what kind of competition they serve up at Pallantia. The chicken liver mousse was too large a portion for the two pieces of toast served with it and utterly too creamy. I thought I was eating chicken flavored cream. Ick. KB stopped half way through her toast.
Next the main dishes. From the pictures and reviews I ordered the Pork Shank Tagliatelle, while KB had the Ravioli. Seems like it was a pasta night. Um. Alright then. The pork was good but the rest of everything fell apart. I came served in a broth that completely washes noodles rather than coating them, leaving them soggy and flavorless. The 1 hour egg does absolutely nothing to help this, as it delicately dissolves in the mix. I was hoping for an egg that would help amalgamate the ingredients, however, no such luck here. On the other side of the table, a similar experience, KB was not digging the flavor and first, not enough salt and after adding some, too much. Plus, more brothiness; we were just not having this at all. We asked for both of it to take home, and our items were boxed up because, simply, I hate wasting food. At this point we were so disappointed we didn't even indulge in desert, which looking at the table next to us, didn't look at happy as hoped [hopefully we were mistaken and it tasted great]. We just couldn't justify another 8 dollars for another disappointing course.
Now, a surprise. The saving grace for the flavor of the Entrees happened later that night and the next day. I got the munchies around midnight and gobbled up my leftovers cold. Serious surprise! When cooled down to fridge level the broth solidifies and starts doing the noodles justice by bringing out the delicate flavors hidden in the layers of pork. Weird, and also upsetting that when served at desired temperature it doesn't work and at incorrect temperature it does.... Please look into that.
So yes. Two stars. I'm hoping this was an off-night or that the menu has modified a bit [I'm pretty late on this review] similar to what happened at Grit & Grace after a few months. As you may recall, that first line up of dishes was also a hit and miss ensemble.
I will be giving Station another try soon with my Pgh HappyHour crew descending upon it later this month, but until then, a serious disappointment.
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