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| - We dined at Eleven for the first time recently and had high expectations. After all, it has fantastic Yelp reviews and a very encouraging average rating. Plus many of our friends who have lived in Pittsburgh longer than us (and whose culinary tastes we respect and are usually aligned with) said great things. Perhaps it was these high expectations that resulted in us leaving disappointed...Eleven just didn't do it for us.
Four of us had dinner on a not-too-busy evening. All of us shared the opinion that we won't be going back. Why? How can such a high-scoring mainstay of Pittsburgh's dining scene fail to impress us?
It wasn't the space, which is great. We loved the little nooks and crannies where tables are placed upstairs. It makes for a more intimate dining experience. That said, the four of us were seated at a table in an alcove that could have easily taken a group of six...needless to say we were a bit too spread out for our liking. That aside, it is a lovely space and the bar area is also really nice. I would go back for drinks at the bar.
What about the service? Service was very professional and formal without being too formal. Apparently the kitchen messed up our order and had to re-do some dishes. Our server was apologetic and the manager came to explain. We hadn't really noticed the delay so it wasn't a problem, but we appreciated this level of attention to detail. All staff were friendly and attentive. What you'd expect for a fine-dining restaurant.
Unfortunately the let down was the food. The crux of the problem here was twofold. First, the serving sizes. The portions were just too big. I guess this is great "bang for the buck" if you are happy boxing leftovers to take home. But it just seemed to be far too much food. Second, the seasoning. Everything was way too salty. I love my salt for sure but this was over the top. Ultimately these problems resulted in us feeling too full and uncomfortable at the end. The next morning more than one of us reported having a "food hangover" (not of the alcohol kind), which was a shame. As a final point with the food, I would also say that Eleven's kitchen tends to play it safe. Lots of more "traditional" preparations on the menu. Not much creativity and innovation (unlike Salt of the Earth or Notion). If you are familiar with the kinds of dishes Spoon (in East Liberty) puts out then you'll be familiar with what Eleven's kitchen does. None of this is bad but I think Pittsburgh deserves more innovation and excitement given some of the newer restaurants in town that are doing (relatively) amazing things.
All in all Eleven failed to deliver on the reputation it has built--at least from what we had read and heard before going there. Will we return? Probably not. There are so many great restaurants on the higher end of the scale in Pittsburgh (e.g., Notion, Salt of the Earth) that there are just better options out there.
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