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| - I was treated to a birthday dinner at Spoon recently by my doting husband, and I think I've found what is the best restaurant in Pittsburgh. Halfway through dinner I wondered aloud whether we had been magically transported to New York or Chicago. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.
We had made a reservation, but, it being a Tuesday night, we could have walked in off the street, it was that quiet. We had our choice of tables, and chose one in the back, which gave us both a nice spot by the window and comfy banquet seating. We both opted for the tasting menu, which is half size portions of items from the regular menu, and offered many of the things we were interested in trying. The amuse bouche was a spring pea soup that I had wanted to try from the menu, and it was delicious; a thick puree of fresh tasting peas garnished with pickled red onion, Surryano ham (the American version of Spain's Serrano ham), a puree of spicy carrot and tarragon creme fraiche. An excellent soup which had me wanting more. The first course was Korean roasted pork with crispy fried oysters, homemade kimchi and a spicy aioli, served with lettuce for wrapping. Again, I could have just kept eating. The flavors were strong and rich, and each component both stood on its own and blended deliciously with the whole. Great cooking. The next course was the gorgonzola bleu cheese souffle with braised artichokes, roasted red pepper, asparagus, frisee, arugula, with a honey and white balsamic vinaigrette. They sliced this in half for the tasting. It was an exceptionally good soufflé, though they might have streamlined the garnishes. My only complaint is that sometimes the chef went a little overboard with items on the plate. The cooking was well executed, but sometimes simpler is better. Anyway, on to the halibut, which also did not disappoint. Pan seared and served with a seafood sausage (delicious), asparagus, poached oysters (perfection) and buerre blanc. The highlight of the evening. The duo of veal...loin and sweetbreads with a potato and cauliflower gratin, was the only dish that fell a little flat. The veal itself had very little flavor, but the gratin was very good. And then I got my chocolate cake for dessert, which is always what I want on my birthday! Service was attentive, friendly and polished, and she recommended a wine that was so good I wrote the name down before leaving. This is the best food I've had yet in the 'Burgh, and I'll be back.
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