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| - If only Yelp had a 3 1/2 star option!
GREAT staff. I sat at the bar and the bartenders were excellent; knowledgable, friendly, and observant. I was describing one of their beers on draft (Brooklyn Sorachi Ace, one of my favorites) to my friend, and the bartender heard me and poured us a small taste without even asking. Great at mixing cocktails, explaining the restaurant, etc. Staff can be such a problem in Pittsburgh, but the bartenders were aces.
The decor is...okay. The space is surprisingly small, and the bar area even more so. The cramped dining room feels like you're an airline passenger in a cramped 707. Points for dim lighting, but overall the concept for the space never comes together. The walls and seating are all classic dark fine dining, but then there's a faux-rustic wooden box on the table holding condiments in rough glass jars - very strange. Some drinks come in tiki glasses which is also at odds with the decor. No TVs, though, which is a major bonus.
Food: Good not great. The skate cheeks dish was excellent; creative & tasty. The chicken thighs were sort of a deconstructed chicken fried rice dish that was unexceptional. The dim sum portions are small, as many people have commented. I don't mind paying a lot for fine dining, but other than the skate cheeks, nothing blew my mind. As many other reviewers have commented, the food might develop as the chefs find their footing.
I would try this again, especially because it's rare to find a place where the staff is already at the top of their game right after opening. That speaks well of the management, and restaurant in general.
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