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| - Ho-lee SCHNIEKIES.
I went to Eleven on a Saturday night during a weekend visit to Pittsburgh. I'd read the menu and it sounded terrific, so I decided to give it a shot. AND I took my 11 & 9 year-old kids with me (they're adventurous sorts, they are).
Often, I can tell how a dining experience is going to go based on how my kids are greeted. I take them to a lot of "foodie" places and if they're welcomed with smiles, which they certainly were at Eleven, that's usually a good sign.
We were seated upstairs, near the bar, at a relaxed table with soft lighting. Terrific atmosphere, very nice, but casual--there was no air of pretense here at all, though again, everything was very nice.
We started with drinks, and I had the restaurant's signature Moscow Mule. They make it with house-made ginger beer that REALLY has a great bite (I'm super-picky about such things and hate it when ginger beer is too sweet) and cucumber vodka. The pairing was PERFECT. A lovely cocktail ... we were off to the races.
Then, friends, there was the food. I started with roasted pumpkin & potato soup that was crowned with homemade pumpkin seed granola. On an evening when the weather was raw, biting, and damp, this was more than welcome. Warm, creamy, and just a bit spicy, it was the perfect beginning to the meal.
Dinner was magnificent. My son had the roasted chicken, which was moist & tender (he said it was one of the best things he'd ever eaten and told me that it was so good, his head might well explode--this is a compliment of the highest order when you're 11). His meal was complemented by risotto, wilted Swiss chard, and all was served in a shallow pool of thyme jus.
My daughter, not to be outdone, got the Walleye Pike, which was pan-seared (absolutely tender and perfectly cooked) and served on wild rice, with dried cranberries, pecans, pea tendrils, and toasted chili puree, with cider saffron beurre blanc (and yeah, she ate the WHOLE thing). It was wonderful.
I had the beet salad, which was lovely with goat cheese vinaigrette and baby kale, but the coup de grace were the sea scallops, which are easily among the better things I've ever eaten. Two monster-sized sea scallops were wrapped in potato (I have no idea what evil genius thought this up, but DUDE) and served in a delicious bed of tasso ham, Sea Island red peas, and smoked onions. Holy CATS. So good.
I'm a fan of Big Burrito's restaurants, in general, but MAN! This was an experience I'll not soon forget. I might even drive up to Pittsburgh again soon just to have dinner here. Just extraordinary. Oh! And the service was top-notch, too.
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