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| - I've gone to E2 about 3 times now and I think it's time for a review after our last visit, in which we celebrated our friend's birthday.
Dinner at E2 is wonderful. It's new and exciting, yet familiar too. It's exactly what Highland Park needed...and Pittsburgh, too!
The atmosphere is cozy, relaxed and unpretentious. There is NO typical tacky Italian restaurant decor. It's simple and lovely...especially if you get to dine outside.
The staff is awesome! Everyone is super friendly, happy and helpful! They pretty much became our bffs in one night.
The food is...well...simply delicious. It's how you never realized Italian/American food should taste. Nothing is over done, nothing is "too much" or "too little." The menu changes daily and stays seasonal and local. Needless to say, the food is fresh! The emphasis on using seasonal and locally derived ingredients is so, so important and E2 poses the question "Why can't all restaurants do this?"
From the pumpkin tortellini to the ox tail, the menu offers a variety of vegetarian, meat and seafood options all executed creatively, but never over the top. Chef Kate Romane does an excellent job of reminding you how food is supposed to taste: fresh and exciting, yet comforting and satisfying.
The portions range from tapas to family style. All of which is perfect for having a family-like group of friends to dine with (as we did)! We had a chef's sampling of almost everything on the menu. As we passed the plates around, we discussed and dissected each bite, mesmerized by the high quality of food and preparation, succumbing to the comfortable, familial magic of E2.
Oh, how could I forget, E2 is BYOB, And boy, did we BYO... but that didn't seem to bother the staff, rather they seemed to encourage it.
So, hours later, we slowly pulled ourselves together, said good bye to our new friends and, almost unwillingly, left E2. It was like leaving Grandma's house... a place you have fond memories of and a place you know you'll continue to make fond memories for years to come. And like at any grandma's house, at E2, you're sure to have a perfectly delicious, carefully prepared, heart warming meal in a cozy environment perfect for sharing laughs creating memories with your family...and your extended family you have yet to meet.
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