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| - A weak 4 star, imo. Some dishes are excellent, while others are fairly ordinary. Given that it is a pricy restaurant (most entrees are around $30, most wine glasses are north of 12), this is a disappointment.
There are several better, less expensive high-end restaurants in Pittsburgh, such as Spoon and Legume. I'll go to these, and I doubt I will be back at Eleven.
The place is quite nice, high ceiling, comfortable tables, relaxed but elegant. I probably prefer the room there to the new space of Legume in Oakland. Many suit people, but not exclusively.
Foodwise, this was definitely a mixed evening.
- the lamb is delicious, a clear winner, 5 star. The medium rare meat is very tasty, the polenta provides a nice balance to some of the sweeter vegetables, e.g., onions. ($36)
- tuna tartare was also very good, fresh and crisp. 5 star (12)
- soft shell crab was pretty interesting: I enjoyed the light and slightly spicy sauce it was in. 4 star.
- the pork was on the drier side - not remarkable. The slice was thin (whence the dryness), and the vegetables did not do much to highlight its tastes. 3 star
- foie gras (in the tasting menu) was far from being the best I've had (but I am picky about that), the chocolate bar (basically, a "croquant") was on the heavier side. 3 star.
Two of us had the tasting menu. The portions are smaller, so you don't feel stuffed by the end of the dinner. On the other hand, if I end up there again, I'll just go for the lamb, perhaps with an appetizer.
I should also add that the menu is fairly conservative.
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