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| - I would give this additional stars if I had the option.
My husband and visited Pittsburgh for our anniversary 8/2/2014 and based on reviews we decided to have our special dinner at the restaurant Root 174. We couldn't decide from the tempting and unusual choices so we ordered the Tasting Menu with 6 courses, priced at $67/person. The waitress (she was superb; attentive, friendly, helpful and informative) cautioned us that we should not order this if we're at all picky or have allergies/aversions. We are foodies. We wanted the chef to enjoy himself and pull out all the stops, and we happily gave ourselves over to being surprised. This turned into a very generous assortment. I was expecting like one tiny bite of everything; not so.
Each course was delicious, and all different. I will not itemize each one here as there were so many and I honestly can't rate one over another, they were all that good. One conclusion we agree upon is that like a musical composition made up of component parts, each of these creations blended seemingly disparate ingredients in a completely harmonious way. Yet each part retained its own identity; you could really enjoy the ripeness of the fig appetizer whose sweetness contrasted by the creamy bleu cheese; the sharply vinegar white anchovies against the creamy-custard poached egg in the caesar salad; the perfectly tender mild octopus with the vibrant and spicy romesco...well, you get the idea. This is a tiny restaurant (seats only maybe 40), and nearly invisible to the passer-by. In fact, it was raining hard and we walked right by the entrance and missed it on the first pass; I guess we were trying to avoid puddles.
You gotta look for it. And it's SO worth the effort!! We both agreed that this is probably the most memorable dinner we've ever had, and we have visited many wonderful places. Keith Fuller is an artist, and this restaurant is a gem. We look forward to our next visit.
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