rev:text
| - Two of my friends and I went to Bite Bistro on a Friday evening for dinner. The restaurant was full, and a three-man band was playing in the corner. The restaurant is quaint, simple, and the ambiance was nice.
We started with the duck charcuterie plate, which included three slivers of cured duck, pate, ham terrine, and crostini. My friends both enjoyed the ham terrine, but none of us were impressed by the duck or the pate. I have had much better charctuerie in several Pittsburgh restaurants.
One of my friends and I both ordered the duck for the entree, and my other friend ordered the celery root. Three slices of duck breast were accompanied by five marble-sized potatoes and three Brussels sprouts that were halved. The duck was cooked well, but the vegetables were completely bland and unseasoned. A little salt and pepper goes a long way. The vegetables were steamed and plated, which is a simple but unimpressive preparation. For $16, I would expect more of a side than what was plated.
The celery root was decent, but nothing spectacular. The root was sliced into discs and served like a filet, presented with polenta. Again, mostly bland. This dish was $14, which seems extravagant for celery root.
Because the restaurant is BYOB, I brought a few beers to share. Upon receiving the bill, we were charged $2 per beer. We had only four or five beers between the three of us, but we were stymied by the unexplained charge. If you want to charge a corking or bottle fee, I don't mind, but please be up front about it.
For $14 to $18 per plate, I would have rather stayed in the city and spent my money elsewhere for dinner.
|