| rev:text
| - In sum, the concept is outdated [an endless list of menu items which means much is frozen and few are prepared properly] which is obvious in the bland, dry flavorings. Too expensive for the end result.
I typically will not dine at restaurants that choose the novel-style menus. There is a reason Michelin star restaurants have small menus- they can consistently prepare and serve quality menu items each and every time. Its a string of arrogance to have a lengthy menu. No restaurant, especially in Pittsburgh can keep rare ingredients, in stock that are not frozen to provide them in a fresh and edible manner. Which means one is shelling out 25-30 dollars a dish for frozen entrees. The appeal to this is unknown to me. Nevertheless, I purchased the living social coupon and I wanted to be proven wrong- sadly I was not.
The bread, an overlooked detail at many establishments was not overlooked here. The bread was chewy, fresh, and crispy- quite a delightful start to any good dining experience. For starters, I picked the polvo a marisqueira. Grilled octopus with Portuguese blue cheese. Fabulous! The octopus was simply amazing. Even better than the fresh bread. The creamy melted blue cheese complemented the grilled dense and succulent octopus. The price tag may make ones' head spin at 16+. Ho/wever, it was worth the one time splurge. Food reviewers have suggested the price is due to importing in the specific type of octopus and Portuguese blue cheese. Fair enough, it was delicious and worth trying at least once.
Brace yourself my friend, that is where the kind words will end.
The entrees my husband and I ordered were a catastrophe. In earnest, it is an embarrassment to fine dining. Jared ordered the suckling pig. Hrmp. It tasted like the chef sucked all the delightful fresh juices from the meat and crispiness from the skin by cooking this dish days ago and reheating it to order. Dreadfully dry, bland pork meat smothered in what was likely once crispy, now soggy, exterior that was overly seasoned with pepper.
I ordered the wild boar. Again, another dish that sat in the fridge for days. The rich game taste was all but absent from this dish. How long does a dish sit in the fridge that even a "game animal" taste domesticated? The rice was slightly under al dente which is as disappointing as it was inedible. The positive glimmer of hope was the sauce the boar was braising in...a cannellini bean tomato sauce. It had a rich smokiness flavor with a hint of sweet. Yet, the beans were the downfall. The sauce was bathing the canned beans. Canned beans..really? I can tell a canned bean from a dried one miles away. Not fooling me on this one. Soggy baby food style beans on leg shanks cooked days ago. Such a shame.
I thought the service was as disappointing as the food. When we were first seated my husband was looking at the wine menu. The waiter asked if he would like anything, my husband replied no and the waiter left. Um, what century did I enter that my opinion matters not? I even tried to raise my hand to get his attention. Nope. No drinks for me.
More fun was in store for us. My husband and I sat in our appetizer dirty dishes for at least 20 minutes. Until a waitress from another table removed them only after I started to pile them together for us to have to room on the small 2 top. Fine dining? I think not.
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