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| - Even though I had lived in Pittsburgh for the majority of my adult life, I had never visited Sonoma Grille until this past Friday while visiting my family in the Burgh for Thanksgiving. I believe the price tag was the main reason why I had never visited while living in town, but at the same time, new restaurants were always popping up left and right so Sonoma was never really on my radar. However, after the wonderful meal I enjoyed here, I only wish I would have visited while still living in the area so I could sample more items that truly caught my eye.
We had no issue with making a reservation for 5 for Friday at 6:15. In fact, the majority of the restaurant was empty and remained so throughout our dining experience. Tip: use the valet. It's only $8 and it beats trying to find parking around that area. The atmosphere is pretty classy yet homey. They are definetly trying to recreate that countryside chic vibe. The murals on some of the walls seem more Italian countryside than Sonoma wine country but they are still beautiful to glance at while dining.
Our server, Lisa, was very efficient and friendly providing multiple suggestions- particularly with our wine and then entree sauces- that proved to be excellent recommendations. We started off with a nice bottle of red, a Syrah I believe. Very bold, not overly dry, slightly fruity. It complemented our meals appropriately. The bread basket is wonderful with several different varieties available and the butter is herbed which is a flavorful touch. We had a later lunch so, unfortunately, we didn't feel up to tackling both apps and entrees but, it is worth noting that the apps looked quite delicious. The tapas for two is a unique concept where you get a little bit of all the apps they offer, 5 total. The cured salmon with fennel yogurt, along with the sweet crab arancinis, stood out to me the most. While Lisa did recommend the lamb shank or the diver scallops and raviolis, I chose to do the mixed grill option. This is a nice tasting option where you can choose either one, two, or three "center of the plate" options, one side, and one sauce per "center of the plate" option. She recommended two options for more of a "full size entree" meal. Options were grilled salmon, seared trout, coconut shrimp, tempura fried shrimp, filet and mushroom kabob, Indonesian glazed tofu or duck, or chicken breast. Side options were fettuccine with tomato basil sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, or stir fry vegetables. Sauce options included minted cucumber yogurt, white truffle wasabi, sweet chili, tamarind ginger, spicy saffron aioli, or Chardonnay hot sauce. I opted for the filet and mushroom kabob, prepared medium rare, and the glazed duck as my center plates. Lisa recommended the white truffle wasabi for the filet and the sweet chili for the duck. I chose the stir fry vegetables as my side. The filet was cooked perfectly! It melted in my mouth and, although it tasted excellent on its own, the white truffle wasabi was the perfect complementary sauce. It had a nice kick to it And the truffle taste was easily apparent. The duck was amazing! The skin was perfectly crisp and the meat was tender. The sweet chili sauce was an amazing complement to the Indonesian glaze on the duck leg. The vegetables were stir fried in an Asian sauce and served under the main proteins. I really enjoyed the added Asian flavoring with both the filet and duck. Everyone in my party chose the mixed grill and everyone was immensely happy with their choices! I'd highly urge anyone who has yet to visit Sonoma Grille to make it your next special occasion dinner! It's very much worth the price tag!
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