rev:text
| - This review represents many "firsts"...a) my first post as Yelp Elite (in San Francisco such a status requires much relationship building, review writing, and general hobnobbing whereas in Cleveland you're invited to be Yelp Elite just by friending the right Yelper...oh, Cleveland), and b) my first post back home on the East Coast. Living in Cleveland, I get to spend one or two days a week with my mom back home in Pittsburgh, where I'm discovering the foodie scene is pretty. damn. awesome.
Take Aji Picante, for example. We walked in post Bikram Yoga Squirrel Hill class around 8pm on a Friday night, no reservation, clutching a bottle of Trader Joes wine I'd brought with me, and they were able to squeeze us in. And the experience was PERFECT from start to finish. Our half-Peruvian waitress was just the right amount of attentive, genuine, and friendly...she provided the sort of service where you wonder if a 22% tip is enough. The ambiance was warm and inviting and only a little loud.
And the food...oh, the food. The Causa de Langostinos was strange and spicy and delicious, a mushy blend of mashed potatoes, avocados and shrimp that somehow works perfectly. We devoured our Torrejas de Choclo and scooped out every last bit of that minty sauce. But the highlight was the special of the evening, a squash and vegetable stew that came served in a little pumpkin. The perfect dish to warm up your insides on a cold night.
And because it's BYO, with two appetizers, an entree and a dessert (the rustic creme brulee, not too sweet and very, very rich) the total cost was not bad at all. I'm starting to think that the food snobbery I've built up after years in the fine dining industry in Philadelphia, and years eating my way through San Francisco, will be well satiated in Pittsburgh. Cleveland better step it up!
|