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| - The old Elbow Room on Ellsworth in Shadyside - with its crayons-and-butcher-paper, mismatched-furniture, crowded homestyle sloppiness - is gone forever. In its relocated reincarnation, in the former Max and Erma's space in the nearby Walnut Avenue shopping street, the new Elbow Room seems like an entirely different restaurant. The decor is tasteful and understated, with dark paneling, warm dark walls and high ceilings; the bar area is positively gigantic and looks like a comfortable, slightly upscale spot for a reverse happy hour (in Elbow Room parlance, cheap drinks at the end of the evening, 9-11pm); and the service is friendly, meticulous and a darn site better dressed than on Ellsworth. We had Sunday afternoon salads or "salad bowls" - I had the Grilled Trout Salad with a lemon horseradish vinaigrette (the Trout was crispy and the dressing was subtle and refreshing) and my wife had the Crab and Asparagus Salad with red peppers and a lemon red pepper dressing (she said it was perfect). On the bev front, the Elbow Room seems to going all out to win over the wine crowd, and meanwhile has a pretty impressive selection of beers on draft, including a B2 signature IPA and the whimsically-named Fleur de Lehigh (you know, in case you haven't gotten your minimum weekly requirement of cardamom-flavored beer).
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