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| - I'm eating dinner at Eleven as I write this, and I have to say that it is one of the best meals I've had in Pittsburgh. I had the tasting menu with wine pairing, and the wines were well matched with the food.
Everything was pretty solid, including the service, but I actually felt that they were too attentive. They weren't extremely busy, and one of their many servers would approach the table every few minutes. I found this a little awkward, since I was alone and just wanted to eat, although other people might appreciate the personal attention.
Also, the place has some bizarre, concept, surrealistic erotic prints hanging on the walls and is going for the "East Berlin Hotel Lobby" decor, so I kind of felt like I was in one of those Mike Myers "Deitur" Saturday Night Live skits from the 1990s ("Would you like to touch my monkey?")
The best item on the tasting menu by far was the dessert, although the paired dessert wine tasted like straight-up grape juice. The plates were very seafood-heavy, and they love radishes, the menu is scattered with radish dishes, which is interesting. I've never been a big fan of the radish, but they don't seem to get used much, so it's a nice try. The presentation of the food was really good, but I was left a little unimpressed by the flavor.
It's expensive for Pittsburgh, even more than I thought it would be going in. Overall, though, the wine pairing was reasonable, getting four and a half glasses for $35, when they are charging about $10 for most of their glasses. If it were a little cheaper, this would definitely be a four-star place.
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