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| - My boyfriend and I went here two weeks ago before seeing "Wicked" at the Benedum Center. It's not a place we would normally do dinner unless it's a special occasion. However, since our tickets to the show coincided with Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, we decided to give it a try/see how the other half lives!
We were running a little late, so I called to let the restaurant know and was told they could hold the reservation for 15 minutes. When we arrived, were were seated in one of the smaller dining rooms off to the side, with only six tables in it. The atmosphere was not what I expected, with interesting art choices. A huge picture of August Wilson was basically at the table with us, while a painting of cows in a pasture hung across the way and the counter had a strange, brass statue of a falcon. It was museum-esque, almost suffocating. The room was a little too dim for my boyfriend, who doesn't have the best eyesight. Although I did like that the tiny, battery operated lamps at each table. I wanted to take one home! The rest of the restaurant and bar area seemed more lively and upbeat, so if we go back I would request to sit in the larger, main dining area.
One thing that really bothered me was what happened when we were seated. The gentleman brought us to the table and, as he presented us with the special Restaurant Week Menu, said "This menu is a great deal, we usually average over $100 per head," and then he left. His tone was condescending and it made me feel uncomfortable, like I should have felt privileged to be there. It's expensive, dude, I get it.
Our server, however, was fabulous. He was knowledgeable and attentive without hovering. The server's assistant, who was also serving our room, was also very polite and kept our water glasses full the entire night--even though we didn't order the fancy cucumber Fiji water like the table across from us. However, I think the uniforms/chef coat things they have their servers and other waitstaff wear are just weird, it didn't really seem to fit the who high-class, 1% vibe they had going on.
On to the food! Nom! We each started with a Caesar Salad, which was small, but delightful. The dressing was good, as were the Parmesan croutons. For the entrees, I chose the Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon and my boyfriend got the Bone-In Dry Aged Sirloin Steak (14oz). My salmon was very good, but the real star of the night was the steak. It was seasoned and cooked beautifully, and I had never been more jealous of my partner. (He was nice enough to share a few pieces, though. He's a sweetheart!) With the entrees, we were served sides family style, Sam's Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Green Beans. The green beans were just "eh," but the mashed potatoes were some of the best I've had in a long time. Seriously, so good. When it came time to get dessert, we were slightly bummed as there were only two selections (Flour-less Chocolate Espresso Cake or Cheesecake with Fresh Berries) , while the website said there would be more options. I don't know if this is the fault of the restaurant or the folks who run the Pittsburgh Restaurant Week site. We both went for the cheesecake, but it turned out they had just run out. To our delight, our server allowed us to each get an order of their Classic Crème Brulee, which was also quite delicious. Next time, I really want to try the Strawberries Capital Grille! They sound phenomenal.
Wine! The wine list they have here is ridiculous. It is so long! So. Long. It's about 25 times the size of their normal dinner menu. We ordered a white blend that we shared during dinner and it was good.
Overall, our experience was nice. That steak. That steak gets 5 stars! As does the service we received from our waiter. I couldn't give the restaurant 5 stars though, because I was put off my the gentleman that seated us and by the atmosphere in the small dining room. I really felt like I needed to whisper, which is hard because I cannot whisper to save my life. I would possibly come here again for a special night out. And maybe this time, I will ask about getting one of those adorable little lamps!
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