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| - Oh, I so desperately wanted to like this place. As a pretty firmly anti-chain, pro-small business person, I'm such a cheerleader (albeit one who wouldn't look good in a skirt) for the independent restaurants popping up around Pittsburgh. However, two things can really sum up this experience. The first is that both of us looked at each other and said "Well, our moms could eat here." Though we both love our mothers dearly, they are the type who tend to ask "what's that interesting seasoning you have on this?" and you have to honestly answer "salt and pepper." The second factor is that we were looking for some place we've never been for restaurant week, and looking over the menus online, my husband chose this restaurant. He had to have apologized 20 times throughout the course of the dinner for his "bad pick."
First, the positive. The cocktail menu, albeit small and not especially cohesive, was much more reasonable than a lot of other local restaurants. One sangria and one kir flight of chardonnay ($14 bucks total), and I was definitely buzzed. Secondly, the servers were all very friendly and attentive. There was a new girl training with our waitress who was still a little unfamiliar with things, but hey, people have to start somewhere, and she was definitely trying, so zero complaints there.
Sadly, the lionshare of what you pay for at a nice restaurant is the food, and this was soooooo not worth it. It was restaurant week, so they had only two menus available (a vegetarian price fixe and a carnivore price fixe). We both had the meat-laden options. First, if you're having only such a limited menu available for restaurant week, most likely to showcase what your restaurant is all about to new customers, you better nail those three or four dishes. We had the sausage trio and the brisket trio. All of the meat was dry as a bone, though the pickled vegetables, cheese, and bread were good accompaniments. Also, no one told us what the different meats or cheeses were...that's rule #1 when serving any type of charcuterie platter. We just sort of ate it. The entree was a mixed grill. First, I love me some meat, but come on...let's balance the meal out a little bit! Secondly, apparently Jimmy Buffett isn't the only one in Margaritaville looking for his lost shaker of salt...where the heck was the flavor? The meat was dry and tough, it sat in a pool of water (I'd say broth but broth has flavor), and it was served with potatoes (also unseasoned) and a half of an ear of corn (which, when you're at a "nice" restaurant sipping wine and eating charcuterie, is a big ol' ear of corn on the cob the most elegant vegetable choice you could come up with? Lastly, the dessert. We both had the chocolate crepes. How can you do this to crepes? They were cold as ice...clearly all pre-made. Not even a browning mark from the crepe ever being in a skillet with a little butter. The filling tasted like chocolate pudding, topped with Cool-Whip (or, as the menu calls it, chantilly cream). The only redeeming quality was the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate on top. Normally I'd give this place a one-star based on food, but the service and my wine-induced sense of generosity are making me "ok" with 2 stars.
Unfortunately, the complaints weren't limited to us. The table behind us said the same thing about the dryness of the meat and the lack of flavor...they complained to the waitress and had their drinks comped, so I guess we should have been more vocal. I try to be more subtle with my dissatisfaction, so I paid for all of my drinks. The table beside us barely touched their entree, and their waiter said "you must be leaving room for your crepes!" They were not amused. I want for this place to succeed, because I believe in the power of small business over the processed, pre-fabricated food that a lot of chain restaurants push on us, but if they don't change quickly, they aren't going to make it. This is a smaller city with a burgeoning foodie population, and a lot of restaurants coming and going. To survive, they have to not only acknowledge the shortcomings, but do something to fix them FAST. This many negative reviews is not a coincidence. I wish them the best, and whoever Chaz and Odette are, I hope that they can pick themselves up and do some productive reflection. At this stage in the game, however, as we sit depressed that we spent over $100 on a meal where both of us would have rather eaten at TGIFridays, we most certainly will not be back.
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