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| - Finally Willow, You Nailed It!
I've been a frequenter to Willow for years and I've always been up and down on them. The restaurant would have a great menu with great choices and then two months later switch up the menu entirely. The restaurant would change owners, chefs, menus, and they never seemed to have an identity of where they would like to be or what cuisine they would like to specialize in. The last time I went to Willow, the menu was almost exclusively BBQ and vowed never to go back. It was a shame because the restaurant is nestled in a wooded area and the views and ambiance are fantastic.
However, I recently had read that Willow had undergone an ownership change (I believe it's the same group that owns BRGR) and had closed for sometime this past summer to re-invent itself. All I can say is that they found their identity and I can only hope there will no longer be any reincarnations. The experience was amazing!
Upon entering, the restaurant seemed pretty much the way I'd always remembered it. The bar area was bustling and I could see some patrons dining in the downstairs seating area. We had made reservations and were promptly taken upstairs to one of the back rooms. We had a wonderful evening view of the wooded, snow covered terrain.
We were then greeted by our server Victoria. If you do one thing upon dining at Willow, request Victoria as your server. She is fantastic at what she does and is highly skilled. She is knowledgeable, friendly, and in no way overbearing. It was the perfect server experience.
However, our food was the star of the evening. The menu has been scaled back to a one page offering. There are a few items that you are able to order off the bar menu, burgers, sandwiches, salads, small and large plates. They have a full drink menu of creative and tasty cocktails as well. I started with the sangria and might be one of the best drinks I've ever had. Not too sweet, not too dry, and full of delicious fruit. Highly recommended!
For starters I ordered the scallops and pork belly small plate while my wife ordered the parker house rolls and olives. My scallop and pork belly plate was unreal. I could've ordered three of these. The scallops were big, juicy and sweet. The pork belly was salty, sweet, and melt in your mouth. It was a wonderful combination and creatively presented. For my wife, she loved the olives (I'm not an olive eater so I can't speak to how these were). But the Parker House rolls were awesome. The bread was warm and the butter that was served was room temperature for easy spreading. Usually bread is included but these are $5. For as good as these rolls are, I'd spend $5 on bread all day.
For our entrees, I decided on the Willow Burger and my wife got the lobster roll small plate with a side of fries. I consider myself a burger connoisseur and I must say this was one of the best burgers I've ever had. The meat was cooked to medium perfection and the brioche bun was fantastic. For my toppings I decided on sharp cheddar, whiskey bacon jam (yes it is as decadent as you'd think) and crispy pork belly. It was insane! The burger was huge and I almost couldn't finish it. But as good as it was, I was able to push through. However, the fries were sacrificed due to how full I was. I was able to eat a few and they are amazing. They are crispy and have some sort of garlic and rosemary (I think) seasoning. Very good!
My wife's lobster rolls reminded me of our vacation to Maine a few years back. The lobster roll filling was filled with large chunks of lobster and served on a buttered bun. She received two of them with homemade potato chips. I had a small bite and although I'm not ready to say a Pittsburgh restaurant can do a lobster roll better than Maine, I will say it's not too far off from authentic lobster rolls in New England. If you've never had a Maine lobster roll and wonder what it might be like, try the one at Willow and you'll have a really good idea.
Overall, the experience was amazing and I emplore Willow to stick with the current recipe. The food is excellent, the service is excellent, and the experience is more than worth it. I wasn't sure if I'd ever return to Willow due to all the changes through the years and never having a true identity. I can say with certainty this will be one of our go to restaurants from now on!
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