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| - Grit & Grace highlights the wonders of our Pittsburgh food scene: An affordable, creative upscale dining experience in the midst of a thrilling growth spurt, not without those irksome growing pains.
The food: 4.5 stars
The drinks: 3.5 stars
The atmosphere: 4 stars reduced to 3 for our bummer table
The service: 2.5 stars (see below)
This meal was stupendous. It was however weighed down a bit by the dim sum offerings, 2/5 of which looked awfully unimpressive, even for $5. What excited me were our dishes from the main dinner menu, miso-braised eggplant ($9) and grilled octopus with mussels ($12).
The eggplant arrived in a stunning crescent moon presentation, complete with a delectable sphere of housemade yogurt cheese and two small marinated tomatoes serving as planets. The combination of flavors and textures was dynamic and unexpected, and the eggplant itself was smooth and meaty, like seafood. The semolina crisp added necessary crunch while marinated cucumbers delighted me with their punchy brightness. This dish is a dream boat, and something I've never tasted before. ORDER IT.
The octopus, undisguised by unnecessary slicing, arrived as a whole tentacle in a scrumptious broth with mussels and perfectly-cooked potatoes. This octopus was well-marinated and massaged; my only complaint was that I was sharing and wanted more!
Our dim sum selections were the pork belly bites, beef tartar, and Brussels sprouts. I was impressed by the Brussels sprouts' ability to be flavorful, ultra crispy, and not greasy. The tartar was also a great combination of flavors and meatiness, and my favorite dim sum of the night by far, though not quite as delicious as Meat & Potatoes' tartartartar.
The atmosphere: Upon walking through the front door, the ambiance is warm, classy, and hip. Unfortunately, we were seated all the way in the back, completely removed from the spirit of the place and shoved up against a divider. I've never cared about my table in a restaurant until last night. This table was just bunk and I kept bumping my gangly elbow into that dang divider.
The service: 2 stars. Again G&G compels me to do something very unusual and complain about the service. First thing's first, the woman (MOD?) who ran our eggplant to us is a star. She was sparkling and funny and we loved everything about her. Our server's performance starkly contrasted that of our eggplant angel.
My experience in the industry makes it very easy to attribute a less-than-stellar attitude to a stressful night and shake it off. Our cold, rushed service was made a little personal as we witnessed our server treat the neighboring table very differently than us. That made her unwelcoming attitude admittedly difficult to ignore. Whatever we did to irk you, dear waitress, we are sorry. Please try to be a little nicer next time.
Of course, the best way to fight unhappiness is by leaving a big 'ole tip and a smile, and that's what we did. :D
I give G&G four stars because our two menu dishes were just that lovely. Don't fill up on dim sum, as the main menu is where this place really shines.
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