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| - Had dinner here last night. Three observations:
1. Every dish we had was, without exception, perfectly executed. From the opening cocktail through salads, steak, sides, and dessert, each item was a great example of good ingredients cooked well and served promptly. I especially enjoyed grilled ramps (nice touch in early spring), but everything was great.
2. On the surface, it wasn't my kind of place: I wouldn't have designed the restaurant area the way that it was designed (open, with lots of hard surfaces reflecting noise); I wouldn't have chosen to hang out with the crowd that this place attracts (kudos to the guy in the skin tight tux and the woman's hairdo, and to the woman in ironically-worn 1950s-style dress with combat boots, but I find that making kind of effort to be exhausting); and I wouldn't normally pay what they charged me (almost $200 for an admittedly boozy dinner for two). For all these reasons, I may not go back soon or ever. But the design and the food reflect a great deal of time and attention to detail; and the crowd and the prices reflect that. I respect the effort and appreciate it.
3. Crazy to think that I used to walk through here at night 15 years ago and felt like I was risking my life to do it. East Liberty has changed a ton, and while part of me misses the old Pittsburgh that I grew up in, the change is for the better.
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