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| - I recently went to Pittsburgh for a conference and ate at Sonoma Grille. Boy was I impressed!
We had 8:30 reservations, so the walk to the restaurant was cold and dark. I walked in and immediately felt a little warmer. The walls are painted in warm colors with murals on some walls. I felt like I was walking into a Tuscan or California restaurant. (Though I do admit that it kind of reminded me of the Olive Garden, ugh.)
The restaurant was farm-to-table. Everything was extremely flavorful and fresh. Price-wise, it seemed reasonable for the portions and the quality of the food.
When traveling, I always try to look for basic food (since I never know the quality of the restaurant.) I saw the menu and went--huh? Many of the foods mix flavors and ingredients that I would never think to combine. For example, we had the pecan crusted haloumi--fried cheese that was encrusted with pecans and placed upon a bed of a jalopeno potato puree with mango avocado salsa in a blood orange reduction. Like I said--Huh?
That being said, I was incredibly impressed with all the food. The pecan crusted haloumi was a favorite appetizer at the table. We all tried to be polite and take small pieces of it, but I'm pretty sure any one of us would have been happy to devour the entire plate. Similarly, the med plate, with hummus, feta, sun-dried tomato, and hearts of palm, quinoa tabbouleh, olives, and pita, was delicious. The hummus was probably the best hummus I've ever had.
The tempura shrimp was solidly good, though not as memorable as our appetizers. Like I said, completely fresh.
The time between our appetizers and entrees was a bit long, but the restaurant was packed with people from the conference. I left completely full and happy.
I can't comment on the quality or prices of the wines, but I noticed they had an impressive selection.
Highly recommend this place!
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