"0"^^ . "5"^^ . . . "2011-03-14T00:00:00"^^ . "0"^^ . "This is a very unique experience. I cannot think of any other\nrestaurant I have been to in the Pittsburgh area that is as creative,\nas perfectionist, and as exploratory as Notion (and I tend to try\nupscale restaurants when I have the time). Just on these grounds,\nNotion stands strong. The food was overall very innovative, artsy, and\ndelicious. Some parts of the dishes were hit and miss, but overall it\nis a unique and enjoyable experience. We will go back again.\n\nTo summarize, pros:\n+ Very innovative and exploratory dishes\n+ Food is presented as art \n+ Romantic interiors\n+ Reasonably sized portions\n\nCons:\n- Expensive (but you should expect this if you are going there)\n- Tables are too close to each other\n\nThe food is innovative and exploratory... We had four appetizers, one\nmain course, and a bottle of wine. The appetizers were varied: the\ncauliflower with lobster, wild rice with escargot, shrimp with\ndehydrated coconuts, and scallops. My gf got the cod. We also got a\nbonus chocolate+onion+maple soup at the beginning. All dishes were\ndelicious, for the most part. Each had a touch of art in it, be it in\npresentation, serving, or in the selection of ingredients. The\ncombination of ingredients in the cauliflower was almost perfect:\ncauliflower, lobster, a nicely-designed shrimp cracker, all topped\nwith a delicious coconut soup (see uploaded picture). My girlfriend's\nfavorite was the entree, the cod. We also quite enjoyed the wild rice\nwith escargot. Shrimp and scallpos were also very artsy; dehydrated\ncoconuts, basil seeds, lemon gels, ... Sometimes we were not sure what\nwe were eating and not everything was as tasty in a dish, but that was\npart of the experience.\n\nThe portions we had were quite filling. One should not be expecting\nhuge portions when going to such a restaurant like Notion. \n\nDownsides... I felt the tables were too close to each other. This was\nnot a problem for us since the restaurant was not crowded when we\nwent, but I can see this being an issue when the restaurant is running\nat its peak. \n\nOverall, Notion provides a unique experience. Food is treated as art\nthere. It is definitely worth trying, but make sure you have the right\nmindset before you get there: enjoy innovation, treat food as art, and\nbe open to different combinations of food items; and also do not\nexpect to have three meals' worth of food for the amount of money you\nare paying...\n\nMe thinks we need more restaurants like Notion in the Pittsburgh area."^^ . . "5"^^ .