Rustic fare, amari bar on Talia’s menu
A new Italian restaurant with familiar roots is coming to Downtown Pittsburgh in the former Alcoa Building at 425 Sixth Ave., across the street from the Hotel Monaco.
Talia Cucina & Rosticceria will open its doors on March 13, serving traditional Italian cuisine sourced with local ingredients and goods imported from Italy. It will be open Monday through Saturday, with lunch served Monday through Friday.
It’s the second Downtown restaurant for Julian Vallozzi, who opened Vallozzi's on Fifth Avenue — the local sister restaurant to the long-established Greensburg Vallozzi's — in 2012. With an open air-dining room and a bar that seats 17, it promises to be “a place to stop and savor really phenomenal food and drink in a relaxed atmosphere.”
Meant to be more casual than Vallozzi’s that is off Market Square, the focal point of Talia and the menu is a giant rotisserie, which was custom-built in France. This is where Talia’s signature slow-roasted meats will take form, to be served alongside rustic Italian dishes such as house-made pastas, fresh fish and a large selection of antipasti. The menu also will feature a variety of pizzas with toppings ranging from traditional (think speck, soppressata and black olives) to more contemporary (smoked cheddar, red-skinned potatoes and balsamic-maple reduction).
The lunch menu will include many of the same dishes, along with rotisserie sandwiches such as an open-face short rib melt on focaccia and porchetta with ricotta-rapini spread.
Steve Lanzilotti, a Pennsylvania Culinary Institute graduate who previously worked as chef de cuisine for Vallozzi’s Pittsburgh, is the executive chef.
Perhaps most exciting for Italian food lovers, the space designed by Strada Architects also will house Pittsburgh’s first amari bar. Italian for “bitter,” these herbal liqueurs, which range from bitter to bitter-sweet, are commonly drunk as an after-dinner digestif. Talia will feature 20 amari, with tasting notes, along with a seasonal cocktail list, imported Italian wines and traditional bar drinks.