The ’ Burgh’s best dishes and drinks right now
Here, found and devoured by our intrepid staffers across the city and the region, are the week’s best dishes and drinks. We got out for Pittsburgh Restaurant Week.
WATERMELON- DRAGON FRUIT GAZPACHO AND JERK CHICKEN AT VUE 412
Vue 412’ s lunch menu stood out among the ones on this year’s summer edition of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week for a couple of reasons.
One, the menu truly reflected summer produce, and, two, the price reflected what Restaurant Week is all about — a multicourse meal for $ 19.99. For the first course, instead of the the wild berry salad, I went with the watermelondragon fruit gazpacho, which looked as delightful as it tasted. The cold and pulpy crimson pink soup was garnished with an edible orchid and speckled with the dragon fruit’s tiny black seeds. It was mildly sweet and tasted vaguely of a kiwi combined with a good splash of watermelon juice.
For the entree, I opted for the Caribbean jerk chicken that also came dolled up with an orchid and with coconut rice, studded with diced green and red bell peppers, and grilled pineapple cream. It was a tropical island on a plate. 1200 Grandview Ave., Mount Washington.
— Arthi Subramaniam
WAGYU MEATLOAF AT BONFIRE FOOD & DRINK
Rare are the times that “elegant” is used as a modifier for a platter of meatloaf — possibly the all- time ultimate grandma- approved dish — but rarer still is the preparation of said comfort food like this: As a fistsized puck of premium ground wagyu beef, over a bed of rich goat cheese and chive
- whipped potatoes, and topped with crispy onions.
The meatloaf is a cult favorite holdover from chef- owner Chris Bonfili’s previous restaurant, Avenue B, and is a Tuesday- and
Wednesday- nights- only special in the upstairs dining room at his new- ish South Side spot.
I’ve been a regular visitor to the firstfloor casual concept at Bonfire since it opened late last year, but my wife and I used the occasion of Pittsburgh Restaurant
Week to finally check out the upscale upstairs, which opened this spring with windows overlooking East Carson Street.
Brown leather banquettes and blue- gray beadboard provide a comfortably cozy but sophisticated setting, with a more elevated menu to match, including a beautifully roasted organic chicken over a bed of farro, corn, watermelon and queso fresco with poblano pesto; an arugula and Churchview Farm heirloom tomato salad; and a raspberrypistachio frozen nougat dessert with a pistachio macaron and raspberry confit. 2100 E. Carson St., South Side.
— Dan Gigler
DURIAN MILLE CREPE CAKE AT AMY’S BAKERY
Looking out the window at the new
Turkish kebab house and the Thai kitchen,
just up from the Mexican kitchen and bar
and the Japanese sushi spot, I marveled at
the world of the food choices along Mt. Lebanon’s main drag. I was sitting inside a
new Asian dessertery: Amy’s Bakery.
Amy, who for years now has been baking cakes from her Upper St. Clair home,
has taken over the former 15° Fahrenheit
and transformed it into a very cozy cafe.
There’s still rolled ice cream and bubble
waffles, but she has added a stunning array
of breads, buns, cakes and other baked goods, many with Asian flavors such as the green tea red bean towel cake. ( Get a taste on her Instagram @ amysbakery1.)
My 12- year- old fan of her mango bubble tea ($ 5) took me in last week, and I met the bubbly Amy, who says she’s having menus printed this week. I decided to try a piece of her mille crepe cake, for which she stacks not 1,000 but about 20 cake flour crepes layered with whipped cream and exotic flavorings. I tried the durian, the infamously foul- smelling fruit. It was delightful in this fluffy, not- too- sweet confection ($ 8). I can’t wait to try more things I’ve never before tasted. 654 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon.
— Bob Batz Jr.
PEACH SUNDAE AT CUSTARD’S FIRST STAND
Is there anything better on ice cream than sweet, juicy peaches? At Custard’s First Stand, the peach sundae is made with fruit from McConnells’ Farm, a seventhgeneration farm in Independence, Beaver County, that’s known for its orchards. The stand typically serves the sliced and sugardusted fruit on a swirl of soft- serve vanilla ice cream, with a whipped cream and maraschino cherry garnish.
I opted for chocolate- vanilla twist in my small sundae ($ 2.90) and next time will probably try it with raspberry soft- serve for a take on peach melba. For a little more money, you could build the sundae with a scoop of Hershey’s hand- dipped hard ice cream. Either way, the sundae is fresh, local and incredibly satisfying. You’ll want to take home a quart ($ 7) or peck ($ 22) of the peaches. 501 Camp Horne Road, Kilbuck.
— Gretchen McKay