3 restaurant openings push Pittsburgh dining scene forward
earning a master’s degree in North Carolina to help lead the artistic vision of the restaurant.
Other things that are working well early on:
The volume is pitch-perfect. Atmospheric tunes are audible, but not intrusive, and the soundproofing in the lounge and dining room mutes the festive atmosphere enough that you can hear your dining partners without straining.
The ambiance at Fet-Fisk is a neat blend of classic and contemporary. I’m a big fan of the seating in the lounge, either at the bar or the tables, where streaming daylight gives way to moody red and green lighting. The retro design elements salvaged from Lombardozzi’s add a level of nostalgia, while the contemporary touches add a bit of cosmopolitan elegance.
All in all, the kitchen is off to a pretty strong start. I could eat the pickled mackerel, spiked with bits of mustard seed and cabbage that cuts through the richness of the fish, every visit. The same goes for the spaetzle, which is creamy and balanced with some citric and herby flavors. Scallop crudo and grilled cabbage Caesar are other must-gets.
The Fet-Fisk menu tilts toward bright and briny flavors, and you’ll be happier if each of your courses includes mellowing dishes such as the gorgeous smoked sturgeon served with crisp, savory, snappy crackers or the first-class french fries.
Fet-Fisk’s menu is designed for sharing, and here’s where the crew has the most room for improvement.
My pals and I, and I’m guessing most old-school Fet-Fisk fanatics, probably don’t care much that the dishes didn’t always come with serving utensils. However, the kitchen might want to consider making it a bit easier to serve to appeal to a broader, steady audience.
If you design a meal built for sharing, offering something larger than coaster-sized plates for each diner is essential. Our table never felt overloaded, meaning there was always room for larger plates.
What I love best about Fet-Fisk, and why I’m bullish on its future, is how dedicated the team is to bringing joy to the dining experience. It feels more in line with a long continuum of restaurants than it feels like an of-the-moment trend. Stop in and grab a seat in the lounge if you can’t score a reservation; that hospitality extends to holding a good portion of the seating for walk-in dining.
And get the chicken, which a dear friend and I did as denouement to the total solar eclipse. We sat at the bar, demolishing the juicy, perfectly roasted bird served with farmers cheese and tart lingonberry dressing to balance the deep caramelization of the skin. Combined with fries and drinks from the lovely bar program, there wasn’t a place in Pittsburgh I would have rather been in that moment.
4786 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield; fetfisk.net
Otaru
Grandview Avenue on Mount Washington hasn’t seen a high-end destination restaurant make a lasting impact since Altius opened in 2015. The owners of Otaru, a chic new Japanese restaurant, aim to change that.
“We want everything about the experience to be beautiful,” says co-owner and primary kitchen chef Leon Xie. “The view up here is beautiful. We think the fish we are purchasing is the best fresh fish in Pittsburgh.”
Xie, along with co-owners Lisa Peng, Allen Chen and Mars Dong, spent the past year renovating the former Vue 412 space, building an elegant two-floor restaurant with stunning panoramic views of Downtown Pittsburgh and the North Shore.
The top floor offers slightly more panorama of the city and a front seat at the sushi bar. The lower floor is more intimate, where I’d want to be for a romantic evening.
Chen, who moved to Pittsburgh from New York City, is the head sushi chef. He and his team of three sous chefs work with whole fish, mainly from Japan, which are delivered several days each week and served in various nigiri, hand rolls and sashimi. Look for standards such as multiple cuts of tuna, salmon and shellfish, as well as specials that will change as fish come in and out of season.
On a visit opening weekend, the fish was prepared with precision and came with elegant garnishes such as shiso sprouts, fish roe, edible flowers and gold leaf. Kudos to the culinary team for hand grating fresh wasabi and preparing its own soy sauce.
Xie’s hot kitchen melds Japanese cuisine with French techniques. He’s preparing dishes like miso black cod with pumpkin puree and salad, scallop and shrimp with a dashi-based risotto and roasted salmon with celeriac, mushrooms and yuzu. An early hit is the katsu sando. The spin here is that it’s prepared crispy as can be with a satisfying layer of tender, fat pork belly.
The restaurant has an excellent sake list, too.
Prices aren’t outrageous for an ambitious high-end restaurant, but they do come with a bit of a Mount Washington premium. If things keep moving in the direction they have been, it’ll be worth that price. 1200 Grandview Ave., Mount Washington; otarupgh.com
Wei Lai Dim Sum
Zheng Jian Huang, Gorden Jian, Tony Mao, Linda Weng and Hsuan Ying Chen are doing their part to add to the growing mix of international restaurants on McKnight Road with Wei Lai Dim Sum, their newly opened dim sum and Taiwanese restaurant in McIntyre Square in Ross.
They represent the next generation of Chinese-restaurant ownership in Pittsburgh, and have the potential to expand the region’s offerings in a space formerly occupied by the excellent Ting’s Kitchen.
“It was time for them. Chefs always have a dream to run their own kitchen. They had the skill to be ready to open their own restaurant,” says Chen, the restaurant’s marketing manager.
Huang, formerly of Bao in Oakland, leads the dim sum kitchen, offering a menu of scratch-made dumplings and bao, including a ridiculously juicy pork-filled xiao long bao. Mao and Jian, alums of Everyday Noodles in Squirrel Hill, run the rest of the kitchen, offering a solid selection of Taiwanese dishes. On weekends, the menu expands to offer Cantonesestyle roasted meats and other specials.
Weng will add a boba tea program in the next few weeks.
“We are cooking food that is close to our hearts,” Chen says.
So far, so good. It was relatively quiet when I stopped by for dinner on a weeknight shortly following Wei Lai’s late March opening. The place was packed when I returned at 3 p.m. the following Saturday. They’d sold out of many items by the end of business on Sunday and were planning on making more to meet demand.
Chen says they plan to add to the already robust selection of dim sum once they figure out the restaurant’s rhythm. These changes could happen as soon as the end of the month.
“I am excited for what we are going to be able to do in the future,” Chen says.
3200 McIntyre Square Drive, Ross; weilaidimsumpa.com
More good news
Lawrence Hall opened over the weekend.
The long-anticipated food hall features five food vendors. Offerings include longtime South Side favorite La Palapa and Cuddy’s Soul Food, which started in Homestead. It also includes two new concepts, Loaded (billed as American-fusion with bold flavors) and Toma (modern Italian).
Leona’s Ice Cream, serving Pittsburgh craveable ice cream sandwiches via its wholesale operation since 2013, brings its first scoop shop to the hall.
There’s also a bar called Dear James.