Article 511 of pgh.food: Date: Fri, 15 May 1992 19:16:47 -0400 From: "Cathy M. Dennler" Subject: Re: Best restaurant in town Take it from a native Pittsburgher who has been to *many* restaurants in the area: The best is Piccolo Mondo, located in Foster Plaza in Greentree. The menu is rather extensive and the cuisine is superb, creative Italian/continental (try the Shrimp Riviera and anything with buffalo mozzarella cheese). The wine list is outstanding, with many selections not available elsewhere locally (the owner imports directly from Italy). What really makes Piccolo Mondo special, though, is the ambiance. The service is just right, neither condescending nor sycophantic, and the owner is truly interested in your dining experience (he's the youngish guy in (usually) a brown suit; if you're like us, you might mistake him for a weirdly dressed maitre'd or wine steward, since he often serves the wine, especially if you order an unusual selection). The decor is lovely and romantic (although I have to admit that I think the chandeliers are ostentatious), the seating is *extremely* comfortable (thus conducive to lingering), and the seating arrangement itself is well-thought-out, creating a sense of spaciousness, without sacrificing intimacy. Other restaurants in Pittsburgh that I consider special are Le Pommier and Hyeholde (previously mentioned), as well as D'Imperio's (Monroeville), Rico's (North Hills), and Christopher's (Mount Washington -- haven't been there in years, though). I've only been to Cafe Allegro once, shortly after it opened, but, as I recall, the place was horribly cramped, the chairs were wooden and uncomfortable, and the wine list was meager. The food was good, though. Simply French has the potential to become a really great restaurant (have they gotten a liquor license yet?). Cafe Azure is pretentious and the food is second-rate. As for LaForet, I've been there twice, and both experiences were less than great. On the first visit, I was served the worst entree I've ever had in my life. It was a scallop dish (don't remember what) which consisted of tough, rubbery, inedible blobs in a sauce that tasted like hot water flavored with a ton of black pepper. I sent it back. On the up side, I also had the best dessert I've ever eaten that night, a wonderful lemon tart. The tart alone was enough to convince me to return. The second time, however, we encountered problems with our reservations and were forced to wait 45 minutes for a table. When we finally were seated, it was at a tiny table by the cold and drafty back door (this was in February), and the service was mediocre. To Gerry Roston: There's a distinction between eating and dining. And, there are reasons for doing either, other than those you mentioned. Article 517 of pgh.food: From: rnk@sei.cmu.edu (Rick Kazman) Subject: Re: Best restaurant in town Date: Mon, 18 May 1992 15:01:20 GMT In article , "Cathy M. Dennler" writes: |> Take it from a native Pittsburgher who has been to *many* restaurants in |> the area: The best is Piccolo Mondo, located in Foster Plaza in |> Greentree. The menu is rather extensive and the cuisine is superb, |> creative Italian/continental (try the Shrimp Riviera and anything with |> buffalo mozzarella cheese). The wine list is outstanding, with many |> selections not available elsewhere locally (the owner imports directly |> from Italy). |> |> What really makes Piccolo Mondo special, though, is the ambiance. The |> service is just right, neither condescending nor sycophantic, and the |> owner is truly interested in your dining experience (he's the youngish |> guy in (usually) a brown suit; if you're like us, you might mistake him |> for a weirdly dressed maitre'd or wine steward, since he often serves |> the wine, especially if you order an unusual selection). The decor is |> lovely and romantic (although I have to admit that I think the |> chandeliers are ostentatious), the seating is *extremely* comfortable |> (thus conducive to lingering), and the seating arrangement itself is |> well-thought-out, creating a sense of spaciousness, without sacrificing |> intimacy. . . . Okay, here goes controversy time. Take it from a non-native Pittsburgher, who has eaten in many excellent restaurants in Pittsburgh as well as other cities which have very good cuisine (mostly Toronto and New York) Piccolo Mondo is nothing special, _particularly_ the service. The food is okay. Not great, but reasonable. I prefer Piccolo Piccolo or Cafe Giovanni's food. The atmosphere is what really turned me off the place, however. The chairs are comfortable, but the rest of it is garish/ostentatious. Worse still, however, were the servers. We were continually harassed by people asking us if we wanted to drink. My family are not drinkers. We were asked so many times, that we finally asked the drink server (they have waitresses who do nothing but) to stop asking us. This was intrusive, annoying and insensitive. One would think that after 3 or 4 consecutive refusals, the waiters and waitresses would have figured out that we weren't going to drink anything. Also, this place tends to attract a cigar-smoking crowd. Be forewarned. rick Rick Kazman (rnk@sei.cmu.edu) Ph: (412) 268-5752 | Disclaimer: Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University | Nope 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890 |