To: jpfst9+@pitt.edu (Jeffery P Fortescue)
Subject: Re: Mallorca (was Mallora)


I've eaten twice at Mallorca and would recommend most of 
everything I had (except the Mahi Mahi (fish) which was good,
but the portion wasn't nearly as large as others.)

Predominatly South-Western Spanish food, with a hint of Portuguese
since the owner is, I believe, from Portugal. DO NOT order as
many items as there are people as you will certainly not finish them.
For 6 of us, we ordered 4 items and 3 appetizers (and lots of
Sangria.) For 12 people, 8 dishes are enough.  You get the picture.

Some especially good items:

Appetizers
----------
Brazillian Sausage 
    Cooked on the table in (big!) open flaming dish. Yumm.

Octopus in Spicy Red Sauce 
     EXTREMELY tender and delicious sauce. Highly recommended.

Large Garlic Shrimp  
    HUGE shrimp in tasty sauce. Also served as (HUGE) main course.

Main course
----------
Paella 
    Traditional. BIG selection of seafood (lobster, clams, mussels,
    scallops shrimp) and chicken (and maybe pork) on huge
    bed of rice. Quite tasty.

Fejuella (spelling unknown) (served as a special, not always available)
   Favorite brazillian stew comprising black beans, pork sausage and
   lots of other stuff in a pot the size of Delaware. 

Seafood in Brandy Sauce 
  About the same amount of food as Paella but served in (you guessed it)
  a brandy sauce.  The clams as especially good.

Any Fish
  Had grilled Swordfish which was the size of a large dinner plate and
  especially firm and quite moist.

Drawbacks
---------
- Sometimes noisy and crowded, although if you got late enough, most
  people in Pittsburgh on the weekends have cleared out. It was tough
  to hear across the (6-person round) table at the peak hour (7:30 ish.)

- Don't think they have a non-smoking section.

- Sangria tasted a bit wattery, but that was after a bottle of wine :-).

- Waiters are very helpful, but sometimes careless. They dropped
  some leftover food in a full glass of sangria, but didn't notice
  it until we said something. (They replaced it.)

I'd recommend it as a fairly expensive  but unique restaurant
to Pittsburgh with a very authentic feeling atmosphere (not
that I would know it, but I'm guessing.)