Dis-
Looking back over another year of Pittsburgh eating, I was once again surprised by both how easy and how difficult it was to come up with my favorite dishes -- easy, because there are so many memorable items to choose from, and difficult, because I had to narrow them down to just 10.
As Pittsburgh restaurants have become more numerous, they have also become more diverse. The list includes dishes from Moroccan, Korean, French, Italian, Chinese and New American cuisines. Many of the dishes are from new restaurants and food businesses, in part because my job invariably biases me toward new establishments, but also because the quality of food businesses that have opened this year has been particularly impressive.
Risotto with arugula, beets, goat cheese, blood orange at Avenue B, Shadyside
A gently cheesy risotto was heaped with wedges of roasted beet and blood orange, diced fennel, a large disk of panko-crusted chevre and a shower of spicy watercress. This dish combined the freshness and lightness of a great salad with the comforting richness of a risotto, and it's one of those rare restaurant dishes that can be successfully imitated (in a simplified way) at home.
Bastilla at Kous Kous Cafe, Mt. Lebanon
Bastilla, the iconic sweet and savory chicken pastry, was appropriately decadent. Wrapped in feuilles de brick (a non-butter pastry dough similar to phyllo), it resembled baked brie. But instead of triple-creme cheese, the golden-brown layers of crisp dough concealed dark meat chicken baked in a custard-like sauce studded with raisins and almonds.
Mush at E², Highland Park
"Mush" is a modest name for a superb dish, maybe the most perfect brunch dish I've ever tasted. It looked like a still life painting, a perfect, golden square of polenta with a drizzle of maple syrup, a spicy fennel sausage and a crusty brioche roll. It tasted even better, perfectly balancing sweet and savory flavors.
Hoe Nengmyun at the Korean Central Church of Pittsburgh Food Bazaar, Shadyside
This cold noodle dish can be a little hard to find in the chaos that is the Food Bazaar (possibly Pittsburgh's most spectacular food festival), but it's worth the extra effort. Cold buckwheat noodles are topped with a small portion of pickled skate, cucumber and radish, just enough to season the noodles. If you like your food hot, add a drizzle of mustard oil (it comes in a packet with the noodles). The combination of spicy, sour and earthy flavors was incredibly refreshing.
Tilapia and red curry souffle at Silk Elephant, Squirrel Hill
Haw mork fish, a souffle of red curry and tilapia with a hint of coconut milk, was served in a banana leaf cup. Delicate and flavorful, with a subtle heat, it was an incredibly sophisticated starter.
Home-style beef noodle soup at China Star, Ross
A pool of red oil glimmered, a tingling heat added to each sip of the broth. Chunks of beef were super tender from slow braising and redolent of five spice's warm perfume. Whole baby bok choy were tender and sweet against the lively interplay of flavors, and slurpable noodles added that final, comforting touch.
Vegetarian Sampler at Spoon, East Liberty
A delicious and daring reminder that talented chefs needn't (and shouldn't) offer vegetarians the same old standbys. Tofu and melon ceviche and tofu chimichangas may sound bizarre, but the results were superb. The ceviche was sweet and bright, just right for scooping up with crunchy Peruvian potato chips. The play on a chimichanga had a wrapper like an excellent Chinese-American egg roll but was instead filled with an intensely flavorful combination of corn, tofu, mushrooms, roasted pepper and melted cheese. Sliced into four neat rounds, each was topped with sweet, bright pico de gallo but girded from below by a pool of house-made mole, rich, nutty and just a touch bitter.
Smoked trout and beet salad at Elements, Downtown
Smoked trout salads seem to be everywhere this year, but Elements' is a little more interesting than most. The fish is house-smoked, its flavor and texture more delicate than many examples, with just enough smoke to stand up to the robust flavor of thick slices of roasted beets. Yogurt, lemon zest and finely chopped nicoise olives each added an intriguing element of acidity.
Skate with hominy, pork belly and tomatillo sauce at Salt of the Earth, Garfield
Day-boat skate glowed white against a vivid green pool of green chile and tomatillo sauce. The tart sauce was a brilliant partner both for the sweet, almost custard-like fish, and for its accompaniment of starch-rich hominy studded with pork belly lardons. Sliced radishes added a crisp finish to this modern, Pittsburgh take on Mexican cuisine, one of many global inspirations at Salt of the Earth.
Goat bolognese with hand cut noodles and roasted vegetables at Legume Bistro, Regent Square
Silky smooth and flavorful, these wide, hand-cut noodles demanded as much attention as the goat bolognese that coated each strand. The dish was topped with chunks of roasted carrot and parsnip, and a small pile of braised greens, still just bitter enough to emphasize the sweetness of the other components.
HAPPY ENDINGS
This year, I was determined to stick to just one dish from any given restaurant, which had the unfortunate effect of forcing me to choose between a savory dish and dessert at a number of restaurants. Instead, I'm cheating. Here are my top five desserts of 2010.
Butterscotch Pudding at Nap's Mia Cucina, Indiana, Pa.
A magical combination of salty and sweet, the creamy pudding was topped with two crisp, thin rosemary cookies gleaming with chunks of sugar. A generous dab of unsweetened whipped cream added richness without overwhelming the wonderful interplay of butterscotch and rosemary.
Raspberry tart at La Gourmandine, Lawrenceville
A French classic with a twist, at La Gourmandine it is a flaky, buttery cookie crust filled with almond paste, then topped with a layer of raspberry jam and as many huge, juicy raspberries as it can hold.
Pumpkin Pie at Elements, Downtown
A dream of a Thanksgiving dessert, this miniature pie was served with cinnamon-scented whipped cream, a tart whole-cranberry compote and a shard of pumpkin seed brittle. It paired incredible flavor -- perfectly spiced and sweetened pumpkin puree -- with awe-inspiring technique -- pumpkin seed brittle that managed to be genuinely brittle yet not at all sticky.
Pudding at Salt of the Earth, Garfield
Pudding was a chocolate dessert, but like no other in Pittsburgh. Small squares of E. Guittard dark chocolate combined with carrageenan (a seaweed extract often substituted for gelatin), a little sugar and some half-and-half have a soft, almost fudge-like texture. Minimal dairy and a small sprinkle of hibiscus salt makes each bite of chocolate taste all the more rich. The squares are delicious, but even more memorable was the scoop of creamy coconut sorbet, half-hidden by an airy spoonful of orange bergamot foam, nestled into a bed of chocolate cookie crumbs mixed with yellow curry, the chocolate and tropical flavors brought together by the sweet-tart flavor of a goji berry sauce.
Gingerbread cake with whipped cream and poached quince at Legume Bistro, Regent Square
Soft, moist, spiced cake was served with slices of poached quince, sweeter and softer than pear, and a pile of the best whipped cream in town. The kind of homey dessert that only a restaurant can execute with such precision.
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Thanks
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