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Friday, July 05, 2002

By Ed Masley, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

It's not quite 7 on a Tuesday. The Carlton is not so crowded that our lack of reservations is a problem, but crowded enough that we find ourselves seated at one of those rows of tables where they pack you in so tight, you wonder if you need to phone the people seated closest to you in the morning just to let them know that you were thinking of them.

	The service is professional and courteous but the food itself is disappointing at the Carlton. (Bill Wade, Post-Gazette)

And it's more than just the business types you might expect to find in a Downtown restaurant whose sense of style -- sophistication, lots of polished wood and brass -- is more suggestive of corporate mergers than romantic ones, a feeling that's driven home by the fact that the dinners all come with expense-account prices.

There are families here with children and couples enjoying a night on the town and, seated inches to our left, two women who appear to be just friends.

The only thing these people have in common, it would seem, is that they don't mind spending money.

There are plenty of pricier rooms in town, but few as overpriced.

I don't mind spending $25-$30 on a meal, but I expect that meal to be so packed with flavor and excitement that I would've gone as high as $40, maybe even $45.

But while the service at the Carlton is certainly professional and courteous enough to earn the tip on a $45 meal, the food itself is disappointing. There's nothing exciting about it. And it's rarely more than good.

There are, of course, exceptions.

From the appetizer menu, ravioli stuffed with lobster, crab meat, basil, ricotta and Parmesan cheese is such a treat -- so rich yet light, so mellow despite all the garlic -- that the whole idea of shelling out what ultimately breaks down to $5 for each piece of ravioli seems practically reasonable.

The chicken barley soup is also tasty -- just spicy enough with barley cooked the way it should be, not all soft and mushy.

The grilled portobello salad -- with pine nuts on a bed of spinach and wild baby greens -- is as good as it looks. And it's presented beautifully, with artichokes framing the plate. It's big, too -- enough for a meal, depending on your appetite.

The carrot cake is carrot cake. It's only news when carrot cake is bad. But it's nicely presented with some sort of apple-flavored glaze to decorate the plate. And when I tell the waiter we'll be sharing, he cuts it in half and brings it out on two plates.

That's the kind of service the Carlton offers.

If only the entrees were half as impressive.

The sesame seared mahi mahi is nice -- or would have been without an excessively creamy mango sauce that tastes like the mayonnaise-heavy sort of glop you'd find on coleslaw or potato salad at a picnic, way too heavy for a fish as light as mahi mahi.

The miso-tossed julienne vegetables were also drowning in the mango sauce -- nicely cooked, though, it would seem.

If it were possible to further undermine this dish, it would be further undermined by an ungodly hash brown spinoff called potato crusted crab meat imperial -- diner food at any price.

The pan-seared scallops are oily and bland -- just bland enough, in fact, to complement the bland risotto, overcooked enough to be all pasty.

Roasted pork loins are less overcooked, a little dry but nothing catastrophic, served in a bacon-leek chutney that doesn't quite work, with serviceable French beans and horseradish whipped potatoes. It's a decent homestyle dish, but hardly worth the price.

One meal that clearly justifies the price, though, is the sea bass. It's seared to perfection, served with mildly seasoned whipped potatoes, carrots and zucchini.

None of which explains the Carlton's enduring popularity. Or why it wins awards.

The Carlton
1 Mellon Bank Center
Downtown
412-391-4099

Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday Dinner, 5-10 p.m. Monday -Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

The basics: Menu changes daily. All major credit cards accepted. Children's menu available. Smoking is permitted in the lounge but not the dining area. Carry out is available. Reservations recommended. Wheelchair accessible. Complimentary parking with dinner. Extensive wine list (more than 450 selections). Premium wines available by glass.

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