Beaver restaurant Biba offers exquisite Latin American spices, dynamic flavors
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Churros with chocolate chilli ganache prepared by chef and owner Jason Benegasi of Biba in Beaver.
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Jason Benegasi opened Biba, a small Latin American bistro, in Beaver last August. Restaurants outside of major metropolitan areas tend to follow trends, not drive them, but Mr. Benegasi proved to be at the early edge of a veritable explosion in Latin American dining options in the Pittsburgh area.
Mr. Benegasi's food is light and fresh, enlivened by a variety of traditional Latin American ingredients and preparations, such as quinoa and ceviche, alongside his own creations, like Latin caponata, a flavorful play on the traditional Sicilian eggplant dish.
Though he's spent 20 years in the restaurant business, Mr. Benegasi has never worked in a restaurant kitchen. Most recently, he spent six years as the wine director at Lidia's Pittsburgh in the Strip District. Mr. Benegasi opened Biba with the assistance of David Plankenhorn, former chef de cuisine at Lidia's who temporarily served as executive chef in Biba's first months. Mr. Plankenhorn departed, as planned, in January and Mr. Benegasi took over the small open kitchen, with the help of sous chef Tahj Merriman.
While Mr. Benegasi is still something of a beginner, he's made a lot of smart choices. Biba's dining room is small, as is its menu -- usually just seven or eight small plates, three or four large plates, and a couple of desserts. While the pace was slow, there were few rookie mistakes and more than a few memorable dishes.
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- Hours: Lunch, Tuesday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; dinner, Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m.
- Basics: An upscale bistro offering Latin-American inflected seasonal dishes, Biba offers a contemporary experience in an unexpected location.
- Recommended dishes: White gazpacho, Peruvian ceviche, strip steak with ajillo compound butter, jerk-spiced pork tenderloin, churros.
First Published June 30, 2011 12:00 am
