Elaborate dishes highlight casual fine dining at Spoon, new in East Liberty
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The sweets at Spoon include chocolate milk, chocolate mousse and a chocolate truffle beignet.
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Spoon, the new casual fine dining restaurant in East Liberty, was originally planned for the South Side space left empty since Cafe Allegro closed two years ago. But when Rick Stern, who also owns Willow in Ohio Township, heard that the Red Room Cafe had closed, he knew that the East End neighborhood with its energetic, diverse restaurant scene, was a better fit.
Mr. Stern has teamed with co-owner and executive chef Brian Pekarcik to open Spoon. Mr. Pekarcik, a Murrysville native, worked for a number of years in California, including two years at Gary Danko's acclaimed eponymous restaurant in San Francisco. He also spent a few years in Cleveland before returning to Pittsburgh. His culinary style owes a debt to California cuisine, blending precise technique, a global viewpoint, and a love of seasonal and local products.
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134 South Highland Ave.
East Liberty
412-362-6001
- Hours: Dinner: Mondays to Thursdays, 5-10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 5-11 p.m.; Sundays, 5-9 p.m.
- Basics: Casual fine dining with upscale leanings; excellent service, a diverse wine list and chef Brian Pekarcik's playful, yet refined menu make for a truly memorable dining experience.
- Recommended dishes: Gorgonzola blue cheese souffle, chicken wings, bacon and eggs; duck, duck, foie; lobster cake and pickled beet salad, ancho marinated grilled pork tenderloin, grilled hanger steak, chocolate three ways, banana ginger sorbet, coconut basil sorbet
- Prices: Appetizers, $4-$16; entrees, $9-$34; sides, $4-$7; desserts, $4-$9.
- Drinks: Cocktails, $7-$12, a mix of classics and ingredient- inspired libations. The short list of bottled beer is evenly split between the usual mass-produced options and microbrews. The lengthy, interesting and thoughtfully organized wine list is a serious asset, with lots of choices at both ends of the price spectrum. One sparkling, 10 whites, one rose and 12 reds by the glass, with detailed wine notes, $8-$16; seven sparkling, two roses and more than 50 whites by the bottle, 26 for $40 or less; more than 70 reds by the bottle, 35 for $50 or less. Most wines seem to be marked up to between 225 and 275 percent of retail price, with some more expensive bottles marked up to 200 percent of retail.
First Published September 30, 2010 12:00 am
