On the Table: Tasting menus offer restaurants a chance to show off their skills at a special value
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Tamari executive chef Roger Li, with his plate of temari (ball sushi) at the Lawrenceville restaurant.
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For some, ordering off of a menu is one of the primary pleasures of eating in a restaurant, a vivid contrast to the family meal where everyone eats the same food, like it or not. But for others, eating in restaurants represents a chance to experience a different culinary point of view. Tasting menus were invented for the latter group.
At their best, they offer a chef or a kitchen staff the chance to perform to the fullest, to orchestrate a meal from start to finish with only minimal influence from the diner.
Tamari Restaurant and Lounge, 3519 Butler St., Lawrenceville; www.tamaripgh.com, 412-325-3435; Monday through Thursday by reservation only, $70 per person.
Typhoon, 242 S. Highland Ave., Shadyside; www.typhoonpgh.com, 412-362-2005; Buzz Dinner offered Monday to Thursday, five to seven dishes for $35 per person.
Toast! Kitchen and Wine Bar, 5102 Baum Blvd., Shadyside; www.toastkitchen-winebar.com, 412-224-2579; four-course menu, $30 per person; wine pairings, $20 per person.
Spoon, 134 N. Highland Ave, East Liberty; www.spoonpgh.com, 412-362-6001; five-course menu, $65 per person; wine pairings, $35 per person.
A fair number of Pittsburgh's established restaurants offer tasting menus -- Eleven Contemporary Kitchen in the Strip District; Nine on Nine, Downtown; and Isabela on Grandview on Mount Washington, to name just a few. But the practice has recently gained some momentum, as restaurants use them as vehicles for showing their skills and for offering impressive value. Recent samples of four such menus suggested that it is well worth letting the chef do the choosing, at least for one night.
Toast! Kitchen and Wine Bar
Tasting Tuesdays at Toast! Kitchen and Wine Bar in Shadyside is one of the best dining deals in the city. After mentioning any aversions and temperature preferences, diners place themselves in chef Chet Garland's hands, enjoying a surprise four-course menu for $30, with optional wine pairings for $20. Mr. Garland often serves two different menus to the same table, making this menu doubly impressive.
First Published February 10, 2011 12:00 am
