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Saturday, October 18, 2014

Mediterrano

September 2014
2193 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh PA 15209
http://www.mediterranocuisine.com/
Mediterrano on Urbanspoon

I have been to Mediterrano before and have always enjoyed it but I thought that things were a bit off on this visit.  We were there on a Tuesday and were told that there were no specials as the head chef was off.  That was disappointing as in the past there had usually been a good seafood and lamb special.  We had a sampling of appetizers and I thought all were solid.  I liked the grape leaves and the hummus sampler.  I thought the pita serving was a bit skimpy.  My entrée was the stuffed tomatoes and they were excellent.  The cinnamon flavor was not overpowering. The commentary on the food was that everything was flavorful and everyone enjoyed there entrees.  I found it odd that at a Greek restaurant they would be out of lamb but when 2 people from our group ordered the lamb kabobs they only had enough for 1 order.  The portion size on the kabobs and on the sea bass entrées ordered seemed small.  There was not a bit of food left on any of the plates—most likely a combination of great taste and small portions.  The BYOB and limited corkage helped keep the tab in line.  I would go back to Mediterrano but would try to go on the weekend when there is more likely to be daily specials and a full kitchen.

Grit & Grace

August 2014
535 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15222
http://gritandgracepgh.com/
Grit & Grace on Urbanspoon
Grit & Grace was such a different dining experience than any other restaurant in the area.  All of the plates are meant for sharing and they are served as soon as they are ready.  Not all of the plates come out at the same time which helped to not have an overwhelming amount of plates on the table and kept the conversation going throughout the night.  There are small and larger plates to choose from and the wait staff also comes around serving small tastings.  All of the food was good and the sharing experience caused people to try things they normally would not.  I am keeping this restaurant on the list to go back!