the 'burgh & restaurant eve

After another weekend of Pittsburgh treats (e.g. Pamela's pancakes and hash, Mitchell's Fish Market, Primanti's sandwiches, a homecooked dinner, and Eat'n Park brunch buffet fried chicken), G treated me to an early birthday dinner at Restaurant Eve in the Tasting Room. We each went with the 7-course chef's menu, he adding on the supplementary lobster course. We had some of the best cocktails we've had in a long time (if not ever) and enjoyed our overall dining experience. The waitstaff was attentive and our food was for the most part, tasty. One course, however, was way too salty...unfortunately it was the skate. Although having it only prepared the traditional way - pan-fried with a butter caper sauce, I am usually a fan of skate; I find the stringy texture appealing to eat and when prepared as I just mentioned, it's almost a seafood version of pork piccata. This time, though, the skate was rolled and appeared to be pan-fried and was unadorned, but it was amazingly super salty.

Here's what we had:

We started with an amuse-bouche that was a lobster fritter, and a few canapes -a deviled quail egg topped with caviar, salmon mousse on toast and a meringue stuffed with a scallion cream that was supposed to be a take on a salt and vinegar chip.

Our main meal consisted of:

• Sashimi of Steelhead Trout with Smithwick’s-Navel Orange Broth, Coriander Oil and Spring Blossoms
• Tortelloni of Jerusalem Artichokes with Roasted Olive Purée, Fennel Bulb and Niçoise Crumble
• Poached Maine Lobster with Smoked Bacon Broth, Pickled Crosnes and Celery Pearls (G's supplement)
• Roulade of North Atlantic Skate Wing with Pork Head Cheese, Glazed Green Beans and Sauce “Béarnaise”
• Pan Fried Veal Sweetbreads with Rye Purée, Sultanas and Saffron Pearl Onions
• Ribeye with Grilled Oyster Root with Lemon Scented Cous Cous, Oyster Leaves and Char-grilled Oyster Sauce
• Panna cotta of "Pipe Dreams Chevre" with Roasted Spring Onion Relish and Grain Mustard Cake
• Polenta and Manni Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Curd Chiboust and Lemon-Thyme Ice Cream

With the check came an assortment of bite-sized treats that included orange jellies, Bailey's macarons, almond macaroons, and lemon cream tartlets.

Although we didn't get all of the things we were hoping for that were listed on the menu (I guess we should have just made our own menu), all of our other dishes were superbly prepared and presented. They sent us off with a copy of the menu rolled up and tied with a ribbon (did I mention the menu had "Happy Birthday, Ellen" printed on it?), and a gift bag containing their signature scone batter mix, a couple pats of Kerrygold butter, and a pouch of their signature coffee bean blend...a nice touch, indeed!