So, when picking a place to commend and celebrate our 5 years of wedded bliss I was being given the gift of food. I looked over the menus in several Pittsburgh fine dining establishments and decided finally on Spoon.
The menu intrigued me. I could see the chefs Californian/southwest influences, Korean elements, mixing it with French technique and New York artistic plating. I was fascinated. I love thinking about each dish and trying to figure out how they will look, feel, smell, taste...
The decor was comfortable. The design upscale casual. Beautiful lighting and glass reliefs were everywhere. The glasswork alone developed by a local friend of my husbands, was warm, amber, and inviting. Tones of rich bronzes everywhere accentuated the original tile floors. Tables comfortably placed so you could hear each other over the sound system that was softly playing very 90's friendly music.
The atmosphere was easy. Young yuppies, fashionable middle aged folks with hipster sons, gutter punks, a rockabilly guy at the bar and other more forgettable people made for a nice mix that was almost as interesting as the food.
The feel of the staff is casual and non intimidating. Jeans and crisp shirts and aprons. They were knowledgeable and friendly. A special call out to our busser whom actually smiles a lot.
John decided I should order for him. My dishes are always better he says, so I got to choose all five dishes.
My appetizer arrived after a lovely cocktail featuring blackberries, micro basil and three types of tequila. And a lovely bread basket that included a tender baguette, corn and dill cornbread and cream cheese biscuits. The bread was served with room temperature honey butter with a touch of sea salt. I have to remember to try some dill in my own famous cornbread.
I'm a sucker for duck liver, so I chose the Duck Three Ways. The dish was delightfully comfortable. The confit cake was beautifully crispy. It's flavor and texture reminding me of holidays with my family on which my mom would serve stuffed duck. The duck liver mouse was rich and velvety. Pure succulence. The sous vide breast was a surprise! It was cold! Neat! It's texture beautiful and it's sparse amount made it naughty. It was served with touches of port wine sauce, sweet grilled summer peaches and a line of a simply elegant balsamic reduction. Combined it was a guilty pleasure that will haunt my dreams and dominate my conversations. It's a do again.
A spoon arrives while I am away. A mystery spoon-ooo! Unsure, hoping for a treat, we ignored it. Though I was hoping for chef viddles.
I understood when John's appetizer arrived. I chose the Crispy Pork Belly for him. It arrives as this perfect bowl of Korean influenced beauty. The house made kim chi combining with a succulent broth made this a memorable flavor combination. Shrimp paste added a familiar flair as we often use it in our soups at home. Dashi added crunch and John said the oyster was perfect. The pork belly had great fresh crisp outside and the center was fatty with a wonderful mouth feel. A dish I would like to play around with at home for sure.
Our entrees arrived shortly after. Delivered by the chef himself Mr. Brian Pekarcik-named chef of the year by Pittsburgh Magazine-cool, and has worked all over the country under some very esteemed chefs. I was so transfixed on the food. I failed to notice!
I then felt silly since I have become a chef groupie, going as far as lifting a magazine from my doctors office that featured the 25 best in Pittsburgh. In the end I get starstruck around them and probably would have embarrassed myself with Homer Simpson-like utterances about food being yummy.
I ordered the aged NY Strip and Short Ribs for myself and the Duck Two Ways for John.
My beef was perfectly cooked. The steak was over beautiful summer veggies that made me rethink carrots. It was topped with just enough bleu cheese and micro greens to make it interesting. The short rib was pure comfort. Served atop a mound of duck fat whipped potatoes. All in all it was great, but, I can cook it better at home. It was nice not having to spend four hours cooking it in this summer heat.
Now John's was fantastic. The duck breast was sinister. Crispy and rich, gamey and delightful. The bacon carrots were off the hook and another thing that I will try at home. All of the sauces and the fennel purée had melted into a revelation.
The salad had crispy confit running through it and the almonds added a chewy nuttiness. I can honestly say John's meal was better than mine. Awesome, I planned just that.
Dessert!
I had them make something special for dessert. Doing something nice for someone whom does something nice for you is always a plus.
We had a summery strawberry geleè atop a smooth cream cheese sauce with a pretzel graham topping. It was cool and whimsical. Not too sweet and just right. Like adult jello it was all things summer on a plate.
All in all a great feed. I want to go again, sample more of their refined comfortable food and soak up the feel of the place. Maybe next time I can talk to the chef without being all twitterpated.
I Do Eat. I Do It Well.
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