17th Street Cafe

Well, I am very impressed after going to 17th street cafe. The ambiance, service, and food were excellent0 You can definitely tell why this restaurant is on Pittsburgh's most romantic dining list. Compared to the overall dining experience in Yinzer city, this restaurant stands out.

AMBIANCE

This restaurant is very quaint and intimate. This is a great place to bring a date and celebrate a special occasion.

Ambiance - 18/20

SERVICE

The service was very good, but not excellent. Most restaurants in Pittsburgh have wait staff that make you feel like you are a nuisance by taking too long to eat. Not here! Sarah and I sat down for 2 or 3 hours with no complaints and without feeling like we needed to leave their table.

Our waitress attended to our needs and was knowledgable about the menu and the wine list. HOWEVER, she tried to sell us a $40 dollar bottle of wine! It wasn't like there was a mix up over names either, she just tried to sell us an bottle of wine made from acai berries. We could have afforded the additional $10 dollars for this bottle, but the acai berry is trendy and not worth the cost. She just wanted a bigger tip in the end. Sheisty, Sheisty!

FOOD

The food here is scrumptus! Their menu is seasonal so you can expect something new each time you return.

Here is what we ordered:

WINE: Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, 2005: Sarah and I loved this wine! The complex taste of red cherry and plum complimented her chicken dish and my dish perfecetely. The lingering oak taste was also appealing and the wine was very smooth.

Wine: 19/20

FOCCACI BREAD WITH FRESH VEGETABLES: This was an okay appetizer. The bread wasnt dry and the vegetables actually tasted fresh. The vegetables werent mushy even after being steamed or grilled. Even so, the bread tasted like it was missing some sort of "punch" to give it that extra kick.

Bread: 14/20

PISTACHIO CRUSTED CHICKEN: This dish was great. The chicken wasn't dry and was very moist and tender. Most restaurants have chicken that is very difficult to work with, but this chicken was easy to work with and not messy. The pistachio crust was really good, and that crust reminded me of a crust on a Cordon Bleu dish.

The best part of this dish had to be the mixed berry sauce. This sauce matched the Pistachio crust well and had a delicious and very memerable taste.

The plum in the wine was a good choice for this dish.

Chicken: 18/20

PASTA FRESCATA W/ ASIAGO CHEESE: This dish was only okay - I felt like this dish was a high end version of something simple like buttered noodles. I wasn't looking for anything too heavy, and this is exactly what I was looking to order.

Even so, I was hoping that there would be some kick, some spice, or some ingredient that would seperate the dish from something much simpler. There was no kick.

The chicken in the dish was good. It was grilled perfectly and the asiago cheese they topped the dish wish was a nice choice. Based on Sarah's dish, 17th street cafe's strong point is Poultry.

Chicken: 16/20

Overall: I would dine again at 17th street cafe in a heart beat. The food was good and the wine list was even better. They have a nice selection of wines at pretty affordable prices compared to other restaurants in the area (cough cough Monterrey Bay Fish Grotto). The wine list ranges from $22 to $40, so you will be able to find a wine in any price range.

The lunch menu looks good. I will be returning for lunc hopefully soon.

OVERALL: B