{PGH Dining} Tender Bar + Kitchen

Welcome back to Lawrenceville, Readers. I know you've heard about the place, skinny jeans and all, and you may have even been to an establishment or two in the past.  There's a new reason to hang out in Larryville, and it's Tender Bar + Kitchen. I'll affectionately call it 'T Bar'. So, T Bar opened super recently, so you haven't missed a whole lot yet, except for awesome cocktails*.

Previously, T Bar's space had been occupied by a thrift store concept shop from Wild Card and others. Each time we visited the run-down, unfinished space, we'd always get there after the good stuff was taken. At least that's what we told ourselves.

What a transformation this place has made. It's like a sexy cocktail lounge with good wall paper. 

We were seated in the front room, where the library-style wall, complete with movable ladder, was located, where glittering bottles of spirits are shelved. 

The menu page featured food on the front and a smattering of drink options on the back, including wine, beer, Arsenal cider, and cocktails.  Right away, I was drawn to a tiny corner of the menu featuring 30 classic cocktails, which the waitstaff will happy trill off ingredients for you if you need a refresher on a Navy Grog.  It's nice to see something so honest it's hipster. Kidding, but it really was happily 'Mad Men'-esque to have these listed.

Which ones did we order? Well, they came from the house cocktail section and from off the menu.

{PGH Dining} Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar

Early Saturday afternoon, we stopped into Arsenal Cider House & Wine Cellar in central Lawrenceville.  We'd been hearing about the cidery {It's a real word, people.} for awhile. It was one of the last stops on our personal Cookie Tour, and I was ready to taste a few of their artisan-crafted hard ciders.

PGH Dining: Piccolo Forno

As soon as we arrived to Pittsburgh and found a place to rent in Lawrenceville, we ate dinner at a little spot that looked lively. It was Piccolo Forno. We had a decent dinner, but left thinking it was "just okay." {Truth be told, we ordered 'healthy' dishes like salads and a light pasta because we were shocked at what I'll call our "PGH 15."} 

We moved on, and ate our way through other fabulous places in our new neighborhood. Still, we kept hearing about how incredible Piccolo Forno was from folks who live all over the Pittsburgh Metro Area. In fact, when we told people we were living in Lawrenceville, 85% of people would say, "Oh yeah, that's where Piccolo  Forno is!"

Last weekend Husband and I were out shopping for the final items for our guest room, and what better place to do it than in the self-named Design District of Lawrenceville? We stopped around 1:00pm to take a lunch break, and we were a block away from Piccolo Forno. It was about time we gave it a second chance.

 The place was {of course} packed, and we had to wait for 15 minutes to be seated at the next available table. Fine with us, because we were seated at a table close to the kitchen {Where the lady in the pink shirt is}, which is always a bonus for me. {I like to see how the food is made.} 

Interior of Piccolo Forno.

We ordered iced tea and Pellegrino, which was offered in the large size. Nice. Love me some bubbly water.

 We shared one of their soups of the day, minestrone with kale, to start. 

 The soup had a slow-simmered taste, and the kale was not overcooked. Good appetizer!

 We then moved on to the arugula pizza, with prosciutto and mozzarella hidden underneath. Lovely option for those that still want to eat some greens with their bready pizza. The quality of the prosciutto was excellent and was sliced appropriately. 

 Our waitress told us they offered scoops of imported Italian gelato for dessert, which wasn't too unheard of. The flavors were meyer lemon, coffee/espresso and cinnamon. Husband opted for the meyer lemon, and I asked for the cinnamon. 

Meyer Lemon and Cinnamon Gelatos.

My flavor won, and by a long shot. I was surprised by the complexity of the gelato, because it tasted like many more spices were present besides cinnamon. It's a must-get!

I'm glad we gave Piccolo Forno another try. We were pleased with the pizza, and the cinnamon gelato was a great finish.