{PGH Dining} Eleven

In an effort to clean out my queue of 'to-be-blogged' PGH Dining posts, I'm pulling this one out on my dining experience at Eleven Contemporary Kitchen from a Friday night last October. Eleven is right on the cusp of downtown, at the very tip of the Strip District on Smallman Street.  We'd chosen to dine at Eleven on a friend's request - she was in down visiting family, which happened to include a family friend on the Eleven staff. {Let's just get this out of the way - no, our dinner wasn't complimentary, and we picked our selections for all dishes.} Before we even sat down to dinner, Husband and I noticed how beautifully lit the restaurant was, and the gorgeously dark decor. Super sexy. But, seeing as this was a family event, we'll forget that!
Our party of 7 was seated in one of their alcoves, which is perfect for hearing everyone speak in a busy restaurant.

Charcuterie Plate with Spiced Pears.

We started with a plate full of meats, creamy cheeses and punchy pickled vegetables. A few spiced pears rounded out the plate.

Over the Weekend: Light Up, Inside and Out

This weekend really started on Thursday night, with a healthy version of one of our favorite guilty dishes.

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{Thursday Night: Pasta Carbonara made with wheat pasta + center-cut bacon + skim milk + reduced amount of yolk, cheese; Friday: apricot and walnut rugelach on the house at my favorite cafe; Friday Night: {3} starting off Pittsburgh's Light Up Night 2012 at Rivers Casino, {4} "Circus Candy" dessert at Six Penn, {5} Just before the fireworks at the Bridge Party; Saturday: {6} gift shopping at Williams-Sonoma; {7} Found my holiday party dress at J Crew; Sunday: rewarding ourselves for doing laundry and cleaning the house with spaghetti squash and roasted veggies; Sunday Night: Putting up Christmas decorations on November 18. Shh. I won't tell if you won't tell.}

Of note: It's been one year since I first laid eyes on Pittsburgh.  It's been a journey, but I'm happy I'm here. 

Seeing the Sights with Our First Guest!

This past weekend {give or take a couple days} was a blast! Husband's BFF came in town, and was our first guest to stay with us in PGH.  It was {for lack of a more grown-up word} awesome to show someone around our new turf. 

 Essentially, this photos sums it up nicely:

Dogfish Head's Ta Henket

Read about the rest of the weekend after the jump!

PGH Dining: Food Blogger Dinner at Braddock's American Brasserie

Pittsburgh is steadily growing into one of my favorite cities of all time. This week, it got a good foothold, and is rising in the ranks. For the second time ever, Pittsburgh is having a Restaurant Week, January 16-22, but you wouldn't be able to tell it's so green. More than 30 restaurants are participating! I was lucky enough to be invited {after putting my name in the hat, of course!} to the Food Blogger dinner last night at Braddock's American Brasserie. Being a lifestyle blogger primarily, I was happy to be included. Food is a passion of mine, after all. {Could you tell?!}

via tablemagazine.com on Facebook

Table Magazine was there to cover the event, and happened to snap this photo of Husband and me. {Prior to the lipstick coming off, thankfully.} We started the meal with drinks {a scotch for Husband, and a Malbec for me}, then moved on to a chef's tasting of three items: kielbasa with sauerkraut, a short rib-stuffed pierogi, and potato gnocchi with lobster claw. What a welcoming sight! 

I particularly enjoyed the pierogi, even though it was more like a meat pie. 

The lobster claw was cooked perfectly, and went nicely with the creamy sauce from the gnocchi. 

As for the kielbasa and sauerkraut pairing, I was somewhat apprehensive in trying. I don't like sauerkraut. There's something about the fermented taste of the cabbage that doesn't sit well with me. However, this set from Braddock's was nice because it only tasted lightly pickled, rather than other krauts I've had. 

Gorgeous plate!

 Then, I was able to talk with the other bloggers around the table, over some bread and coarse salted butter. 

I met Heidi from The Steel Trap, a brother {Adam} and sister {Alissa Matthews of PASA}, Lou of Pittsburgh Happy Hour, and the gentleman who brought us Bloggers together, Brian of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week and The Pittsburgh TasteBuds. It was wonderful to meet you all!

After the chef's tasting, Husband took the 'high road' and ordered a soup and a salad. Smart man. I, however, was not so wise, and ordered the prix fixe menu.    

Husband's Onion Soup

Braddock's American Brasserie Prix Fixe Menu

First

Warm Goat Cheese Tart with Grilled Vegetables & Balsamic Reduction

Second

Grilled Petite Filet over Whipped Potatoes, Buttered Asparagus & Herb Demi-Glace

Third

New York Colossal Cheesecake with Fresh Raspberries 

Goat Cheese Tart 

 My second course was preceded by a delightfully heavy knife, and I {HAD} to post a photo. Good choice, Braddock's!

 

Yes, I was "That Girl" and took a photo of the knife.

 Husband's salad came out, topped with seared scallops. The dressing was the perfect combination of tart and creamy. Success.

 My {MAN}steak was cooked perfectly to order, a deep pink medium rare. Just how this Texan likes it. 

  For dessert, I was scheduled to have the colossal cheesecake. And they weren't kidding. 

 I couldn't even think about finishing my half, and Husband did his best to eat his portion. Across the table from me, Adam ordered the apple crumble. How adorable is this plating!?

The meal ended on the cheesecake, which was not the best dessert on the table. The show-stopper was the apple crumble, and the taste winner was the peppermint white chocolate creme brûlée. 

My favorite dish was of course the chef's tasting, and the rest of my meal was very good. Husband wasn't overly thrilled with his meal, but he couldn't find anything specific to critique. {I think he was just jealous of my choices!} Braddock's American Brasserie offered a great meal and I loved briefly meeting the Chef de Cuisine, Brian Volmrich. He and his team did a great job!

 Afterwards, I coerced Husband into taking outfit photos of me, citing all of my readers. I knew y'all would want to see what I wore! {Again, forgive the romantic restaurant lighting!}

Necklace: Modcloth | Sweater: Merona/Target | Skirt: J Crew
Belt: Target | Tights: J Crew | Heels: Steve Madden

It was a fun night, and I'm so glad we were able to go! I can't wait for the next one!


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