PGH Dining: Tamari

Not that I'm apologizing or anything, but I've been MIA from {ADOS} for a few days celebrating my birthday. It's been such a fun birthday, and it all kicked off with dinner and drinks at Tamari Restaurant and Lounge, an Latin/Asian fusion restaurant in Lawrenceville. 

We started dinner off with a Caiprinha, a Brazillian favorite, comprised of Cachaca rum, lime and sugar. It was the first one I'd ever had, and it was smooth yet delightfully tart from the fresh lime juice. Husband is a fan of anything from South America, after having traveled there many years ago. Perfect!

As we sipped and looked over the menu, our waitress brought us two three-bite portions of house made black bean salsa. A freebie? Love!

We moved on to appetizers, and selected one of the many tempting options: Peking duck quesadillas with a Serrano hoisin sauce. The quesadilla itself was seared to create a crackling tortilla shell, encasing the meaty filling. The dipping sauce was served with a few Serrano slices {which this Texan likes it hot}, so I added them to each dip. 

{Sorry for the blowout!}

For our dinner selections, we ordered two of the robata grill options: hanger steak and Scottish salmon. I assumed this was similar to a yakitori, but with some sort of Latin-inspired twist. Other than the fact the skewers were grilled on a large seasoned grate of some sort, I'm not sure how these play into the Latin portion of the fusion. Succulent, and a great price at $2 each.

I ordered a rice-less roll, after feeling guilty about that duck quesadilla. It was the Naruto roll, featuring tuna, salmon and yellowtail. The trifecta, if you ask me. 

Husband says you can  always tell the "gumption of an Asian place by the quality of their spicy tuna." He was a fan of Tamari's offering.

Our stomachs full, we left the restaurant. Before we reached the door, our waitress handed us a small wrapped chili-spiced brownie. After I opened it in the car and dug in, I realized there was a tiny amount of a streusel-like topping, too. Such a thoughtful ending - especially with a freebie!

We will be returning to Tamari, but probably with a group of friends. It's a nice place to have a drink and small bites to go along with catching up.