Monday, April 25, 2011

And the Nazi loved it!

When will I be back in Pittsburgh?!?!?!


It's only been a little over a week and I miss it so much! The excitement of Carnival still lingers, and I really do hope that I can return too (if anything- I'll be there for my birthday slash Sean and Chrissy's wedding- so yay!)




Last weekend, like I said in my previous post, was so much fun. Full of excitement and good food- I couldn't ask for a nicer weekend (Ok, let's face it, I could have-but that's besides the point). Hey- at least the food was good!!


Friday night, after hearing that Day 2 was probably going to be cancelled (how mad were you guys when you saw that the roads were dry at 8am...??) we decided to treat ourselves to some downtown fun. Living in Downtown Pittsburgh last year, I really was near so many great restaurants and we thought we'd revisit one nearby- Six Penn






Eric has never been. I was lucky enough to have gone there during our Heinz HCPM End of the Year celebration and I couldn't wait to go back! That time, we got a limited menu due to budget restrictions but this time- we got to see the entire thing!

For a starter, Eric got the Pear and Red Oak Salad with candied pecans (typical) while I got the Flash Fried Calamari and Rock Shrimp (even more typical).




Pear and Red Oak Salad









Calamari and Rock Shrimp





Eric's salad.. was ok. Nothing too special- and he didn't seem impressed. Salads are boring. My calamari was way better- it had lemon aioli drizzled on top, and the rock shrimp definitely made it a bit interesting. The calamari was cooked perfectly and was crisp and warm. Eric in the end, ended up eating most of my appetizer :)



For our entrees, Eric got the Seared Duck Breast with the Sweet Potato Mash while I got the Lobster and Crab Risotto.




Seared Duck Breast






Lobster and Crab Risotto





So I have a new found love for duck. It seems like everytime Eric gets a duck dish- it turns out so amazingly delicious... so maybe it's just the fact that I really, really like duck. Eric's duck was SO good. He ordered it rare (it usually comes medium cooked) and it was perfect. The tart flavor of the cocoa cran jam with the rich meaty duck was amazing. Slightly sweet from the jam and the sweet potato mash, this dish was well portioned and was bursting with intricate flavors. It's settled, I'm ordering duck next time I go out.

My risotto, however, was so much better than the duck- so I guess I'm not too bad at picking dishes. I was originally hesitant at getting the risotto- the fact that it had marscapone cheese deterred me a bit because I previously had a bad experience with risotto and marscapone. However, the server reassured that it was delicious (and made with lobster stock) and on top of that it had a 1/2 lb lobster on top. How could you refuse that!?

The risotto was rich from the lobster stock and really carried the flavors of the lobster throughout. There was lots of crab mixed in within the dish that gave it some great texture while the lobster on top was just a treat! I didn't like the grilled fennel placed on top- it was really tough and hard to eat, I just ignored it. And what's even better was that the marscapone was great! It served as a binding agent and really gave the risotto a creamy rich flavor (rather than a cheesy one). By far the best dish of the night.


On top of that, we all know that I rarely drink, and if I do, it's like half a drink (and then we all know i'm hammered). Well, at Six Penn their drinks are just so delicious that I just had to finish mine (I got the Almost Arnie) and of course.... I got in all sorts of trouble that night (ok, I just passed out).

I really liked Six Penn and will be returning the next time I am in Pittsburgh. Not only were the food and drinks great- there is something else I really appreciate about them.. this!!!





That's right! It seems like they try to use local produce from local farmers to promote sustainability- now that's my kind of restaurant.


I can't wait to get back to Six Penn- what a great experience!

And the Nazi loved it too!















Food: A




Ambiance: A




Service: A




Price: $$$