Thursday, November 06, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As soon as Munch got the recommendation, an anxious furrow spread across the brown-bagged brow.
"Wild Rosemary?"
Munch doesn't need anything "wild" right now. The nerves, at this point, are quite frayed, thank you very much. Between the election and Big Ben's MRI, Munch would've rather gone to a place called Sedate Sue's and ordered a Xanax Salad with a double martini and a side of Lexapro. Maybe some valium for dessert, so Munch can muster the courage to open his 401k statement.
But Wild Rosemary? The last thing Munch needs is some crazy chica named Rosemary back in the kitchen, going rogue like Sarah Palin on a mooseburger and Red Bull bender.
But we're told that the handle has nothing to do with a person. There is no Rosemary, and she isn't wild. Rather it's a reference to the favorite herb of the chef, Gloria Fortunato, and her liberal use of it in entrees.
Fortunato, a longtime chef at the recently dearly departed Cafe Allegro on the South Side struck out with a pair of friends to turn a dumpy old pizza shop on a fairly drab back stretch of Bower Hill Road in Upper St. Clair in a little jewel of Continental cuisine.
The space is clean, contemporary, and cozy, a great place for an intimate date or to share a meal while catching up with friends and family. In the perennially un-dateable Munch's case (I wear the bag over my head for a reason!), it was the latter.
Gathered with MOM (Mom of Munch), and FNOM (Former Neighbor of Munch), we devoured the complimentary appetizer, small cuts of flatbread, garnished with roasted tomatoes, Manchago cheese and a balsamic drizzle. We could've eaten an entire plate each of this, they were that good.
Proving that fine cooking can be honed at culinary academies or in mom's kitchen, FNOM loved her plate of Angel Hair ($17) with a chunky, sweet, oven-roasted tomato sauce that Fortunato said was her mother's recipe. That same delicious sauce also was the base for MOM's Vegetable Terrine ($19), a sort of veggie lasagna (without the noodles) made of stacked zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, ricotta and spinach.
Munch made short work of the excellent Roasted Rosemary Chicken ($20) comprised of tender hunks of chicken roasted on the bone then pulled off it; the dish was accompanied with a medley of roasted veggies and grilled potato.
Our entrees, all prepared to order, were delicious and the namesake rosemary sprigs were present on all plates. Other dinner offerings include Bay of Fundy Salmon ($24), Grilled Veal Medallions ($25) and Pork Tenderloin ($23); the lunch menu includes gourmet salads, sandwiches and flatbread pizzas ($6.75-$8.50).
Service was attentive and friendly, and you can literally take criticisms or suggestions straight to the top -- Wild Rosemary's three partners also are the only employees. Rosemary is BYOB, and the menu changes every few weeks. They have plans to open an al fresco patio next spring.
And that kind of "wildness" is something even Munch can get behind.