Elements

          Last Saturday my wife and I went to Elements for dinner.  We had reservations for 5:30 and when we got there the place was pretty empty, but I figured better safe than sorry.  I knew this place was going to be upscale but I am so glad my wife made me change into a button down shirt.  Everyone there was dressed in suites and dresses.
          We were seated and our waitress came over and took our drink orders, she also told us the daily specials.  I knew this place is known for the cured meats and imported cheeses so we asked the waitress for her suggestions on a meat and cheese platter.  She told us to stay away from the lardo unless thats something you like and try the pierre robert triple cream cheese.  We got the 6 selection platter and we chose the venison salami, duck speck, blackstrap ham and guanciale for the meats and we got the pierre robert and cypress grove midnight moon cheeses.  I would get the full platter next time and call it a night, that's how good these were. 
          The venison salami was almost like a jerky and it was spicy while it had a sweet after taste.  The duck speck was a smoked duck breast that was sweet and it had a layer of fat on it that just melted in your mouth.  The blackstrap ham, the best way I could explain it would be a prosciutto with a smokey sweet finish.  To finish the off the meats, the guanciale came out wrapped around a slice of apple drizzled with honey.  The meat was again like a prosciutto but this was much sweeter and the apple gave it a nice crunch. 
          Now the cheeses, the recommended Pierre Robert was a creamy cows milk cheese.  The texture of this cheese was that of a very soft cream cheese and the rind was also edible.  It was tangy and paired very nice with the sweetness of the guanciale.  My wife picked the Cypress Grove and I must say she hit a home run, this was a hard goats cheese with more of a nutty sweet note that paired great with the duck and venison.  The tray came with toasted bread, pickles, Dijon mustard and chickpeas to pair with the meats and cheeses.
          My wife also got the special soup of the day, the seafood chowder.  The waitress brought it out with an extra spoon because she said I would want to try this.  She was right, the chowder had huge chunks of tuna, walleye and salmon in it.  It was so creamy and the fish just fell apart in your mouth.  The potatoes were fork tender and everything went so well together with the cream base.
          Our entrees came out and looked delicious, my wife got the salmon and I got the veal cheek.  The salmon was on top of a bed of polenta and had roasted baby summer squash and baby leeks with it.  It was cooked to medium and was fork tender and delicious.  It had a a tomato vinaigrette over top of it and you could really taste the tomatoes in the meat of the salmon.  The polenta was nice and creamy and the vegetables were seasoned perfectly.  Everything just went together so well on this plate.
          My veal cheek was far out of my comfort range but I got it on the suggestion of our waitress.  I must say it didn't look too bad when it came out but it did lack any color.  The cheek was fall apart tender and the oyster mushrooms had a great earthy and woody flavor.  Everything was over top of a carrot puree which didn't really serve much purpose other than color on the plate and to add a little sweetness to the plate.  I can't really explain the taste of the cheek the closest would be that of a roast.  It had the texture of a roast also.  There were pine nuts and capers scattered around the plate which added that nutty and salty touch to the plate.  The only item that didn't seem to fit on the plate was the cipollini onion.  It was the size of a silver dollar and was tough and just didn't flow well with the plate.  It was good don't get me wrong just seemed out of place on the plate.
          Overall this place was excellent.  Like I said in the beginning I would go back just to get the meats and cheeses.  I don't know if I would get the veal cheek again but it was great, there were just other things that looked better.  The salmon was some of the best I have had along with the chowder.  This place for sure isn't for every day eating being that our bill was...$115.00, yes a shocker.  That being said if you go get everything on the menu you want because its that kind of place you only go to once a year and you don't want to miss anything.  This place seemed to be the special occasion or business dinner place for sure.  Will I go back?  Sure the next time $100.00 is just laying around lol.  If you want to impress whether it be a significant other or a business partner this is the place to go.  Oh, and remember dress up to fit in.

Overall  9.5 of 10

Food  10 of 10

Service 10 of 10

Price 8 of 10

Elements

444 Liberty Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

McCormick & Schmick's

          I got a gift card awhile back for McCormicks so this past Saturday my wife and I went down to the one in the South Side Works.  We had reservations for 6 and when we got there we were seated right away. 
          The first thing you notice is the restaurants atmosphere it almost seems like two different places.  The bar had what seemed like every college football game that was being played that day.  The actual dining room was very nice and quiet (but you could still see the games always an A+).
          Our waiter came over and told us the daily specials, one was a Wild Blue Marlin and the other was a Grilled Pork Tenderloin.  He took our drink and starter order and we decided to get the Crispy Buttermilk Fried Oysters ($9).  They have a really nice selection for their raw bar if that's what you are into, I haven't gotten that brave yet.  He came back with our drinks and we were ready to place our entree orders I got the Marlin special ($23) and my wife got, surprise surprise, the Buttermilk Fried Jumbo Shrimp ($20). They also have a seasonal menu that changes all the time.
          They oysters came out and looked great, there were four of them over a bed of coleslaw drizzled with a poblano tartar sauce.  This was my first oyster experience and I must say they were very good.  The tartar sauce tasted almost like a honey mustard sauce and the oysters had a nice salty ocean flavor.  When the oysters were paired with the tartar and slaw it really all came together, the oysters were creamy and salty the tartar gave it a sweet hint and the slaw gave it that nice crunch. 
          Our mains came out and my wives meal looked like any fired shrimp you could get at Chili's, 6 jumbo shrimp over a bed of fries with a side of cole slaw.  The shrimp were good and fresh, the fries were crisp and hot and the slaw was almost a Primanti's slaw just vinegar and cabbage.  My marlin was great and I am not a fish guy.  I wanted to try something new, and the waiter said this is a good fish to try if your not a huge fish person.  The fish was about an inch thick and it was grilled and topped with a chipotle BBQ sauce.  The sides for my dish were green beans and mashed potatoes.  The star of this dish was the fish for sure, it was very moist for a grilled fish and didn't have an overbearing fish taste and wasn't overly oily.  I would recommend this kind of fish for anyone that wants to start out trying fish.  The BBQ sauce had a nice balance of heat and sweet, just enough heat to get you in the back of the throat after you get done eating.  The sides weren't anything special, the green beans were steamed and were screaming for some type of flavor there was nothing it needed something.  The potatoes were velvety smooth but they were nothing over the top. 
          Overall if you want fried shrimp the quality is better than anything I have gotten out to eat, but the bar down the street will give you it for half the price but the quality will be less than half as good.  If you are looking for a nice fresh piece of fish I haven't had much better unless you go to Wholey's and cook it yourself.  Would I go back?  For a special occasion yes, just for a night out probably not.  The price is just a little high for just a random night out.  But hey this is coming form someone who's first choice is never fish.  If you are a fish person this is the place to go.

Overall  8.5 of 10

Food 9 of 10

Service 9 of 10

Food 7 of 10

McCormick & Schmick's

2667 Sindey St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15203