When we arrived it was pretty empty but it was still early. The dining room is small and simple, barn wood on the walls, copper on the ceiling and pigs everywhere. The first thing I noticed was that the menu was different that what was online and I was kind of upset about that because I knew what I wanted and it was no longer on the menu. I will eat anything though so I got over it pretty quick, but if I were someone that went there for a specific dish and it wasn't on there I would be pissed. The menu looked awesome either way.
We started with the Bolognese and the Scallops for our starters. My scallops were perfectly cooked to medium and were paired with a Bearnaise sauce and topped with asparagus and pieces of duck speck. The smokey saltiness of the speck paired with the sweetness of the scallops worked wonders with the creamyness of the Bearnaise sauce. That dish started the night off on the right foot, I could have had a big dish of that and would have been fine for the night. My wives Bolognese was also pretty good, it was a black garlic ravioli topped with a Bolognese sauce and chili oil and pancetta. The garlic almost had a balsamic taste to it and I don't know exactly was in the Bolognese sauce but chef Justin should start canning it and selling it.
Now for the entrees, I got the 'This is what you came for' dish and my wife got the gnocchi. The gnocchi were really good they were soft and starchy topped with a ramp pesto sauce. The dish also had chunks of hot Italian sausage that gave it a nice spice to go with the ramp pesto. My wife loved it and said that it was better than anything I have ever made or bought at the store. My feelings were hurt but she was right. Now for the main attraction, 'This is what you came for', cocky but true. Clockwise starting at 12, beer sausage, sweetbreads, pork belly confit, pigs feet I don't know what to call it, it was like a crab cake but with pigs feet. The yellow sauce is a hollandaise sauce infused with foie gras and the white is some type of pure on mushrooms. All topped with pickled royal trumpet mushrooms, ramps and fiddlehead ferns. Okay I could write a few pages on this dish alone but I will give you the highlights. Sweetbreads, never had them before, a bit chewy but full of a strong pork flavor, I really don't know how else to explain them. Pork belly confit, bacon on roids, second best thing on the plate, crispy outside with a fork tender inside. It was smokey a bit fatty but perfectly cooked, just the way it should be. Beer sausage, I didn't think it had much flavor and was a bit on the dry side. When paired with sauces and the pickled vegetables the flavors all came together to create a really good bite. Pigs feet cake we will call it, best thing on the plate. A really strong pork flavor and really salty. It was like shredded pork formed into a ball and fried. It was soft, flakey and had bis of meat all through it, this part of the dish paired the best with the pickled mushrooms, salty, earthy and that taste of vinegar. I really don't know how else to explain this dish. The pickled mushrooms were different but good, they were earthy mixed with the vinegar, it was needed to cut through all the saltiness of the pork. I really didn't do this dish justice with my words, you really need to go and try it for yourself.In the end everything was really good. Where else can you go and get house cured meats around here. The only suggestion I would have it to make sure to update the menu online so everyone knows what they have to choose from. The dish I really wanted to try was taken off the knot weed dish but the scallops were so good it almost puts the other dish out of my mind. In the end Justin can put out whatever menu he wants because it doesn't matter everything was top notch. The food was great, the service was great and it was an all around good time, I just wish I didn't wait so long to visit this place. Now Justin if you read this you have to give me the Bolognese recipe or start canning it, I'm sure we can work something out.
Overall 9 of 10
Food 9 of 10
Service 9.5 of 10
Price 8.5 of 10
5336 Butler St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
