Omelette Of The Day
Carmella's Plates and Pints

Carmella's Plates and Pints

1908 E Carson StPA 15203, Pittsburgh, United States

American • Bar-lounge • Breakfast-brunch • Delivery Services


"Honestly, I'm so bummed. I had been wanting to try this place for a LONG time. Finally got around to going. We had a reservation for 630pm, they took us right away. Wasn't very busy at all when we got there (although it did fill up towards the end of themeal). I started with a beer off the tap, it was delicious and they did have a decent beer selection. We started with the cheeseplate appetizer. Out of the 4 or 5 cheeses maybe 1 (cheddar) was really good, the rest were just ok, as one person said beforethe bread etc that accompanied the cheese was scarce...but again, appetizer. For dinner we both ordered the lobster shrimpbutter risotto. The risotto was mush and the lobster seemed like it was cooked twice over. Small lobster to begin withespecially for almost 40 dollars. The flavor was decent of the risotto but it was OVERPOWERED with fennel. So much so that mywife had to stop eating it halfway through because all she could taste was the licorice. We ordered the peach bread pudding fordessert. Ice cream was good, the bread pudding was too bread like, not enough milk or moisture. Seemed more pound cakey thanbread pudding. And there wasn't a peach or peach flavor to be found. The bill came and it was pricey! We don't normally look atthe cost of things...if we're going out, we're going out...but this was enough to jump off the page for what we ate. I wanted tocome have a pour of bourbon, but to be honest I was so taken back by the pure disappointment dish after dish, that I wouldn'thave enjoyed it so I just said nvm. We won't be back and I'm deeply disappointed by that."

Karver

Karver

1809 Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, United States

Soup • Fish • French • Coffee


"We went to this restaurant on Mother's Day. Although we had a reservation, we didn't learn that there was a restricted Prix Fixe Menu in place until we were seated. Despite the restricted menu, which should have taken pressure off the kitchen, the service often was painfully slow, and we waited for over 10 minutes to receive hot beverages when we were seated; four hot dishes appeared several minutes before the other two came out. On the positive side, there is strong evidence of a serious traditionally trained chef reflected in the food. The Hollandaise on the Eggs Florentine was classic and excellent (rather than the glop that is usually served on eggs , well seasoned with tarragon, and the eggs were perfectly cooked. The strip steak was outstanding, and the burger fine, but the duck was mediocre, curiously presented on a bland puree of pea. The breads were standout I am not a big fan of bread, but this bread was well worth eating! Dessert was a platter of 5 elegant confections, two of which were excellent, two of which were good, and one of which was tasteless. Our waiter had an accent (French? that made him hard to understand, and he also seemed to have trouble understanding us when asked about anchovies on a Caesar Salad he told us it was part of the dressing, but it was actually two fish laid on top of the dish (which I would have requested not to have if I had been given correct information . The menu itself was curiously constructed, with explicit information on some dishes, and not much on others. Although this restaurant is meant to be a brasserie model, it lacks the welcoming environment of this kind of setting that is usually established by the host and wait staff the only place this was in evidence was at the bakery, where the service was friendly and attentive. Because of the relatively high quality of the food, it is hoped that this restaurant works on its wait staff and kitchen organization, so that the food is optimally presented."

Nineteen XIX - St. Albert

Nineteen XIX - St. Albert

104, 150 Bellerose Drive Saint Albert, AB T8N 8N8, T8N5C9, St.Albert, United States

Global • Canadian • Vegetarian • Gluten Free


"Having had the good fortune to be treated to a fabulous dinner at XIX Nineteen’s Terwillegar location a while back business dinner so no pics or notes for review), we just had to try their St. Albert location on our recent return trip/food tour in Edmonton. And we’re happy to report that the St. Albert location didn’t disappoint.After having enjoyed some spectacular main plates during our earlier Terwillegar visit the 42 day dry aged Picanha Steak and Chilean Sea Bass were both fabulous) we decided to design our own “tapas style” meal from the St. Albert location’s fascinating Starters selection.But our first order of business was to follow the recommendation of a friend and try their cocktails. They have a small but imaginative selection of craft cocktails, and an equally small but mighty selection of classics. We decided on two from the craft section: a Passion Fruit Piña Colada Martini ‘cause one of us loves all things passion fruit), and; an English Garden ‘cause one of us love all things gin). Both cocktails were outstanding, with special kudos to the mixologist for adding freshly cracked black pepper to the English Garden. We’ve never seen that done before and trust us when we say it takes an already classic cocktail to another level.We ordered four Starters to share: Double Smoked Bacon Wrapped Scallops; Gruyere Cheese Croquettes; Buttermilk Fried Pacific Oysters, and; Gorgonzola Mussels. Everything was accompanied by two glasses of a crisp, delicious New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Every dish was delicious, with particular honours to the Gorgonzola Mussels the accompanying Kennebec Fries were cooked to perfection, always a treat) and the Bacon Wrapped Scallops. And if you haven’t had XIX’s Tomato Bacon Jam you’re missing out.We asked our very attentive server to space the plate into three “courses”, and she and the kitchen team nailed the pacing. This deserves mention because we often ask for this kind of consideration, and all too often the pacing we request breaks down pretty quickly.Our selections allowed us a rare treat dessert! So we chose one liquid option; the Bourbon Cherry Float an insanely delicious Bourbon forward delight), and one more traditional offering; the XIX Signature Warm Butter Cake essentially butter held together by a deeply satisfying cake batter and bathed in fresh berries and coulis so good).If you’re looking for well executed fine dining level food in an upscale but relaxed atmosphere, professional service and fair price for the quality on offer $250 all taxes and gratuity included) you really ought to give XIX Nineteen a go.Highly recommended."