Friday, January 11, 2013

Winter 2013 Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party

I interrupt my long list of backlogged blog posts to write a quick recap on the Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party which I attended earlier tonight.  As Councilman Bill Peduto proclaims (first ever to have been read off his iPad!), the City of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week will take place January 14-20.

Councilman Bill Peduto at Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party
Pittsburgh Councilman Bill Peduto

We had samplings of food from several of the participating restaurants, and I thought I'd make several particularly noteworthy mentions:

The very interesting and tasty takoyaki (octopus fritters with beni shoga, Japanese mayo, housemade Takoyaki sauce, scallion, and Katsuboshi) by Fukuda definitely topped my favorites of the evening.  I had the opportunity to finally visit Fukuda for dinner last week (blog post to come, I promise!) and it was truly amazing - it is definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh!  Highly recommended.

Takoyaki by Fukuda at Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party
Takoyaki by Fukuda

Another one of my favorites was the little bites of Chicken Apple Sausage Saute offered by Kaleidoscope Cafe, which is a regular "small plate" menu item.  I also recently visited Kaleidoscope Cafe and loved it! Blog post to come reeeeally soon, so stay tuned.

Chicken Apple Sausage Saute Bites by Kaleidoscope Cafe at Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party
Chicken Apple Sausage Saute Bites by Kaleidoscope Cafe

We also enjoyed some samples from The Epicure's Palate.  As a catering company, The Epicure's Palate isn't a participating restaurant, but their samples both looked and tasted so good I had to snapped some pictures!

Salmon Tartare Cones by The Epicure's Palate at Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party
Salmon Tartare Cones by The Epicure's Palate

Polenta by The Epicure's Palate at Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party
Polenta by The Epicure's Palate

Among other samples were Meatballs and Freshly Homemade Focaccia Bread by Pino's, and Empanadas by Alma Pan-Latin Kitchen.

Meatballs and ocaccia Bread by Pino at Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party
Meatballs and Focaccia Bread by Pino

Empanada by Alma at Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Kickoff Party
Empanadas by Alma

Of course, not all participating restaurants were able to host a preview at the Kickoff Party, but some of my own personal favorites not mentioned above are Abay Ethiopian Cuisine, Braddock's American Brasserie, Burgh'ers, Habitat, Marty's Market, Meat and Potatoes, Root 174, Tamari, The Porch at Schenley, and Verde.  Check out the Pittsburgh Restaurant Week website for more information, including a list of all participating restaurants and their menus.

I hope you will take this opportunity to celebrate the wonderful food we have in the Pittsburgh area!