On August 11, I had dinner at Bellini Mediterranean Grill on Ellsworth St. in Shadyside. I was dining with three other people. Afterwards, we compared notes and were in agreement that is was just ok as dining experiences go; much less good than the hype we had heard about the place had us expecting. Here are the details. The numerous "best new restaurant" awards displayed in the window reinforced our expectations for a great meal on our way into the restaurant. We had made a reservation, but our table was not ready, forcing a 20 minute wait at the bar where we ordered a bottle of champaign. The champaign was appropriately chilled, but the glassware was hot as though it had just come from the dishwasher and was of inferior quality, with a prominent rolled edge. The wine list lacks vintage dates for any of the selections, a gross oversight, especially since bottle prices range as high as $250. If you're serious about wine, I would recommend that you consider bringing your own wine and your own glassware. The food: The roasted corn soup was excellent, very fresh tasting and well spiced. Mesclun salad was delicious with a reduction of balsamic vinegar as dressing. The romaine salad was sub-par with croutons that clearly came from a box. Our entrees: grilled lamb chops were good, but overcooked (the waiter never asked for a preference on this); the salmon was very much underdone -- an appropriate menu description would have been seared (again, the waiter had not asked for a doneness preference); the swordfish was very good; and the tagine of chicken was well spiced but overcooked to the point of being very dry -- thank goodness for the sauce. We ordered a second bottle of wine, which gives an opportunity to reiterate the earlier complaints about the wine service. We had the potato side dish and the saffron risotto. The potatoes were very tasty; the risotto was dry and pasty, perhaps it had been made the previous day. Our dessert selections comprised the sorbet with fresh berries, which was delicious and fresh tasting, and the passion fruit bavavoise with fresh berries, which was acceptable, but was served with a caramel sauce that was a total mismatch for the tartness of the passion fruit -- a fruit sauce would have worked better. The restaurant is nicely decorated: a rich, dark color palette, interesting light fixtures, and multiple small dining rooms prove intimate. But the air quality was very poor. It was hot and humid in the dining room and smoke was pouring in from the kitchen -- leading to a fog-like quality as you looked across the room. It is reasonable to expect not to leave smelling like the kitchen when dining at an establishment of this caliber -- a better ventilation system is badly needed. Overall, Bellini's lacks the edge when compared to restaurants in the same price point in other cities. If this truly is the best new restaurant in Pittsburgh, save your money for serious dining experiences for when you're traveling. --Dave White
Pittsburgh, PA