All right, so I'm not a "trendy" person by any means, but I was in town last night and wanted to have dinner before I went to the Symphony. I was intrigued by all the buzz about Heaven, so I went in to try the beer bar. The beer bar is upstairs, near the scotch & cigar bar. I was there about 5, and it was pretty quiet. The beer selection is very good for downtown, and the prices weren't too bad. There's a nice combination of comfy chairs and bar stools, not to mention a view of the museum-gallery-like interior. I looked in at the champagne bar in "the Velvet Room". It was a very quiet room, but it is probably the only non-smoking bar in Pittsburgh. I looked at the menu for Jump, felt mild sticker shock, but decided to give it a try anyway. In retrospect, there were maybe only two items that were a little pricey, but one of the two was something I particularly wanted to try! The restaurant was completely dead. This surprised me, as I expected at least a small pre-Symphony crowd, but perhaps people felt it was "too young" for them. I opted for the Grilled Chicken over Tomato Salsa. The bread was disappointing, and I was beginning to wonder if I'd made the wrong choice. While the bread at Jump may not be tops, the dinner was one of the best I'd had. The chicken was grilled perfectly - not too dry, but not dripping with grease either. The salsa was zingy without being overbearing. The potato side dish had carrots, and maybe even turnips and onions and was a welcome change from baked potatoes. There were also green beans, but not being a bean fan, I left them. The dessert menu looked GREAT, especially the chocolate mousse cake, but I'd decided enough was enough. I have mixed feelings about places that set themselves up to be "trendy," but if you want a pleasant early evening drink or dinner before those trend-setters and cover charges show up, Heaven's a good place to try. *** Laurie D. T. Mann ** [email removed] *** **** http://worcester.lm.com/lmann/index.html ****
Pittsburgh, PA