Ev'n'I decided we wanted to go somewhere to eat outside, and after nixing Elbow Room, Docs, and Harris Grill, we decided to give Kaya a try. We arrived and were seated immeidately outside. It was about 7pm on Sunday. Interesting points: 12 different single malt scotches (with 2 of them available in 10/15 Y.O.). 18 Microbrews on tap. Very small wine list. (4 reds, 4 whites, 2 champagnes). Stupid thing: They call their Tapas "Tropas"... combining "Tropical" and "Tapas". Oooh. Ahh. We ordered two tapas, one hot, one cold. Crab Meat Quesadilla: Very tasty. Roasted Jalapeno's (maybe other green chile) sliced up inside. Good tortillas, toasted slightly. Went well with the Pepper Sauce on the table. They could make this an awesome dish by adding a smoked chile sauce to the top. Chicken, Pinapple, Jicama Salad: Excellent. Just delicious. We ordered a bowl of the Sweet Potato Vissychoise (okay, so I can't spell Vishy-Swah). It has a spicy Crema drizzled on the top. Served cold. Excellent. No possible complaints. I ordered the Grilled Tuna with Mango Coulis. It was served on rice with a red onion confit and some steamed spinach. The tuna was cooked perfectly -- still slightly pink in the middle, moist, very nice. The spinach was a mistake though. It overpowered the flavor of everything else. I think something else, say Watercress, Zuccini, or some other green would go better... The mango sauce was great, but they could be a little more generous with it. Presentation was great, too. The tuna could be marinated in something a little longer... Ev ordered the daily fish special, Grouper, served with a Pinapple Salsa, Rice, and Black Beans. It was slightly overcooked, but the flavor was great. Salsa was exellent. Beans were great. Rice, well, rice was rice. The total was $48, including 2 beers. It's not a really cheap place to go eat -- you won't be filled up without an appetizer and your main dish. However, the service was fine, the food was fresh and good, the presentation was quite superior, and the available beers were terrific. I wouldn't hesitate to go back, though based on everything else I've read here, I think I'll avoid the busy Friday/Saturday evening times... Barry Aside: If you haven't seen Apollo 13, go see it.
Pittsburgh, PA
Kaya (positive comments)
A group of five of us went to Kaya last night. I must admit that, considering that it is owned by the same people as the horrible (but pretty) Mad Mex, I was prepared to hate it. We ordered only tapas, and, between us, probably covered 15 of the 25 items on the menu. I have to say that I was disappointed. They were all very good. Inventive without being bizarre. Well flavoured, well cooked. A thoroughly pleasant evening, all in all. For a bit over sixty bucks, all five of us were well fed. It didn't hurt that Pittsburgh produced perfect weather for outside dining. Michael p.s. I didn't try their beer selection, and couldn't care less about it. The bar seems to take up far too much of the interiour, but we were outside, so it didn't matter. Probably the swilling of beer helps subsidise the food, anyway. ------- <a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/">Michael Witbrock. [email removed]</a>