Christine Berliner ([email removed]) asked: >Is there a relatively (around 6 months) new Italian restaurant >in Squirrel Hill? I think it was in the newspaper a while ago? You're probably thinking of La Cucina Flegrea (spelling not guaranteed). It's a small place on the lower part of Murray Ave. I think it did get a good review in the PG a while back, but don't hold that against it. :) I had dinner there a few weeks ago with my wife, and we both enjoyed it very much. They describe their food as southern Italian and Mediterranean; the menu has several seafood dishes, including cod and a couple of shrimp variations. I had to settle for sausage sauteed with rapini, since they were out of the cod, and that was very good. My wife had shrimp w/ artichokes and also enjoyed it. The dishes aren't things you would see elsewhere, definitely not pasta w/ red sauce. It's BYOB and they do accept credit cards. It's a small place, maybe 10 tables, and you can watch the chef from several of them. Service was good, with the server making meaningful menu recommendations and knowing when to show up. I would highly recommend it--a welcome addition to the Pittsburgh restaurant scene. Chris McGlone
Pittsburgh, PA