Last Friday a group of us tried Siena, the restaurant now occupying the old Jake's space in Market Square. In short, it was now Jake's. The decor has been revamped with white coverings on all of the furniture, paste on stars on the ceiling and mauve paint for the walls. The service was simply bad. Our server tried, but the whole wait staff just isn't the caliber that the prices would lead you to expect. For instance, when bring the main dishes to the table, they were delivered with sparkling silver domes. I've experienced this at truly exceptional restaurants before (like Le Bec Fin in Philly) but never in Pittsburgh. Perhaps the folks at Siena should take a few more lessons before trying it again, however. When they removed the covers, one waiter knocked a glass of cabernet clear across the table and onto my linen shirt. He simply put some additional napkins on the table and went on with dinner. No mention of the shirt he ruined. The wind also spilled onto my main dish, which didn't seem to bother him at all. He didn't even refill the glass of wine! The food was pretty good, but there still is no match for Jake's house souflet (grand marnier souflet with raspberry topping.) My steak was cooked correctly and everyone seemed to enjoy their dishes. The other negative remark I have pertains to the patrons of their bar, just adjacent to the dining area. We were "treated" to a view of an obnoxious women in very little clothing groping a variety of men, including our waiter as he passed by and cajoled her. While I'm far from a prude, this isn't what I want to view as I sit in a restaurant eating a $50+ dinner. It was poor form to say the least. If you are looking for a nice dinner in the upper class category, stick with Hyeholde or Tin Angel. Siena just doesn't cut it. -ekl
Pittsburgh, PA