June 2002

Dishy Dish
This small South Side restaurant takes a sophisticated turn.

By Ann Haigh

When Dish first opened, buzz spread about a tiny South Side "osteria" and bar serving interesting but modest Italian appetizers -- mixed olives, mussels, meatballs, bruschetta. Hip nibblers joined the local bar crowd in stylish socializing. The scene: a renovated, former "dive bar" with newly polished dark wood, a pressed-tin ceiling and smartly Spartan decor.

But that was not where owners Michele and Cindy Savoia wanted to linger. Their experience working in trendy restaurants in New York's Soho district taught them possibilities. And Michele wanted to showcase dishes he grew up with in Sicily.

Subsequent menus stretched beyond the cameo start-up. Small-plate choices expanded. Main courses of pasta, meat and fish appeared. Each day brought specials inspired by the markets. Despite growing pains, caused in part by an unfortunate turnstile of toques, the restaurant loped onto a more ambitious culinary path.

Now Michele himself controls the kitchen, assisted by 23-year-old Nathan Sturm, a solid Pennsylvania Culinary Institute graduate who ably executes under Michele's direction.

Enjoy the restaurant's urban energy as well as a kitchen that cooks till midnight. Some complain about service -- it does get hectic when the hordes hit on weekends. But a young, personality-driven staff fits the ambience. Go elsewhere for polish.

Michele's openness to new ideas and willingness to take risks deserve note. Where else in Pittsburgh do you find fantastic grilled fresh sardines served with sweet and sour caramelized fried onions? This restaurateur prowls the Strip District for great products -- fine olive oils, great balsamics, wild fennel pollen. Obsessed by fresh, he also buys from local farmers.

Pray, though, for some enlargement of the cramped tables. A deeper wine list would also be welcome, though less-oft-seen Sicilian, Sardinian and Abruzzese wines match well with the food.

I've had great flavors, some just OK and only one total failure -- a marlin special overdosed by capers. Overall food quality continues to climb, as do the prices. Don't expect inexpensive, and remember it's cash only. Some items rotate on the all-a-la-carte menu; others stay constant. Often the daily specials, tied to the markets, make the best choices.

You can pull together a meal just with assorted antipasti. Try beef carpaccio -- ultra-thin slices of raw filet mignon over peppery arugula with parmigiano reggiano, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil. Or superior bresaola -- air-dried beef filet thinly sliced and drizzled with fragrant olive oil. Good calamari comes either grilled in lemon and olive oil or sauted with spicy tomato sauce.

Mussels, cooked in white wine, substantial garlic, fresh tomatoes and thyme, loom as a signature major treat. In season, don't miss the wonderfully plump Mediterranean mussels, though five or six bivalves for $9 borders on obscene. Sea-fresh sea scallops pop up: once gilded with lush wild-fennel pollen (though the pollen toasted too long); another time cuddling saffron risotto, with oven-roasted beets and scallion vinaigrette.

Two main-course pastas are popular staples: fettucine with an exuberant array of sauted wild mushrooms, arugula and fresh basil; and linguine transformed by mixed fresh seafood, with a white wine and fresh tomato sauce. An occasional special hailing from the Abruzzi region, fettucine with lamb ragu in red sauce offers earthy comfort.

Diners rave about the filet mignon in rosemary red wine sauce, and I look forward to the promised introduction of roasted leg of lamb with balsamic jus, grilled polenta and sauted broccoli rabe. The fish entrees, though, draw me in every time. Salmon (sauced with white wine and fresh herbs) and tuna (in a balsamic vinegar reduction) are always on the menu. But the hot ticket really is the fish of the day -- be it striped bass, sea bass or a shellfish combination.

You can order side dishes or a house salad at extra cost. In season, asparagus is super. Desserts are routine: ricotta cheesecake, tiramisu and chocolate bread pudding. Southern Italy offers more enticing sweets than these.

Personally, I'm hoping Michele goes for even bolder Sicilian flavors. He knows this unique cuisine, a culinary mix reflecting centuries of foreign invasion. Is Pittsburgh ready yet for sweet-and-sour rabbit, anchovy-caper-stuffed artichokes or pasta topped with fried onions, cauliflower and fennel fronds? That's Michele's call. But no other Pittsburgh restaurant is offering it.