Pittsburgh’s Little Italy shines at Sausalido

As with the rest of Pittsburgh, Bloomfield, Pittsburgh’s Little Itlay, has grown and modernized to offer some great refined restaurants. On tonight’s adventure, we visit Sausalido.

The meal began with the owner Nick happily greeting us at the door. This is a personal touch which made us feel right at home from the start. After opening our Dancing Bull wine, the meal began with Locally Baked Fresh Bread, white beans with rosemary oil followed by a Sausalido Salad.

The oil and bean mixture was great! I enjoyed the nuttier bread while TasteBudA enjoyed the more standard white breads. I’m not much for beets, which came on the salad, but they were tender and pickled with a delightful flavor. The mixed greens salad came with a white balsamic vinaigrette which was to die for. It was the highlight of the salad.

TasteBud A: Macadamia Nut Tilapia
Pan sauteed tilapia / red lentil fresh vegetable / toasted macadamia nut / roasted garlic cream

This was a much of a suprise.  I was taking a chance on this dish because I actually do not like nuts on most things that I eat.  I was in an adventurous mood so I went for it.   The first bite was heaven!   The tilapia was cooked to perfection, vegetables were on key and the macadamia nuts with the garlic cream added the perfect blend of seasoning. 

TasteBud B: Honey Chipotle Salmon
Pinto bean medley, white rice, honey chipotle drizzle

This dish was well portioned though I could not finish it all. In my opinion, I would have preferred a risotto with the salmon. The pinto beans added a “flat” flavor to the dish. The salmon was well cooked and drizzled with a sweet, spicy glaze. I very much enjoyed the salmon, but being that we were seated close to the kitchen, each dish that I saw walk by looked more and more appetizing.

Although we were stuffed and neither of us finished our entrees, our dessert of a pumkin and dark chocolate cheesecake ended our night on a sweet note.  I was glad we shared the dessert because I could not have tackled this on my own.

In the end, we have decided to host our Christmas Wine Exchange at Sausalido. We feel that Sausalido provides the great food and welcoming atmosphere that deserves to be highlighted by the Pittsburgh TasteBuds.