Fish Nor Fowl — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

My wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Fish nor Fowl last Thursday evening. You can opt for valet parking or street parking is also available, as we parked on Penn Avenue a block away. We were greeted at the door by a hostess, but my immediate attention was caught by a view of their open kitchen with busy chefs and bustling prep cooks. The main dining area has a casual industrial feel with long white tables and white roundback dining chairs. A huge, green floral wall dominates the room from ceiling to floor with an assortment of plants and flora. (Don't ask me how they manage to water it??) Our server didn't take long to introduce herself and take our drink order. She was friendly, informative and attentive throughout our dining experience. I'm not a big fan of Italian whites, but we settled on a Chardonnay from Umbria($15) and a Fiano de Avellino from Campania($13). We were quick to order from the menu, eyeing a serving of country bread($3) served with olive oil, an order of roasted maitake mushroom($8) and salt baked beets ($8). The kitchen strives to plate each dish so it has an impeccable look and delivery. Both our appetizers (antipasti) were served with a wedge of cheese - the beets had a gorgonzola and the mushroom, a tartufo. The wedges were pierced with sesame crackers, resembling the sails of a schooner ship. We tried not to get too full while consuming our appetizers as we were so looking forward to sampling our entrees. My only complaint was a spear of radicchio that was served with the beets, was overly charred and collided with the creaminess of the gorgonzola. We had no difficulty deciding on two pasta entrees. I chose the Fusilli with duck bolognese($22) while my wife had the Rigatoni($17). I felt both dishes had ample portions and neither of us could finish our entrees. All the better as we enjoyed them both at home the following evening. I would have to say that their homemade pasta is the forte of Fish nor Fowl. My fusilli was undoubtedly one of the most memorable pasta dishes I've ever had. The noodles had a remarkable texture and taste when married with the duck bolognese, it just exploded with flavor. My wife concurred that her rigatoni was also ethereal. I did forget to mention the I savored a Capolidista from Veneto ($13), a red Bordeaux blend, with my fusilli. All things considered, we had a delightful evening at Fish nor Fowl and we will...

My experience at Fish Nor Fowl has a dualistic aspect. One aspect was in the present, while another aspect is in retrospect. Last night: The modern and very attractive space hides behind a rather innocuous exterior. Even the signage is tiny and hard to see, especially in the dark. Whites, greens and blacks dominate, and Fish Nor Fowl is an elegant restaurant, really demanding a less pedestrian name.

After handing our coats to the lovely woman commandeering the front, we spied the sophisticated bar at the back of the room, and asked if we could dine at the bar. The answer was "of course," and since it was Super Bowl Sunday, we were alone at the bar, having the barkeep Paul all to ourselves. Paul was a treasure chest of information, and his descriptions of the menu were detailed, encyclopedic, and intense. I was actually intimidated, but Donna held her own. Everything sounded incredible, and we led Paul guide our order. I will try to describe in order of delivery, because the dishes arrived fast and furious.

The bread was delicious, and I refused to let go of it until the very end of the meal. Crunchy, sour dough; ooh la la. The Smoked Trout rilettes arrived with a kaleidoscope of items and everything enhanced the taste. The egg was easy to spread on top of the rilettes, and the same sour dough bread grounded the dish. Sheep's Milk Gnudi was our favorite dish of the night, rich, savory and delectable. My fish chowder was filled with delicacies from the sea. There was no skimping from the kitchen. The broth was surprisingly light, but complimented everything soaking up its flavor. Then came the let down, a crescendo of disappointment. The pork schnitzel was mushy, under done, and ineatable. Paul explained the schnitzel was made with hairy porkers from Italy. Maybe it was time for a barber. My Apple Tart dessert was light with a fabulous crust. Dinner was expensive, coming in at around $250 with two cocktails and a glass of wine.

In my inimitable way, I tried to engage Paul all night. In retrospect, I should have shut up. He was talkative, but reserved, in a way that made me feel uncomfortable afterwards. Thus, I don't know if I had fun. Yet, the food was very good, innovative and elegantly prepared. Maybe the Pork Schnitzel was an atavistic mistake. Pork is not greeted well in my historical...

My family and I came for a recent weekend dinner -- we had reservations and were seated immediately, and the restaurant was full (all the way until 9:30 at least), so definitely plan ahead with a res.

Apparently they're known for the focaccia and dips -- we tried the tomato whipped butter -- and both were delicious. The focaccia was light and fluffy, not too greasy with the lovely fragrant olive oil aroma. The tomato butter was really good (and added a nice contrast to the focaccia) but it did get a bit heavy (understandably as eating a whole thing of butter at once can be a lot ...)

We ordered a bunch of plates to share -- some of my favourites:

Bone marrow risotto: soooo savoury and rich flavour. The risotto itself seemed fine -- not too soggy or oily -- but the rich umami of the bone marrow stood out here. Definitely would recommend this dish.

Bucatini all'amatriciana: this was so delicious! The sauce was extremely flavourful and the pasta was cooked to a perfect chewy texture. I thought the portion size did feel a bit small (esp the proportion of pasta to sauce).

Crispy skin duck. The duck was so tender and juicy, and the crispy skin was cooked amazingly. The polenta was prepared very nicely -- a nice lighter complement to the duck.  I would say a bit pricey for the portion size though.

-- (desserts) We had the blood orange panna cotta and pavlova. For the panna cotta, I really liked the caramel flavour, which paired nicely with the panna cotta itself, without being too sweet. The pavlova was interesting -- I thought it turned out a little too crispy/hard on the sides (hard to break off with our spoons) but the mix of lemon and strawberry flavour was fantastic.

Highlight was definitely the service though; our waiter Dominic was so friendly and helpful with recommendations and walking us through the menu. At the end of our meal, he was profusely apologetic about how long we had to wait for our food (which honestly wasn't even that long) and comped two of our desserts to make up for it.

Overall it was such a lovely experience and I couldn't recommend coming...