Tonight as a part of Christmas - Rich decided that we should dine in style (in jeans no less) and he chose Richard Chen's in Pittsburgh. Supposedly, he opened a restaurant in Pittsburgh because his wife is originally from the area and as a testament to his love for her, he built a restaurant of bricks, mortar, and glass on Centre Ave. in East Liberty.
So on to the important stuff: the dinner.
So as we were first pulling up to the restaurant, Rich was nervous that it would be too crowded. He had called for a reservation and the restaurant called to confirm in the afternoon, but you never know how reliable those types of things can be. We were surprised to find ourselves one of two couples in the establishment. Mary just thought that Rich had called in a favor and rented out the entire restaurant for her. But I guess we weren't too surprised that is wasn't crowded considering it was 5 pm. Mary sure does like to eat with the early birds (and the Old People).
Our waiter was very attentive and courteous, starting us out with a small "palette cleanser" - a "blood orange gelatin/jelly with a whipped topping and olive tapenade" While not my favorite thing Rich had ever eaten, he found it to be an interesting experience to say the least. Mary took one bite and thought it was gross. Took a second bite - still gross. No third chance for the palette cleanser.
On to appetizers - we decided to try the spring rolls, but were pleasantly surprised with a complimentary portion of Tuna Sashimi over a bed of jelly fish, greens and carrots with citrus based vinegar. Rich started with the Sashimi and found it to be quite excellent - very flavorful and not overly intimidating for someone who has little experience with this type of food. Mary tried the tuna and liked it but the real winner was the spring rolls. Unexpectedly stuffed with chicken and vegetables with the sweet and sour dipping sauce and hot mustard, it made for a great start to the meal.
The main event - Dinner. Mary had the Sea Bass special which was Sea Bass over bok choy, potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and a light sauce. It was pretty good - Mary forgot that she doesn't like shiitake mushrooms. Rich however ordered the real winner. Rich ordered the Beef Rib Eye with the Soy Garlic Glaze - served medium rare (as recommended by our excellent waiter) - this dish was melt in your mouth delicousness.
We chose to forgo dessert for some heavily iced sugar cookies from Giant Eagle back at Mary's house, but the menu looked great.
So in the end, Richard Chen's in Pittsburgh offers a very nice environment, a friendly, knowledgable and attentive staff and an eclectic menu (with some awesomeness and some not so much...). Though the price tag is a little heftier than our normal fare, we would certainly recommend checking it out.
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