I love setting aside a night for at least one special meal during my foodie travels, and while I was in Pittsburgh I wanted to try the 6-course tasting at Cure. The neighborhood restaurant features a small seasonal menu focused on local urban Mediterranean food.
Reservations are highly recommended, so don’t hesitate to do so. I was seated at the bar and decided to get the beverage pairing with the tasting menu. The first pour was a ‘Casteller’ Brut Cava from Penedas, Spain.
The 6-course tasting was fairly generous since the first course consisted of a series of snacks. Things began with a tasty Oyster with bloody mary granita and dill followed by their amazing Beef Tartare with oyster aioli, cured egg yolk, black garlic, butter lettuce, and salt & vinegar chips.
We were already off to a great start. The next couple snacks were the flavorful Smoked Trout Toast with pickled ramp, blistered grape, preserved lemon, and dehydrated red onion followed by the Tuna Finocchiona (salami with fennel) with pickled fennel and fennel pollen & brittle.
The first course of snacks concluded with incredible Coppa Secca (dry-cured capicollo) on an elephant ear with bagna cauda (dipping sauce made with olive oil, chopped anchovies and garlic) and giardiniera (relish). That was accompanied by a Coddled Egg with sherry Chantilly (a sweetened, vanilla-flavored whipped cream) and smoked maple. Yummm.
The second course was a wonderful Heirloom Tomato Soup with sourdough, zucchini, and pickled squash preserva. It was paired with a Yuste Aurora Manzanilla Sherry from Jerez, Spain.
The third course was Agnolotti with beet, goat cheese, pistachio, and pea tendrils (stems and leaves) paired with a Rosé from Bordeaux, France.
A Pork Tenderloin with sauerkraut, ramp mustard, vadouvan jus, and puffed wild rice was the fourth course. It was perfectly paired with a Le Val De La Chèvre Cider Fermier from Brittany, France.
It was time to transition to the sweeter side of things. The fifth course was a Brûléed Goat Rodeo Chèvre with savory pizzelle pieces, blueberry, thyme, and sesame. The final pairing was a Henriques & Henriques Boal 10 Year Madeiria from Portugal.
The sixth course was another series of snacks, this time for dessert. These included a Macaron with foie blonde, pistachio, hibiscus, and quince. Nice! There was a homemade Medeleine made with spiced rum and served with Vanilla Ice Cream with cocoa Chantilly and orange custard. So good! The last bite was a Pâte de Fruit (fruit jelly candy) made with meyer lemon and genmaicha (Japanese brown rice green tea).
Dinner at Cure was wonderful. The food was delicious, the pairings worked nicely, and service was solid. I enjoyed the cozy ambiance and the open kitchen. I would come back in a heartbeat especially since their menu seems to always offer something different.
After dinner, I walked down the block to The Allegheny Wine Mixer for a drink before returning to my hotel. The hip bar offers wine by the glass or bottle, local beer, craft cocktails, and cheese & cured meat platters.
It was one delicious night and I still had a couple more days to enjoy Pittsburgh.
Cure
5336 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
(412) 252-2595
Website
The Allegheny Wine Mixer
5326 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
(412) 252-2337
Website
