Lamb ragu over pasta (we chose campanelli) was underseasoned, except for an over-abundance of rosemary, and too far to the sweet end of the tomato-sauce spectrum. Any one of these flaws would have been acceptable, given the countering virtues of tender ground lamb, wellproportioned tomato and just-right al dente noodles, but the trifecta threw the flavor of the sauce too far off balance. The failure of veal marsala was harder to explain. This is typically served as an entrée with pasta marinara on the side, so we were a bit surprised to see several semimedallions of veal served in a brown broth over noodles. Along with mushrooms, the veal swam in this soupy sauce that was velvety in texture, but utterly lacking marsala’s distinctive tang or the savory pan drippings that are supposed to form the basis of the dish.
On the RoCKs
{BY HAL B. KLEIN}
SUNDAY BEST Local restaurant pros take Sunday-morning wine-drinking seriously
Pumpkin tortellini promised a seasonal treat in sage browned butter, but the squash’s sweetness predominated, and there was so much melted fat pooled at the bottom of the dish as to be unappetizing. We did note that the tortellini appeared to have been briefly sautéed in a pan before being sauced, faintly crisping their outsides as an armor against the butter bath. Matteo’s basic concept of traditional Italian-American fare, subtly updated, seems a good match for Lawrenceville, a neighborhood poised to broaden its appeal. In addition, Matteo’s atmosphere, service, and, we must say, its cocktail menu are superb. But somewhere the attempt to translate the less-ambitious cooking of a previous generation for the sophisticated palates of this one seems to have gone awry, with neither the homey comforts of the old nor the refined approach of the new triumphing.
A multi-glass drinking session that begins 11 a.m. on a Sunday usually marks the beginning of some kind of debaucheryfilled “Funday.” But for a select group of restaurant professionals, Sunday-morning drinking can be serious business. That business involves tasting, evaluating and identifying at least six wines — all tasted blind. “I’ve been hosting these every Sunday for nearly eight years,” says John Wabeck, Spoon’s beverage director. Wabeck started the tastings while he lived in Washington, D.C.; he brought the concept with him when he moved to Pittsburgh last year. The tastings are designed to enhance the city’s wine knowledge, and to prepare sommeliers to advance further in the rigorous Court of Master Sommeliers examinations. In a town that’s not well known for its wine culture, this is a very good thing. The group averages six to eight participants. On the morning I visited, there were people from Spoon, Legume, Dish, Allegheny Wine Mixer and Rolling Rock Club. After some playful banter, the mood quickly becomes serious. “There are a lot of people that want this to be an art,” but it’s actually more like a science, Wabeck says as he instructs the less-experienced members how to define a wine. He then reminds the more experienced participants what to look for. Each wine can be broken down into its component parts: sight, nose and palate. First, three white wines are analyzed, followed by three reds. Group members look, sniff, taste and (sometimes) spit. There’s an elaborate “tasting grid” to fill in, and Wabeck encourages everyone not to leave any blanks. Despite the catchy beat of a rocksteady soundtrack, the atmosphere is academic, focused, even a little intimidating. At the end of each round, someone volunteers to share his or her analysis of a wine. Accuracy is important, but learning from one’s mistakes — and from Wabeck and the rest of the group — is the real goal. Or as Spoon’s Heather Perkins puts it, “Mornings like this help us provide better service to our customers.”
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Bartender Deshelle Taylor
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IN A TOWN THAT’S NOT WELL KNOWN FOR ITS WINE CULTURE, THIS IS A VERY GOOD THING.
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