tender, succulent chicken in a coating balanced between egg and Romano cheese factors. Enhanced with lemon butter and white wine, the effect was complex, savory and rich, but never soggy or heavy. From the daily menu, the Colorado lamb chops stood out. We ordered just one at a not-insignificant price (two chops are also available), but this early-spring treat was worth it. The chop was charred without, prettily pink within and lightly flavored by an olive oil-rosemary rub. Even more of a standout were the vegetables. A mixture of zucchini, red peppers and thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, this was exemplary of the vegetable medley, which is so often no more than a hash of, seemingly, whatever happens to be in oversupply in the kitchen. Here, the combination of vegetables seemed deliberately and carefully chosen, and each was cooked to a suitable doneness and lightly seasoned in a simple, buttery coating. Roasted red-skin potatoes were near perfect — crisp and creamy, and with a salty exterior mated to the mild interior.
On the RoCKs
{BY DREW CRANISKY}
EGGS FOR YOUR COCKTAIL GLASS
Raw eggs in booze are traditional, safe and delicious
We were intrigued by beans-andgreens served over penne with jumbo Gulf shrimp and hot Italian sausage. As aficionados of beans-and-greens, we anticipated this as a worthy upgrade of one of our favorite Italian appetizers to the status of a hearty meal. Strangely, however, not a single bean was in evidence in our dish, leaving the flavor profile, not to mention the texture, lacking in the cannellini’s essential, creamy earthiness. After all this, we still couldn’t resist 424 Walnut’s housemade desserts. Redvelvet cheesecake played to the strengths of the tiring red-velvet craze, with creamy cocoa flavor, cheesy tang and a luscious texture. Key lime pie delivered a suitably puckery ratio between sweetness and citrus tartness. 424 Walnut offers a solid, satisfying take on the kind of food Pittsburghers have loved for years — and gives us reason to keep on loving it.
Sunday is Easter, which means stockpiles of plastic grass, chocolate bunnies and, of course, eggs. Most of them will be garishly dyed and turned into way more egg salad than anyone could possibly want. But if you happen to have a few left unboiled, you can add some serious depth to your cocktail game. I’ve encountered my share of skeptical (read: utterly disgusted) looks when introducing people to eggy cocktails. And I’ll admit that shimmying a mucousy egg white into a shaker of bourbon does set off all sorts of alarms. But here are three good reasons to do it anyway. For one, people have been mixing eggs and booze for centuries. Flips, a loose category of drinks made from some combination of spirits, sugar, beer and eggs, were all the rage in colonial taverns. Often served warm, a flip was surely the most efficient drink around. What else could fill your belly, shake off the chill and get you buzzed, all at once? Secondly, raw eggs present a minimal risk when handled properly. When using eggs in cocktails, follow the same precautions you would for making mayonnaise or frying up a dippy egg. Get the freshest eggs you can find, keep them cold and use them quickly. Populations with compromised immune systems, including children, pregnant women and people who are ill, should avoid raw eggs. Of course, those folks ought to be avoiding eggless cocktails as well. Finally — and this is the most compelling argument of all — egg drinks are awesome. Egg whites impart a silky, frothy texture, while whole eggs make for decidedly indulgent drinks. The Pisco Sour is a great warm-weather cocktail that showcases the power of eggs. The egg white gives the basic sour some body and rounds out the grape brandy’s sharp edges. Mix one up, and suddenly the need to extract all that Easter grass from the vacuum cleaner won’t seem so bad.
INFO@ PGHC ITY PAP ER.CO M
INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
House-made mascarpone cheesecake
NEWS
+
M A I N F E AT U R E
+
TA S T E
+
MUSIC
+
SCREEN
+
ARTS
+
EVENTS
+
CLASSIFIEDS
27