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Fall 2010
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Knowledge is power. Today’s home cook has more knowledge of cooking and more access to fine ingredients, leading to a more sophisticated palate. This powerful trio raises the bar for even the most skilled chefs. In recent years, Pittsburgh’s food scene has exploded with publications and shows dedicated to the art, as well as access to many farmer’s markets, in the Strip, Market Square and East Liberty, and now access to the Pittsburgh Public Market, bringing us face to face with the farmers. Today’s digital communication brings the global food world closer to us as well. We are united by food. Nothing could be more thrilling to a chef, professional or amateur. While all of this 'foodie' hype and buzz is invigorating to our world of cooking, we must keep in sight the real power of food and that is in building community. Food is conversation; about preparing it, discovering it and savoring it. It is about gathering around the table to nourish our souls and our hunger for fellowship.
We continue to evolve our menus and services to exceed your expectations. In addition to our new seasonal, locally-focused menus at both Sonoma and Seviche, we have added more tables to our restaurants - more community. Sonoma now has a dedicated wine bar area with many tables for casual conversation and wine exploration. Seviche has added more tables to the front of the restaurant, which are prime window seats. And to further build upon the community and communication, we invite you to submit your home cooking questions, share stories, or discuss what is in season with our chefs and other food lovers by starting a discussion on our Facebook pages (Sonoma & Seviche) – where everyone can partake in food-loving conversation.
I am also thrilled to announce the opening of NOLA, the newest addition to our family of restaurants. NOLA will be a Nouvelle Orleans Bistro featuring a blend of traditional Louisiana cuisine with a casual French modern bistro flare. The restaurant will open in the newly renovated Market Square, Downtown in January of 2011. Stay tuned for more details in the next few months.
Let us celebrate the enriching power of food, no matter if it is around our dinner table or yours.
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Chef’s Du Jour
New and exciting changes to the Seviche menu!
Cellar
Sonoma's wine bar is taking flight!
Get Real Food
Olive oil...like a fine wine.
And, Chef Andrew's recipe for using the best of the last of summer's bounty.
Upcoming Events
Tis the season...
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Happy to be Stuck in the Middle
I’m sure that there are some successful restaurants that look at change and say, “Why?” At Seviche, we look at change and say, “Why not?” That was our approach when we added seven new dining tables with 18 new seats, as well as our Mid-Plate and Nuevo Latino Sushi sections to our menu. If you haven’t been to see us in awhile you might be pleasantly surprised to find our transformed dining room and exciting new menu. Why the changes? Well, we listened to you, the guest. We noticed that we had an increasing volume of requests for reservations for smaller parties and wanted to be able to accommodate them. New seating was the easy solution. The vision of our owner, Yves, once again impressed us, and the result is a new dining area that feels like it has always been there.
As far as the food, we kept our ears and minds open and followed the path set by our enlightened diners. Early in 2010 we added the Cuban Sushi Roll to our menu and it quickly became our biggest seller. A combination of Latin flavors, cleverly disguised in traditional sushi technique, the Sushi Roll was an immediate hit. This paved the way for our new Nuevo Latino Sushi section of the menu which now offers the guest three exciting options where east and west cuisine are paired seamlessly.
Lastly, our Mid-plates section. What is a Mid-plate you are probably asking yourself? A Mid-plate is a dish that falls somewhere between an appetizer and traditional entrée in size. This new dynamic added to our menu has given you, the guest, yet another list of options and flavors to choose from. These items look, feel, and deliver like a traditional entrée just without the need for a cumbersome doggie bag to take with you.
We are monumentally excited to offer all of these new options at Seviche. It has only enhanced our menu to include more options, flavor and substance for the guest to partake in. We are so looking forward to seeing you this fall!
Enjoy!
Chef Jeff
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Salutations Wino's…
Well, here we go October! The wine world is really starting to buzz this time of year. An abnormally cold year in Cali. has some vintners sweating it. Cold weather means longer growing seasons and out west, when summer is over, in comes the rain. Not so good for grapes.
The more experienced vintners say ‘let them hang’. Grapes like Pinot Noir, Cabernet, and Syrah will likely hang until early October to late November. This will give them long enough to mature into what some describe as, “silky, smooth wine with loads of finesse”. Doesn’t sound too bad, right?
So, as the weather out west has changed a bit, so has Sonoma. Our new wine list has some new, very exciting wines. We are pouring Kathryn Kennedy Lateral by the glass along with Jordan Cabernet. And we drafted some rookies to the list; Tuck Beckstoffer Cabernet and Hogwash Rose. All are dynamite wines!
We also have some new features on our wine list. We now have tasting pours. You can get a half pour of any of our wines we offer by the glass. We also added wine flights, all interestingly named such as Glorious Bastards, Goin’ Coastal, Rhone Rangers and The Full Compliment. Trust me, the wines are better than the names. But, as you know, we like to have fun with it. Some other new and awesome changes are also happening in our bar and lounge and our dinner menu has an all-new twist to it.
So come in and join us, help us celebrate the new and share the excitement. Remember wine always tastes better with good company, so come down and share a glass with us soon.
Best,
Randy Wright
General Manager
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Like a Fine Wine, Olive Oils are Meant to be Savored and Appreciated
Sometimes, olive oil, at least good, extra virgin olive oil, is mistakenly lumped into the ‘industrial’ food product category. Ugh. Much like wine, olive oil is an agricultural product that is influenced by many factors; weather, soil content, climate and vintage. Each year’s production will have its own unique flavors, textures and aromas. Even the season they are harvested has a direct affect on the outcome. This time of the year, October/November, is considered early season, when the olives are partially ripe but their oils are fruiter and more robust, making them a more highly prized oil.
Much like a winemaker, each olive oil producer works hard in caring for and harvesting olives. Olive trees take years to produce fruit, making it a labor of love. Once the olives are hand-picked, they must be pressed within a few days, which explains the higher cost of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Compare this process to other oils like Sunflower and Peanut, which are pressed in large mills with a continually-turning process that puts out mass quantities at a low cost.
Much like our appreciation for wine, Sonoma appreciates the labor of love that goes into an olive oil as well as the finesse that olive oil gives to a finished dish. Some of the descriptive words you see in olive groves are similar to those in the vineyards; ‘smooth and buttery’ as in a fine, un-oaked Chardonnay or ‘intense & robust’ as in a peppery, spicy olive oil. In a ‘nut shell’, not all olive oils are created equally. Chef Andrew applies this philosophy when preparing or finishing a dish, “Although there is no golden rule, I tend to use grassier, spicier olive oil with fruits and salsas and a fruitier, nuttier oil with meats and heartier pasta dishes. I do vary from time to time, depending on what is going into the rest of the dish. Most of time, it’s a matter of personal preference”. Chef Andrew offers some tasty advice for the home cook; “Think about the dish as a whole and decide if you want an olive oil to contrast or complement. Whatever makes the most sense for each dish. The main thing is to know how prominent you want the flavor of the olive oil and base your decision on that”. A great way to sample a few olive oils is by visiting the olive oil and vinegar bar at a Market District.
Chef Andrew’s Cantaloupe Gazpacho recipe was sampled at Rachel Carson’s Sustainable Feast this August. It is a perfect way to use up summer’s harvest (peppers, tomatoes, herbs and shallots) and to experiment with different varietals of olive oil. It is saving the best for last!
Cantaloupe (skin & seeds removed) 3 lbs.
Lime Juice 1/4 cup
EVOO 1/3 cup
Shallot 1 ea
Cumin (ground) 1 tsp
Honey 1 T
Mint (chiffonade) 1 T
Basil (chiffonade) 1/4 cup
Jalapeno (rib & seeds removed) 1 ea
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Puree all ingredients in blender.
Green Zebra Heirloom Tomato Salsa
Green Zebra Heirloom Tomatoes (medium dice) 1 qt
Red Bell Pepper brunoise) 1 cup
Red Onion (brunoise) 1/2 cup
Lime Juice 2 T
EVOO 1/4 cup
Cilantro (chopped) 2 T
Garlic 1 clove
Habanero (rib & seeds removed) 1 ea
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
Puree garlic, Habanero, lime juice, and EVOO in a blender.
Combine all other ingredients.
Serve the Gazpacho with salsa garnish and grilled Ciabatta bread.
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Sonoma is a proud member of
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UPCOMING WINE EVENTS
Local Dirt
October 21st, 2010
6 p.m.
$70
Sonoma is celebrating the harvest of some of the finest local ingredients. Enjoy some beautifully orchestrated dishes from Chef Andrew with some perfectly paired wines.
RSVP for all events at 412-697-1336 or randy@thesonomagrille.com
Pouring on the Changes to the Wine Bar
The Sonoma Wine Bar is now offering Tasting Pours, which are half pours of any of our wines that are offered by the glass. We are also offering Wine Flights – where you can sample three complimentary glasses of wine in the range of $10-$30. View the newly expanded wine list. Don’t forget that we offer a casual, wine-friendly menu for our newly designed bar area!
Holiday Parties
Take advantage of our Russian River Room for your holiday affair. It is our private room that seats up to 30 people. We offer flexible menu options
and a casual atmosphere. Call us to reserve the room today - it's not too early for the holidays.
412-697-1336. View our Private Dining Package.
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SEVICHE DOES IT BIG
New Menus!
Seviche chefs have been busy creating many new menus; a new happy hour menu, new gluten-free menu and a new dinner menu which features two new sections - Nuevo Latino Sushi and, what we like to call, "Mid-Plates" - larger than tapas, not quite the size of an entree. This is a must-see, must-eat section! Read what Chef Jeff has to say about them in the Chef's Du Jour section! Check out the new menus!
Reservations for How Many?
Give us a call and we'll have a table reserved for you on our busiest nights, Friday and Saturday..
Holiday Fiestas
Got reservations on the mind? Might as well reserve your holiday fiesta with us - office parties, annual reunions, girl nights...we are now booking for your holiday social. Seviche is a unique venue that is filling up fast (the bright, warm atmosphere in December helps, too!). Call us today at 412-697-3120.
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Rock of Ages, Benedum, November 23rd-28th
You Gabba Gabba! Live, Benedum, September 30th (Sonoma has a Children's Menu!)
Triple Espresso, Cabaret at Theater Square, thru January 9th
Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, October 1st, Free Event
The Royal Family, O'Reilly Theater, September 30th-October 31st
Chris Botti, Heinz Hall, November 30th
Make your dinner reservations now. |
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