Lidia’s Pittsburgh

Lidia’s Pittsburgh Restaurant Review:

Sweeping interior changes add drama and interest to restaurateur Lidia Bastianich's namesake Pittsburgh restaurant; the bar and furniture are two elements that underwent some updates in 2015. The 15-year-old Strip District eatery still is warmed by its floor-to-ceiling slate-faced fireplace, though. Large windows face onto busy Smallman Street. The kitchen, previously an open design, features the flavors of Bastianich’s native Friuli, the far northeast corner of Italy, bordering on Slovenia and Hungary. You can have pasta with red sauce, but there are other items unique to that Italian region, such as frico (fried Montasio cheese with mushroom and rosemary). Different terrain is covered with pork osso buco and anitra, a seared duck breast served with Brussels sprouts, polenta and cherries soaked in grappa. For dessert, there's the expected tiramisu, but the orange-olive oil torte with orange-, cranberry- and vanilla-flavored embellishments should be part of each dining experience. The wine list encompasses Italian labels.