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Bloomfield, Pittsburgh's Little Italy, has long felt a little like a trapdoor to a distant Italian neighborhood. The restaurants, however, have generally emphasized the American in Italian-American cuisine.
Stagioni, a restaurant that opened in November, has chosen to go in a different direction and is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Owners Cara DelSignore and chef Stephen Felder are not obsessed with Italian authenticity -- salads are listed before entrees and pasta is listed as an entree rather than a first course -- but whatever liberties are taken, the heart and soul of this restaurant is Italian. Felder understands the cuisine's most important dictates: Keep it seasonal, fresh and simple; let each ingredient contribute clearly to the flavors of the finished dish.
The signature appetizer is a made-to-order mozzarella, cooked, stretched and formed into a still-warm, gleaming white disk. This incredibly fresh cheese was complemented by a small pile of oil-cured black olives, a little tangle of luscious roasted red pepper and a matching heap of paper-thin prosciutto ($10) -- a classic antipasto whatever its name.
The spiced fig tart ($8), a round of crispy puff pastry topped with a pile of fig spread, also is served with the prosciutto as well as a thick wedge of gorgonzola and a small pile of spicy baby arugula. This dish was a great example of how well sweet fruit complements rich, salty foods.
Wintry evenings inspired a yearning for hot food, which Stagioni certainly satisfied. A bowl of steaming sauteed calamari and shrimp was a heady curative for the weather. The generous portion of seafood was tasty, but the best part was the rich broth, infused with fennel, garlic and fresh herbs ($10).
The salads also were a comfort against the season, wonderfully crisp and fresh, a reminder that spring will eventually arrive. These are simple salads, meant to refresh the palate, not dampen the appetite, but they were all perfectly constructed.
A small pile of bright green bibb lettuce was bathed in creamy dressing and crowned with a golden brown parmesan crisp ($6). Spinach got a slightly hardier mix of oven-dried tomatoes, focaccia croutons and a warm goat cheese dressing ($6).
Entrees are sized to encourage multi-course eating in the Italian style. Apple cider and chardonnay braised lamb with cippolini onions and gnocchi was beautifully rustic ($18). The lamb was meltingly tender with little bursts of sweetness from the bite-sized onions, while the gnocchi were so tender and light they could barely hold their shape, dissolving like clouds with each bite.
Stagioni recently switched to a winter menu, and many new options sound promising, such as rigatoni with Brussels sprouts, cream, pancetta and parmesan ($15) and herbed polenta with Parma sausage, rapini, garlic and olive oil ($16).
Food:
Service:
Atmosphere:
Overall:
4770 Liberty Ave.
Bloomfield
412-687-5775
Hours: Lunch, Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; dinner, Tuesday-Thursday 5-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 5-10:30 p.m.; brunch, Saturday-Sunday 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Basics: This intimate, noisy restaurant is a lovely departure from the typical Italian-American fare, with delicate fresh pastas, luscious braised meats, creative vegetarian entrees and an emphasis on the flavors of the season.
Recommended dishes: Made to order mozzarella, spiced fig tart, sauteed calamari and shrimp, apple cider and chardonnay braised lamb, gnocchi, beef short ribs, scallops with apple-fennel slaw, house-made fettuccine with pesto cream, shrimp, oven-dried tomatoes, apple crumble.
Prices: Appetizers, $7-$10; salads, $5-$6; entrees, $12-$18; desserts, $6.
Summary: Wheelchair accessible dining room, but restrooms down a flight of stairs; credit cards accepted; reservations encouraged; BYOB, corkage, $3 per person.
Noise level: Medium loud to very loud.
There are a couple of still-seasonal holdovers, at least for now. The short ribs are an excellent choice, braised in Chianti and balsamic vinegar and served over pureed parsnips that were so smooth and sweet that they put potatoes to shame ($18).
The salmon carpaccio is a new addition, offered first as a special. The coral-colored slices of fish were assertively seasoned and allowed to warm up to just under room temperature, so each bite was full of flavor ($10). The expansive plate was garnished with slices of crisp fennel and orange segments. Although the citrus crop has been pretty poor this year, these navel oranges were juicy and bright, a wonderful pairing for rich, fatty salmon.
When dishes are so simply constructed, perfect execution is all the more important, and a few dishes faltered. Top-quality scallops were paired with a show-stopping shaved apple and fennel salad, all the tough bits of the fennel pared away, the apple and fennel wonderfully bright and crunchy ($20). Unfortunately, half of the scallops were more poached than seared, and a few were a touch under-cooked. The fingerling potatoes that came with the scallops were also undercooked, even a tiny bit crunchy.
Oversalting also was an issue. Crisp, meaty slices of braciole -- beef slices pounded thin, wrapped around a stuffing and braised -- were served with tender house-made papardelle, but the roasted plum tomato sauce was far too salty ($18). Lobster risotto had a good texture and consistency, but oversalted broth dampened the sweet taste of the lobster meat ($18).
Press-pot coffee needs to be more consistently timed. On one visit it was delicious; on another it was plunged too soon, resulting in a weak, bitter brew.
Overall, dining at Stagioni promises an evening full of pleasure in the Italian style -- you'll want to slow down and take your time.
Desserts ($6) are easily large enough to split, and most are good but not especially exciting. The espresso chocolate mousse, served in a coffee cup, had a lovely creamy texture, but a darker chocolate would give it more intensity of flavor. The ricotta cheesecake could use a little more moisture, although I loved the cheese's tempered sweetness. The most memorable was the apple crumble, which was like a cross between a traditional crumble and a cake.
The passion of the owners is reflected in the preparation of the staff, overseen by DelSignore. When a server described the evening's specials, it was clear he wasn't just reciting a memorized list. Staff were equally attentive whether business was a little slow or extremely busy. They were happy to accommodate every need, from elegantly splitting a salad to efficiently and unobtrusively replacing a broken wine glass.
DelSignore is working on improving the noise problem, which is a serious one. The marble tables are beautiful and were made by her cousin, but the array of hard surfaces makes dining in a full restaurant a bit taxing, and this restaurant probably isn't a good choice for someone who's hard of hearing.
Stagioni isn't perfect, but it's perfectly charming, the kind of place where the food always feels special, but there's no need of a special occasion to inspire a visit. Any day of the week, it's worth stopping by.
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