The last time we visited our friends in Erie, they took us
to a charming Italian restaurant. As I
savored each bite, from appetizer to dessert, I racked my foodie mind to think of
a comparable eatery in Pittsburgh. Sure,
we have Italian eats in the ‘Burgh, but I was coming up short in thinking of the
kind of spot that makes you ask the wait staff, “ Hey, is the owner’s Nonna the
executive chef?” Since then, I’ve made
it my mission to find said place. That’s right my foodie friends, I’ve suffered
through mediocrity and Prego-inspired plates to find the best of the best. Here is my conclusion, although the city
limits of Pittsburgh is still lacking overall, you can treat yourself to an
Italian getaway in North Huntingdon (wait…where?) when you visit Cenacolo Restaurant.
Finding Cenacolo, which refers to the Last Supper, the first time can be a bit challenging (we
ended up in the Post Office parking lot more than once). It’s not your typical restaurant locale and
rightfully so. Fede Pasta, which has been making pasta for other restaurants
since 2005, made the brilliant decision to open their own eatery this past
October. Rather than moving Cenacolo elsewhere,
they built a restaurant and retail shop right within their wholesale
distribution warehouse. The retail shop
is located in the center, offering a variety of pre-cooked pastas and house
sauces for you to take home. You can
also purchase a seemingly endless variety of artisanal cheeses and cured meats
at their “deli” counter. On either side
of the retail space, you’ll find the dining areas…cozy spaces that remind me of
tastefully decorated home dining rooms.
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| Retail Shop Meat and Cheese Counter |
The owners are very accommodating to parties of all sizes;
our latest visit was a birthday celebration for eight. While we did have to wait more than a bit for
our reserved table, the staff was attentive while we wandered around the retail
shop. Our waiter even brought us wine
glasses so we could imbibe, free of corkage fee, as we mused over the
seasonally printed menu.
Having time to consider the night’s offerings, we were
seated ready to order…or so thought.
While providing an overview of the menu, our waiter threw a delicious
dilemma into the mix. We could order
individually as planned, or we could choose 3-4 items from the menu and be
served larger, family style portions to share.
This was an offer we couldn’t refuse. (Ok…truth…I almost refused…because I’m stingy and I didn’t know if I could share
the Ricotta Gnocchi with Short Rib Ragu.) We needed more time to agree on our
selections, so we did what any hungry mob of eight would do; we ordered the
large charcuterie plate. While you may opt
to select your own affettato (meat) and formaggi (cheese) selections, we let
the experts do the picking and ended up with three meats and four cheeses. My meat of choice was the Speck, a dry-cured
smoked Prosciutto. The salty, smoky
flavor paired beautifully with the earthy, aromatic flavors of the Truffle
cheese. Combined with fresh, warm bread
and a spread of Hot Pepper Jelly, you have bliss. Forget about that overpriced Salumi board in
Lawrenceville…this is where it’s at folks.
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| Meat and Cheese Board |
As we finished up our first course, arugula salads topped
with generous shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano
and cherry tomatoes arrived in rustic pottery bowls. The salad was dressed in balsamic, which was
a bit too sweet, even when paired with the pepperiness of the greens and the
saltiness of the cheese. It was tasty
nevertheless, so next time, I will simply request the dressing on the
side.
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| Arugula Salad |
With
perfect timing, our family-sized pasta bowls began arriving, as our salad bowls
were cleared. The first pasta I scooped
onto my plate was the Ricotta Gnocchi with
Short Rib Ragu. I selected this meal for
myself on a previous visit and I had been dreaming of it since. Unlike the heavy, sometimes gummy, potato
gnocchi, Cenacolo has mastered the art of creating a light pillow of ricotta
goodness that almost melts in your mouth.
Those yummy morsels are then blanketed in a rich, tomato-based sauce
that is loaded with tender shreds of short rib.
Without exaggeration, it is the best gnocchi I’ve ever eaten.
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| Ricotta Gnocchi with Short Rib Ragu |
Once
that bowl was pried from my fingers, I replaced it with the one containing Lamb
Tortelloni. This pasta is similar to tortellini, in that it is stuffed with various fillings, it’s simply bigger. In this case, a velvety lamb filling was
hidden inside. The pasta was then
dressed with a Marsala, mushroom, and thyme sauce that contained additional
bite-sized chunks of braised lamb. The
Tortelloni were artfully created and were equally pleasing to the eye and to
the mouth.
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| Lamb Tortelloni |
The
third pasta we chose was the Mushroom Carmella.
I was tempted to pass this bowl along because I’m more of a meat sauce
kind of gal and this dish was of the cheese sauce variety. Just watching someone eat an Alfredo-esque
sauce gives me stomach bloat, but I decided to trust Chef Josh Toney and took a small
scoop. That portion was doubled by
night’s end. The pasta was filled with flavorful
mushrooms and was hand twisted on both ends to resemble a piece of hard
candy. The pasta was then bathed in a,
dare I say, light Fontina cream sauce that produced surprise appearances of
sage and crispy prosciutto. I would have
never ordered this for myself, but this dish has opened my eyes to how
delicious a cheese sauce can be.
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| Mushroom Carmella |
Our
final selection was the Gramigna. This
was a spinach and egg pasta that resembled spaghetti but was hollow in the
center, and fittingly means grass. This
pasta featured a ground, sweet pork meat sauce.
It was tasty, but was my least favorite.
When dining out, I like to order things I wouldn’t or couldn’t make for
myself at home, and this selection just seemed a bit dull in comparison to our
other dishes.
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| Garmigna |
By the
end of the night, our stomachs were beyond full and we ended up with
leftovers. But as my loyal readers know,
I always have room for dessert. Cenacolo
does have post-dinner offerings, (we had the pumpkin cheesecake and the
Tiramisu on a previous visit), but was gracious enough to allow me to bring a
homemade birthday cake to end our evening.
Our wonderful waiter even sliced the cake for us in the kitchen. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any
better, we were treated to shot of Limoncello to officially close the
night.
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| Tiramisu with Pistachio Gelato |
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| Limoncello |
And so,
my tiresome search is over. I declare
Cenacolo the best Italian restaurant in the Pittsburgh area, and I may or may not
be crafting a noodle shaped trophy in their honor. Is it a bit of a drive for some of yinz? Perhaps…but it’s worth every mile. This isn’t just dinner, this is a culinary
event you’d be silly to pass up.
I give Cenacolo: 5/5 forks
1061 Main Street
North Huntingdon, PA 15642
724-515-5983
*Events/Classes*
Be sure to check out the pasta making classes and special dining events on Cenacolo's website as well.
Loved this place! Super excited to try the class tomorrow, too.
ReplyDeleteGreat review.