LE POMMIER
Executive Chef Mark Collins
2104 E. Carson St., South Side
412/431-1901, lepommier.com
$$-$$$
This restaurant's bright and charming space evokes a Left Bank bistro in Paris - yet the modern fare is anything but old-fashioned French. The seasons inspire the frequently changing menu - spring brings dishes such as asparagus salad with smoked bell-pepper vinaigrette and chevre or grilled quail with fava bean and morel mushroom ragoût. The vegetarian offerings, such as the "boeuf" bourguignon, which captures the dish's meaty flavor with firm chunks of seitan (wheat gluten) and hickory smoke, are creative and different. The carte du vin offers intriguing choices by the glass or bottle, and desserts such as a chocolate and smoked almond terrine with gray sea salt have a sweetly sophisticated spin.
Chef's Favorite Dish to Make: Veal-cheek ragoût with marsala, asparagus and shiitake mushrooms over house-made fettucine.
LEGUME
Executive Chef and Owner Trevett Hooper
1113 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square
412/371-1815, legumebistro.com
$$, BYOB
Trevett Hooper, the winner of this year's "Rising Star Chef" award (see page 78), creates a focused, constantly changing "Americanized-French" menu at his year-old neighborhood gem. Just 14 tightly packed tables are nestled along the walls - enjoying meals at this homey spot tends to feel more like a fun dinner party than a formal night out. Hooper makes the most of local meats, for example, using every part of a rabbit to make confit, sausage, rillettes and pâté. In the summer, local organic produce drives the one-page menu, which offers a short list of appetizers and about six entrees. You'll usually find one creative vegetarian option, house-made pasta (made with local eggs), plus a couple of appealing side dishes and classic desserts - don't miss the chocolate-truffle cake.
Chef's Favorite Dish to Make: Sweet-potato ravioli with brown butter and sage.
MIO KITCHEN & WINE BAR
Executive Chef Matthew Porco
225 Commercial Ave., Aspinwall
412/781-3141, mio-pgh.com
$$$
The winner in this year's "Best New Restaurant" category (see page 76), Mio, lives up to its distinction. Taking inspiration from his time as the chef de cuisine at Veritas in New York City, chef-owner Porco has created an upscale but comfortable spot where the wine is equal to the food. Dishes are rich and concentrated in flavor - this is comfort food elevated to the next level - and offer excellent pairing possibilities with a list of 175 wines (about 25 by the glass). Local ingredients dominate the seasonally changing menu, and everything from pillowy gnocchi to lamb bacon is house-made. Save room for the don't-miss desserts from creative local pastry chef Barbara Ferguson. Midday diners take note: Porco introduced his first lunch menu in April.
Chef's Favorite Dish to Make: Tender braised short ribs with fava bean and wild-mushroom risotto.
NINE ON NINE
Chef Richard DeShantz
900 Penn Ave., downtown
412/338-6463, nineonnine.com
$$$-$$$$
This chef-owned downtown restaurant has changed things a bit since winning last year in our "Best New Restaurant" category. In the tastefully decorated dining room, all meals are now prix-fixe (starting at $47 for three courses). The focused menu changes every month, and the six dishes in each category run toward simple elegance: Think wild-mushroom risotto with shaved truffles or a "surf-and-turf" dish of pork belly with seared scallop and spicy miso sauce. Next door is the recently opened Bar Nine, a chic, comfortable lounge where you can order food à la carte. There's talk of lunch service - prix fixe in the restaurant and more casual à la carte at the bar - beginning in August.
Chef's Favorite Dish to Make: Braised veal shanks with mustard-encrusted veal sweet-bread, spinach and whole grain mustard sauce.
Il PIZZAIOLO
Chef Derek Maceiko
703 Washington Road, Mount Lebanon
412/344-4123, ilpizzaiolo.com
You could travel to Naples for the perfect thin-crust pizza - or you could simply get in line for a table at this Mount Lebanon mainstay. This year brought a new arrival from Italy, a brand-new wood-fired oven that stays at a constant 1,100 degrees and cooks each pizza in a minute flat. Beyond pizza, the menu offers authentic Italian pasta dishes and house-made desserts such as cannoli and tiramisù. The dining room's walls and Tuscan tiles have charm, but even more charming is the bustling outdoor patio and cozy wine bar, Enoteca del Pizzaiolo, which won "Best Wine Bar" in this magazine's "Best Of Pittsburgh" issue last year.
Chef's Favorite Dish to Make: Authentic Marguerita pizza, made with San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, and extra-virgin olive oil and parmigiano reggiano.
POINT BRUGGE CAFÉ
Executive Chef Kevin Hunninen
401 Hastings St., Point Breeze
412/441-3334, pointbrugge.com
$-$$
If you want neighborhood-restaurant envy, visit this bright, inviting bistro for its signature meal of Belgian frites and fragrant, steaming mussels. (Fair warning: "No reservations" means there's often a wait.) The dining room, with its warm wood accents and handsome metalwork, feels comfortable enough for weeknight suppers and easy Sunday brunches but special enough as a place to take a date or out-of-town guests. Belgian-style beers are emphasized at the clean-cut bar, with 70 types in the bottle and four on draft. Susie Treon, retired executive chef of Café at the Frick, makes the decadent desserts and the Belgian Liège waffles, which are served at the bustling Sunday brunch.
Chef's Favorite Dish to Make: Red-curry mussels and Belgian frites with basil mayonnaise.
Left: Red Room Café and Lounge serves a shrimp tempura maki roll, pork tenderloin wrapped in pan-roasted bacon with cheesy grits, wilted greens and blackberry demi-glace and a piece of oven-roasted free-range chicken breast with a Southwestern potato hash mole queso blanco and toasted pepitas.
RED ROOM CAFÉ AND LOUNGE
Chef Christopher Bonfili
134 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty
412/362-5800, redroomcafe.net
$$$-$$$$
At this hip East Liberty haunt, you can choose from tables in the window-lined dining room or the deeply burnished leather sofas by the bar - if you can get a seat at either, that is. The Red Room's fresh global-infused New American fare and fun urban vibe draw a well-dressed crowd, especially on weekend nights. On the menu, you'll find elegantly simple preparations and local ingredients in dishes such as strip steak with grilled ramps or rissoles with fava beans and sautéd morel mushrooms. The house-made desserts are constantly changing, but there's one staple you don't want to miss - the dark-chocolate and croissant bread pudding.
Chef's Favorite Dish to Make: Pan-roasted bacon-wrapped heritage pork tenderloin (from a breed of pig known for marbling) with cheesy grits, wilted greens and blackberry demi-glace.
Editors' note: Kevin Sousa, former chef at Bigelow Grille, is now chef at Red Room.