Beloved Dish Osteria and Bar Delivers Every Time
Dish Osteria and Bar, located in the South Side, recently celebrated its 26th year in business, and the restaurant is more successful than ever. The beloved spot is typically booked out three to four weeks in advance, and it’s applauded regularly by locals and media alike, with many naming it one of the best spots to dine in Pittsburgh.
The candles flickering and the smell of garlic will greet you as you enter Dish. Despite the restaurant’s renown, its interior is cozy, with fewer than 15 tables and some limited bar seating. The space and welcoming staff make you feel like you’re eating in your own dining room.
The menu doesn’t change often except to welcome a seasonal dish or two. This means that your favorite dishes will most likely always be available. It’s honestly very difficult for me to stray from my favorites, but for the sake of research, I’ve tried my best over the years to sample a fair bit of the menu. Such is the life of a food writer.
My two favorite antipasti selections are the carpaccio di manzo and the melanzane e mozzarella di bufala. They both provide a light, refreshing start to the meal. The carpaccio is extremely tender and thinly sliced raw beef tenderloin. The meat is perfectly seasoned and melts in your mouth. It’s paired with arugula, chunks of Parmesan, lemon and Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil. The other ingredients bring a tanginess to the rich meat. Every ingredient is thoughtful, and the freshness of each ingredient is apparent. This is a theme throughout Dish’s menu. The melanzane e mozzarella di bufala is grilled eggplant with mozzarella. Similar to the carpaccio, the eggplant is extremely tender, and grilling it adds some char and brings out the sweet undertones of the vegetable, which adds to the flavor of the dish. The basil and aged balsamic complemented the sweetness and freshness of the eggplant. No dish is complete without cheese, and the mozzarella added the perfect amount of creaminess. I enjoy this dish so much that I’m truly sad whenever I finish it and consider ordering a second one to enjoy.
A little freshness is always necessary to a meal, and both of Dish’s salads deliver on that element. The one I typically go for is the insalata di arance e finocchi. It’s crisp and bright, with fresh, thinly sliced fennel and oranges, along with arugula, red onions and olives, tossed in a red wine and extra-virgin olive oil dressing. Everything bursts with acidity and prepares your palate for the upcoming courses.
Seafood is prepared exceptionally well here. If you’re looking for something raw with just a few ingredients to enhance the flavor of the fish, then you have to order the carpaccio di tonno. The quality of the fish is so good that it’s hard to believe we’re in a landlocked city. The tuna itself has a silky texture with a mild flavor, so the citrus-forward dressing, arugula, oranges, radishes, fennel and red Fresno peppers are perfect pairings. This dish tastes like a warm summer’s day, even in the dead of winter. The capesante is another dish you have to try. The preparation is kept simple, with perfectly cooked scallops that cut like butter. The oven-roasted beets and fennel pollen add an earthiness to the clean scallops.
While you’re dining at Dish, pasta is a must. A personal favorite of mine is the fettuccine ai funghi. Like the name suggests, this pasta is filled with a variety of mushrooms, such as cremini, portobello, shiitake and oyster, and each mushroom brings a distinct flavor to the dish. As if the copious amounts of mushrooms weren’t enough, there are also delicately cooked Brussels sprouts and garlic, and the entire dish is topped with Parmesan. This only adds to the luxuriousness of the meal. If you’re craving something more akin to Grandma’s Sunday sauce, then the gnocchi al sugo di agnello is right up your alley. The pillowy gnocchi will remind you of your bed; the tomato sauce tastes like it’s been cooking for hours upon hours; and the local Elisyan Fields Purebread boneless lamb shoulder just falls apart at the touch of your fork. It’s a delightfully hearty dish that should be in the dictionary next to comfort food.
I’m not always a dessert person, but I make an exception for cheesecake. The ricotta in the cheesecake makes it even creamier than your typical cheesecake, and the limoncello adds a tanginess that complements the other ingredients. It’s best enjoyed with a glass of limoncello (obviously) or grappa.
Dish Osteria and Bar is a cherished local spot for a reason: The food is constantly delicious, but also refreshingly unpretentious. Not a single dish is overdone here; everything is simply prepared and relies on the quality of the ingredients. I’m looking forward to many more meals at Dish with friends, family and a bottle or two of wine.
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