Dinette Restaurant Review
EastSide
5996 Penn Circle S. (S. Highland Ave.) 
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Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-362-0202 | Menu
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Cuisine
Open
Dinner Tues.-Sat.Features
- View
- Heart-healthy dishes
- Outdoor dining
- Parking lot
- Casual
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| A neon sign spelling out Dinette gleams through floor-to-ceiling windows, beckoning hungry diners into the sleek but cozy interior of this tiny restaurant. Bright orange plastic chairs and polished stainless steel strike the appropriate contemporary design note. The wine bar features a weekly-changing list of 20 labels, available by the glass or bottle. And the well-edited menu reflects chef-owner Sonja Finn’s focus on doing a few things well. In many ways the operation is a model for our times---local, seasonal, organic, sustainable, casual fine dining. The energy-efficient equipment couples with a recycling plan. A rooftop garden, complete with two fig trees, shaves off carbon miles for the restaurant's tomatoes, herbs and arugula. The menu may seem simple---appetizers, salads, soups, small plates and pizzas. But what panache fresh and tasty ingredients, in unique combinations, deliver. Caramelized fennel elevates soup. Crisp thin-crusts support pizza toppings such as Savoy cabbage, with grilled leeks, feta and fresh mozzarella. Beef carpaccio blossoms with shaved Pecorino, radicchio, hazelnuts and sherry vinegar. Understated, comforting desserts---chocolate pots de crème, arborio rice pudding---finish the meal. |
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