Cafe Allegro is quick to make taste buds salivate

Named the city’s best restaurant by Pittsburgh Magazine seven years in a row, South Side’s Cafe… Named the city’s best restaurant by Pittsburgh Magazine seven years in a row, South Side’s Cafe Allegro brings together two disparate sides of food culture, the haute couture and the cozy, to create a restaurant that is both the main event and a comfortable background. Located just off the neon glow of East Carson Street, Cafe Allegro’s black-on-white cursive sign glows cheekily on South 12th Street. My date and I were seated at a table for four in a front room overhung by tree branches sparkling with white lights.’ While lovely, the classically dark corner lit by a small candle made for an isolated feeling that did not sit well with me, having glimpsed the warm yellow walls and smiling patrons of the back room. We asked to move. ‘That’s where I sit when I have dinner,’ the bartender told us. ‘I like to be near the front of the restaurant, have some space to spread out. I don’t like to feel crowded.’ Our dining styles differed ‘mdash; I prefer the encapsulated feeling of a table set close to the wall, preferably near the back of the dining room, where sounds mingle and a collective buzz settles happily over a good glass of wine and food that asks for your time. This is exactly what we found in the back room. Seated close to the activity of the kitchen, my date and I perused the menu as we watched its manifestations waltz past us in the waiters’ steady hands. Cafe Allegro’s seasonal menu provided some tantalizing challenges as we tried to imagine each item on the summer 2008 offerings. After several minutes of debate, my date and I decided that the breadbasket, its bounty provided by the Allegro Hearth Bakery and served with a honey walnut pate, would make for a delightful appetizer. We settled on the Pasta del Sol as a first course and an entree of Chef Nolan’s Bouillabaisse, but we still struggled with the wine list. We finally laid out our cards with our waiter. We needed a good wine that would not break our budget to accompany the pasta and main course. He solemnly skimmed the list, while we leaned in closely. A second waiter joined us. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked, smiling. ‘Wine consultation,’ I said. ‘Ah,’ he said, ‘I see.’ After some discussion, the second waiter suggested that we try the Petite Sirah: ‘a full, fruity wine that still has complex notes but is not dry and acidic, which is what you want to stay away from with the bouillabaisse.’ Once we had finally decided, the waiter whisked away our menus and allowed us to settle into conversation. The meal was relaxed but prudent in its timing, and the waiters were attentive but not overbearing. We sipped the Sirah, dark and fruity, and awaited the arrival of our first plate, the Pasta del Sol ($11). A rich but delicately spicy mix of sundried tomatoes, shallots, cream and Roman cheese, the pasta walked a dangerous line between al dente and not quite done. We gave it the benefit of the doubt and enjoyed the lively mix of flavors, right down to dipping a corner of bread into the remaining sauce. Just as the memory of the pasta was fading, a steaming platter of Chef Nolan’s Bouillabaisse ($24) descended, heralded by a change in utensils. It consisted of two bowls with a small seafood fork and a large spoon. Where the pasta had left us doubtful, the bouillabaisse shored up Cafe Allegro’s claim that ‘cuisine is a celebrated art.’ Cafe Allegro’s rendition of the classic Marseille dish aesthetically nestled broth, shellfish and fish in one tureen, topped by a toasted slice of fresh bread smothered with an olive tapenade. The natural taste of perfectly poached mussels, scallops and a flaky white fish grounded the heady overtones of saffron, garlic and tomato, making for an irresistible dish. The entree was more than enough for two people ‘mdash; my date and I could only finish half of it, leaving room, of course, for dessert. Among the various options, we decided on the Chocolate Terrine ($6.50) and two espressos. While the espressos lacked the thin layer of ‘crema,’ they served as a solid complement to the dense, bittersweet Terrine. Accompanied by a large blackberry and a sliced strawberry, the dessert was not overkill ‘mdash; though rich, it did not shout ‘sucrose!’ and provided just the right amount of chocolate kick between two people. Satisfied, we lingered unmolested over the remnants of the wine, appreciating Cafe Allegro’s Goldilocks-esque atmosphere. Whether in its food, its service or its atmosphere, Cafe Allegro lives up to its name ‘mdash; ‘light and lively’ ‘mdash; and manages to get it just right.