Pleasant Surprise in Aspinwall

Posted by Kathryn @ 11:29 AM

So I am a bit behind the curve. The other day my husband, sister, and I were on our way to see Kung Fu Panda at the Waterworks. We were hungry, but wanted something other than the fast food chinese or chain restaurants right next to the theater. So when we were driving through Aspinwall we decided to go down mainstreet to look for grub. We saw a sign for a place called Mio. There was a gentleman smoking outside, so we asked him if he liked their food and he said "Didn't you know that they were just in Pittsburgh Magazine for being Best new Restaurant." Clearly none of us had purchase the issue yet, but this meant we had chosen well and we decided to go in to eat.

We approached the host/hostess and they asked if we had a reservation. We were a little taken aback because the wine bars we have visited in the past were not really the reservation kind of place. Luckily there was space at the bar which suited the quick style of meal we planned to enjoy.

We sat down, enjoyed the bartender, enjoyed some wine/a mojito for my sister, and ordered of the menu. We all stuck to appetizers/ salads because we were not looking for a fancy night on the town (being that the occasion for our visit was an animated feature). My sister got the deconstructed hanger steak salad with cheddar and shoe string potatoes, I got the crab and avocado salad on warm brioche, and my husband got goat cheese and chive ravioli with roasted beets. My goodness the plates were gorgeous and the flavors divine. I liked the subtlety of the basil and chorizo oil with my crab salad. The sweetness of brioche melted next to the luscious jumbo crab. The steak salad was fun play on the traditional Pittsburgh salad with french fries. The ravioli were balanced and flavorful. We were so pleased with the meal that we can't wait to take the In-laws there for dinner when they visit in July!

So go eat at the bar and have a wonderful meal at Mio soon!... it really should be a regular spot for us.