Gandy Dancer at the Grand Concourse

Gandy Dancer at the Grand Concourse

I sat at one of the bars in the Gandy Dancer.  They gave me both a happy hour menu and a menu for the Grand Concourse.  I liked the options on the the grand concourse menu, but was considering some of the happy hour specials.  When I asked about the pecan crusted shrimp, the server checked with the kitchen to see if they could do it gluten free.  Upon return, it was a no and I was given the gluten free menu.

The gluten free menu was plain.  Most of the preparations I was looking forward to were eliminated from the menu.  It was plain grilled fish, shrimp, chicken and steak.  I was a little disappointed.

I ordered the grilled shrimp on rice with steamed broccoli.  The broccoli was just steamed, no seasoning and came as one whole piece. It was good for being so plain.  It was crisp, not mushy.

The rice was cooked well.  The shrimp were a bit small for a feature, but tasted good.  They weren't over done or fishy.  The beurre blanc sauce was mild, but pulled the dish out of totally bland and pulled it together.

The peel and eat shrimp were twelve tiny shrimp with a side of lemon and cocktail sauce.  I think they should either give you more shrimp or buy bigger ones.

A few weeks ago, I went to a bridal shower at the Grand Concourse.  They had a set menu for the guests, but when I told them I had to be gluten free, they did take care of me.  Instead of Chicken Romano or crab cakes, I got grilled salmon.  It was cooked to a very nice medium with a nice crisp on the outside.  The salad dressing was double checked by the kitchen for ingredients with gluten.  And when they brought cake for dessert for the guests, they offered me mango sorbet.  The sorbet was the best part of the meal! It was an amazing finishing touch.


100 W Station Square Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
http://www.muer.com/grand-concourse/

Kaleidoscope Cafe

Kaleidoscope Cafe

Upon walking up to the door, I thought this place was closed.  After walking in, I thought I was in the wrong place.  After all, it was 6 O'clock on a Wednesday.  Somebody should be in here besides me.  But there wasn't.  I immediately thought to myself, "Why isn't anyone here.  Is this a mistake?"

The decor was awful.  It needed updated.  The walls needed painted.  If they weren't doing tons of business, they should take away a few tables to make it look less cluttered.  It would look fuller if there were less tables.  Maybe they should get an interior decorator to help with the space planning in here.  I can see why people aren't coming in and staying.

I hear the only server taking an order to go.  Someone must like the food, but I see why they don't want to sit in here to eat.  I see the theme that they are trying to do, but it's not succeeding.  It needs a make over. 

I asked about gluten free items on the menu.  I was handed the lunch menu and told some of the things listed as gluten free, like the pork, weren't gluten free.  And the chicken apple sausage was listed as gluten free, but wasn't in that preparation, but could be prepared in a different preparation.  Obviously, they needed new menus printed, too.

I ordered the cornish hen. I was told it would take 20-25 minutes.  I understood, but was hungry.  It really did take that long.

The cornish hen half was moist with a crispy skin and had a yellow savory sauce.  It had sweet figs, seasoned squash, two cherry tomatoes, and smashed potatoes.  The smashed potatoes were evenly lumpy like they should be, with some skins in the mix.  The chunks were soft enough that they melted in my mouth.  As far as smashed potatoes go, these ones were pretty good.

The pork wasn't gluten free because of the soy sauce.  But I hear was delicious as well.  The presentation was good.  In case you wanted to see the pork, here it is.

Finally, at the end of meal meal, two other groups were seated.  The acoustics were awful and I was glad I was finished with my meal.  Perhaps the odd kaleidoscope triangles on the walls were there to dampen the sound. They make sound dampening ceiling tiles that would probably work well for this place if they didn't want to instal carpet.

Overall, the food was delicious, the service was friendly, but the space needed updated. 

108 43rd St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
http://kaleidoscopepgh.com/