If all roads lead to Carnegie, now there's one more reason to visit.
One Thirty One East is the town's newest restaurant, at 131 East Main St. A little more than three weeks old, Chef Bernie Bereksazi and Michelle Eibl, partners and co-owners, have renovated the space into a fine-dining eatery, but with a twist: Classic dishes with new accompaniments.
Where else might a diner find fried oysters with a specialty hot sauce, caper/dill malt vinegar remoulade, arugula and grilled lemon or crispy Brussels sprouts with fresh ginger Indonesian sweet soy, wasabi aioli and fried wontons or foie gras accompanied by homemade gnocchi, pancetta, crispy onion and a veal reduction sauce?
“I've had people tell me ‘I don't even like Brussels sprouts,'” Bereksazi said. “I want to broaden people's palates.”
One Thirty One East brings a different type of dining experience to Carnegie, which already is home to more than 15 restaurants. Lunch ranges from $7 to $13. Dinner entrees range from $17 to $33.
One weekend, he had two customers return for the pate on Friday and Saturday night. Essentially French, the dish had an Italian twist with the addition of gnocchi and pancetta.
Bereksazi, 44, trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. Having worked in country clubs and at a Hilton Hotel in the South before his education, Bereksazi was certain a kitchen would be in his future.
After culinary school, his first job was at Amel's in Baldwin Township and later at Café Giorgio in Bethel Park. He and Eibl met on the job at Amel's.
The couple's new venture was in the works for about a year as the building was gutted. Two architects from FortyEighty Architecture in downtown Pittsburgh and Bonita Farinelli, an interior designer from Carnegie, helped them.
The couple hopes One Thirty One East's location will keep the chef's South Hills' connections close.
A recent visit from two former customers had him fighting tears when he realized that his work had developed a following.
“Carnegie was the best fit,” Eibl said. “The people have been so welcoming, so great.”
The 82-seat restaurant is open Tuesdays through Fridays for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; and Tuesdays through Saturdays for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m.
Dona S. Dreeland is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-388-5803 or ddreeland@tribweb.com.
