Bethel Park's intimate Cafe Georgio's is where the neighborhood meets and eats
When this tiny Cape Cod house was transformed into a restaurant and art gallery, it's easy to suppose that those who live nearby muttered "there goes the neighborhood."
They appear to have been right.
Cafe Georgio's seems to be precisely where the neighborhood goes for dinner. Almost everyone who comes through the door - at least on the occasions we've dined there - seems to know at least one person who's already seated at a table.
On the plus side, that enhances a warm and casual ambience.
On the down side, it makes for a very noisy dining room.
With its low ceilings, hardwood floor and plaster walls, conversations at one table can be heard across the room.
While it makes for interesting but innocent eavesdropping by outsiders, that can't be good when - as on a recent night we were there - a local professional loudly regaled his table-mates by documenting in excruciating detail his complaints about some of his more demanding clients.
Fortunately, we had a colorful display of paintings and some intriguing menu items to help distract us from others' indiscreet conversation.
Paintings of gardens in luxuriant full flower and some lavishly feathered chickens ringed the small but cheery pastel-colored dining room. A profusion of unusual menu items - elk chops and ostrich among them - and creative combinations excited our appetites.
Ostrich Satay ($17) intrigued us. Unlike the tiny strips of chicken, pork or beef satay we've had in Asian restaurants, these were huge but thin strips of ostrich that covered nearly the entire skewer. Marinated, then grilled, the ostrich was tender and mildly flavored, making it a pleasant contrast to the horseradish-spiked dipping sauce.
Even better than the satay was the huge pile of thin strings of crunchy, deep-fried green onions, a perfect contrast.
Cafe Georgio's is known for its flatbread, so we ordered the Tanglewood ($11) and received a large platter of thin, crispy flatbread smothered in sauteed greens, red onions, sliced tomatoes and melted cheese.
The soups of the day also were too tempting to pass up. We chose a cup of the Seafood Bisque ($5), warm and smooth with an assertive shellfish flavor. Better was a cup of Asparagus and Smoked Shrimp Soup ($3), creamy with an abundance of tiny nicely cooked shrimp but disappointing in its overcooked pieces of asparagus. We were much happier with the Caesar Salad ($6 with dinner, $9 as an entree) that delivered crisp romaine dressed in a sharp and creamy Caesar dressing and embellished with a generous sprinkling of small but plump purple olives and sizable, crunchy croutons.
Several alluring chicken entrees suggested themselves. But we chose one of the specials of the day, a thick portion of Herb Crusted Yellowfin Tuna ($25) fire-grilled and served with thin aromatic slices of pickled ginger and squiggles of wasabi paste. The crust was dauntingly dry. But inside the tuna was properly cool and rare.
Our meat-eater devoured the French-cut Pork Chops ($17) that were grilled exactly to his order and liking - crisp outside, moist inside. Accompanying the chops was a healthy serving of Cheddar-flavored mashed parsnips and potatoes flecked with chives.
Veal Champagne Gruyere ($19) sounded too good to let go by untasted. The thin, tender scallopini slices of veal were reportedly sauteed in butter, garlic, mushrooms and lemon, but the subtlety of those flavors as well as the champagne was overwhelmed by the strong taste of Gruyere cheese. That didn't bother our diner who liked the dominant taste of the Gruyere and sopped up the remaining sauces with a crust of bread. Accompanying the veal and tuna entrees were side dishes of what tasted like colcannon - the Irish mixture of creamy mashed and whipped potatoes, butter and bits of cabbage - though the waitress who confirmed the ingredients identified it with another name.
Desserts made on premises always excite our appetite - even at the end of a meal. Our obliging and attentive waitress helped us ferret out the in-house delicacies and we ordered three, all enjoyable.
Small scoops of homemade White Chocolate and Raspberry Ice Cream ($4) were properly smooth, creamy and subtly sweet and flecked throughout with chips of white chocolate and small bits of berry.
Three-berry Pie ($4) presented its abundant serving of tart but sweet mixed berries in a pleasantly crisp but flaky crust. A slice of Rum Cake ($4.50) was light and lightly flavored but covered with a crunchy sugar topping that put a perfect period on the meal.
Additional Information:
Dining Review
Cafe Georgio's
