Although the food is nothing to write home about, the Elbow Room fulfills a vital niche in the local lunching landscape. It serves moderately priced comfort food, with a large menu and a friendly, neighborhood tavern kind of feel.
There are tons of uses for a place like this. Any time you've got a picky eater to deal with, for instance. Or if you're not sure of the culinary aptitude of your guest. Unless you're with some kind of obnoxious food snob -- like a restaurant critic, perhaps -- you'll probably find something on the menu here for everybody.
Nevertheless, places like this always have their ups and downs, and there are definitely items to avoid.
First, the best thing about the Elbow Room is the atmosphere, which has been given a substantial makeover since the last time I was here. It was decidedly unpretentious before. Now there's a cool Shadyside sheen -- semi-stylish furniture, muted lighting, the ironic application of old-fashioned Christmas decorations. The big barroom is pretty much the same -- smoky (but not for long), loud and friendly. So don't worry about getting the stink-eye from the regulars.
Appetizers are where the Elbow Room excels -- the Onion Rings ($5) are probably the best reason to come here. They've got thick, crunchy breading, yet somehow stay light, without too much greasiness. Next is the Baked Goat Cheese ($7), a gooey dollop served atop a thick red marinara sauce, with lots of crunchy pita chips for dipping.
The Salmon Wrap ($8) starts out good -- well-cooked salmon, tightly bound in an herbed tomato tortilla. But the mixed veggies, tomatoes and iceberg lettuce add bland filler, not much more.
The Salad Bowls are basically giant bowls of greenery, topped with almost enough meat and cheese to make the table buckle. We got the Eggplant Chicken Salad ($8), which -- once you figure out what to do with the almost inedibly salty strips of grilled, "blackened" chicken -- is actually a fairly good salad. Grilled eggplant, red onions, olives, cucumbers, roasted red peppers and feta cheese make up for the lackluster chicken and lettuce.
The Big Fish Sandwich ($7) is not kidding about the "big" part. It's way too much for anyone smaller than a Steeler to eat in one sitting. But the breading is thick and crunchy, and the fish is flaky, moist and exceptionally tasty. And our waitress was more than accomodating for our odd request for extra lemon wedges.
But don't bother with the Grilled Portobello ($7), which supports its scrawny, shriveled mushroom caps with too much bitter, old-tasting garlic. The red peppers were soggy; the spinach was gritty. When you bite into sauteed spinach, it shouldn't crunch.
The Elbow Room has a symbiotic relationship to next door's Bites 'N' Brews -- a full-service restaurant with excellent-looking food. Unfortunately, it's not open for lunch.
Additional Information:
Elbow Room
Hours: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. daily.Address: 5744 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside
Phone: 412-441-5222
I didn't get to try ...
For lunch only, you can get a half sandwich and a cup of soup or chili of the day.
