Pittsburgh: Talia (November 2018)

Talia (November 2018) - Consider Dining at the Counter to Watch the Chefs Work
My spouse and I visited Talia Cucina and Rosticceria for dinner on a Saturday evening in early November 2018. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner on weekdays from 11:00 am until 10:00 pm (with closing hours extended until 11:00 pm on Fridays) and for dinner on Saturday nights from 5:00 pm until 11:00 pm. You can book a spot using the online Open Table reservation system.
Talia Cucina and Rosticceria opened in March 2017 on the street-level of the former ALCOA building in Downtown Pittsburgh near the Cultural District. (ALCOA stands for the Aluminum Company of America; although the company headquarters have shifted to the North Shore, the building still retains its unique futuristic aluminum façade with rounded windows.) Talia’s ownership also operates two locations of Vallozzi’s (Greensburg and downtown [we ate downtown in September 2018; see our review titled “How Have We Never Visited This Restaurant Before?”), and several locations of Earth Inspired Salads. (Previously, the owned downtown’s Market Street Grocery.)
The interior of Talia features a U-shaped bar and seating at leather booths and banquettes. A few seats at a chef’s counter front the open kitchen, where you can see the tall red French rotisserie with its rotating chickens and other meats that inspired the restaurant’s name. Wood floors, dark walls, and interesting art complete the decor.
Talia serves classic and contemporary Italian cuisine. We started with the “Venus … just Venus” cocktail and the bread service (which costs $3, but includes a hearty loaf with butter and oil). We shared the meatball as a starter, followed by entrees of the porchetta with broccolini and the half roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes. For dessert, we split the olive oil cake and the excellent beet sorbet.
We enjoyed sitting at the chef’s bar to eat dinner at Talia Cucina and Rosticceria.








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