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.
