Pittsburgh Hot Plate

Savoy Restaurant

I had the opportunity to have dinner at Savoy Restaurant in the Strip recently. I wasn’t familiar with Savoy, but my friend was.

“You have to check this place out,” she said.

I arrived a few minutes prior to our reservation, and got to meet one of the managers, Gary White.

“If you have a few minutes, let me show you around.”

“Lead the way,” I replied.

Savoy Bar

Gary took me downstairs to a VIP room. Inside was a long table covered with white cloth; probably big enough for 20 to 30 people. Also inside the room were a state of the art sound system, and a huge plasma TV. Mr. White explained to me how he could personalize any party, from the music to the cuisine.

“You can also have your own personal wait-staff; we assure total privacy in this room.”

I’m sure there had been many VIP’s, as well as famous personalities in this room, but Mr. White wouldn’t spill the beans.

Outside the VIP room was a large glass cabinet filled with VSOP Cognac, and other top-shelf liquors. If you’re looking for specialized spirits or imported champagne, they have it in their liquor inventory at Savoy.

The third floor had another private room, as well as a second bar (the first one located on the main floor where the dining room was). Hard wood floors adorned this area; all the materials including the DJ’s sound system, and bathroom fixtures were top-shelf. Large glass doors lead to a patio area that becomes busy during the warm summer months.

Ambiance

Savoy is an extravagant space. The décor is tasteful and modern. The dining room has several tables as well as booth seating. The over-sized booths are covered in supple, white leather. The sides of the booths rise several feet above the surrounding tables, assuring total and complete privacy. Indirect lighting covered the soft white tablecloths with warm, magnificent colors.

Savoy Table

Cosmo

Food

Prior to placing our food order, a large basket of bread was placed on our table with herb-infused olive oil- a nice start as we looked over our menus.
To start, I chose a Caesar salad ($10.00), and we also asked for the Trio Appetizer Plate ($14.00) consisting of a Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Arugula Salad and Warm Vegetable Strudel.

The salad had great tasting traditional Caesar dressing, and the romaine leaves were fresh and sweet. Large homemade croutons lay atop the salad and were a nice crunchy contrast.

Caesar Salad

The Appetizer Trio was next.

The lump crab cake was deliciously fresh and loaded with large chunks of sweet crab meat. Spicy arugula was dressed with a honeyed dressing, and perfectly balanced. The vegetable strudel had a crunchy crust, and was filled with a tasty medley of lightly cooked and well-seasoned vegetables.

Trio Appetizer Plate

Executive Chef Kevin Watson made his way to our table, and made a few entree suggestions.

Even with the Chef’s recommendations, we had a tough time picking entrées. We chose the Stuffed Salmon ($35.00) filled with Jumbo Lump Crab Meat and Shrimp, served with a Lemon Dill Beurre Blanc sauce, and Yukon Whipped Potatoes. Our second entrée was Butter Poached Lobster & Scallop Pasta ($36.00) in Fresh Basil Cream Sauce served over Pappardelle Pasta.

The salmon was cooked a flawless medium-rare, and was topped with a hefty portion of lump crab meat. Atop the salmon was a luscious and fragrant dill buerre blanc sauce- delicious. Buttery Yukon mashed potatoes, and a purple orchid completed the dish.

Salmon with Dill Sauce

The butter poached lobster came in a large white bowl. A colossal scallop caught my attention… Large portions of lobster and the remaining scallops were coated in a rich, but composed cream sauce with fresh basil. The lobster was succulent (it was cooked in butter after all) and tasted salty like the ocean. Equally enjoyable were the seared scallops. Large flat noodles were mixed throughout the dish, picking up the remaining flavors in the food. Although it was a rich dish, the freshness of the seafood offset any possible heaviness.

Lobster and Scallops

After all this rich food, we almost passed up dessert. Luckily we re-considered, and ordered a digestif; a sweet ice wine to go with our Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding ($10.00).

Cinnamon Bun Bread Pudding

The bread pudding was eggy and rich; served with fresh apples and a quenelle of homemade ice cream. The small glass of chilled wine paired well with the yeasty dessert.

Conclusion

Savoy is a sophisticated and elegant restaurant. Besides being an eatery, Savoy has exclusive accommodations for private engagements.

The managers at Savoy are client-driven. The personalized attention and ambiance offered there is rivaled only by clubs and lounges in large cities such as New York, Chicago or Los Angeles.

If you’re looking for a restaurant with delicious food in a sophisticated setting, make your way to Savoy in the Strip.

Chef Chuck Kerber

Pittsburghhotplate.com

chefchuck@pittsburghhotplate.com