
We frequently have this conversation for both cooking at home and dining out. It usually goes something like this:
"What/where do you want to do/go for dinner?"
"I don't know. What/where do you want to do/go?"
"I asked you first."
"But I don't know."
"Do you want to stay in Robinson or venture elsewhere?"
"I don't know... what do you think traffic will be like? Is there a Steelers/Pirates/Pitt/Penguins game?"
We started the conversation around 5 pm, so already a few places were ruled out, like Cheesecake Factory and Fat Heads (both would already be extremely crowded and have long waits). There was a brief discussion about how much we wanted to spend, followed by a realization that a lot of our 'To Try' places as well as 'favorite' places need a reservation plus we weren't dressed appropriately (jeans and t-shirts are not appropriate for Eleven or Casbah). I didn't want Indian or Chinese. SP sort of wanted pizza, but we weren't sure where to go to sit and have pizza and not feel like a fast food experience or a dining experience with many small children...
Finally around 5:30 we decided to head to Squirrel Hill and eat at either Silk Elephant or Gullifty's followed by tea at Te Cafe. On the drive, Silk Elephant won because we figured Gullifty's was more likely to be filled with college students.
We both really like Silk Elephant. We last were there in September (blog post here). I ordered the exact same drink and tapas dishes as last time, but I took photos anyway since I had Elf with me and Elf takes better photos than my cell phone.
I again had a glass of the Arrogant Frog Viognier/Chardonnay blend. So good. SP ordered a martini. I teased him that he was losing man points for getting a girlie drink! He got the Ginger Lemon Drop martini, with honey and lemongrass in it. I had a sip and thought it was horrible; SP really liked it.


As usual, I ordered 5 tapas total. SP ordered the salad and 2 other tapas dishes. The first tapas to arrive were the Silk Elephant Rolls (cucumber, lettuce, carrot, cream cheese, crab meat in a rice wrapper with sweet chili sauce) and the pork & shrimp dumplings with ginger-sesame-soy sauce.

Our remaining tapas arrived together:
A special of the day, Grape Leaves Stuffed with Ground Lamb:

Shrimp & Pork Toast:

Thai Crab Crowns:

Chicken Kabob:

Chili Paste Crowned Scallops:

Another delicious meal at Silk Elephant. We always find the service excellent as well. The finished tapas plates are cleared in a timely fashion but we never feel like they are hovering, waiting to swoop in and clear plates. Our server was very friendly and caught me taking photos - oops! So much for being sneaky!!! I blurted out something about having a food blog - I was embarrassed I got caught taking photos!! The dishes are all lovely in presentation, too. And I like that our server came over as were getting situated at the table, brought water, and said she'd give us time to look over the wine and drinks lists. I always get kind of annoyed when servers expect you to order your wine/cocktail right away - how do I know what kinds they have when I just sat down?!


"And I like that our server came over as were getting situated at the table, brought water, and said she'd give us time to look over the wine and drinks lists. I always get kind of annoyed when servers expect you to order your wine/cocktail right away - how do I know what kinds they have when I just sat down?!"
ReplyDelete-- AMEN to that! Personal pet peeve of mine as well. Everything looks so delish!