Restaurant Roulette with Suzanne! January Issue!

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2024. Last night we kicked off the year with my choices: the 404 in Bethel Park and Maggie’s Farm Rum in Upper Saint Clair.

The 404. Interesting! The decor of the restaurant was very warm and inviting, showcasing a beautiful black wall with a mural of peonies in pinks and whites with the theme carried through to the menus and the fresh flowers on each table.

We had very nice, attentive server and were welcomed with fresh bread and a delicious pesto garlic dipping sauce.

We shared the arancini ($16) and beans and greens with Italian sausage ($14) – generous portions. The arancini were large and had pistachio and prosciutto served in a marinara sauce but the centers were cold, and unfortunate that the cheese had not melted. The greens and beans had hot banana peppers giving the dish an odd flavor.

All dishes were presented well and between courses we were given fresh silverware and received a dish of lemon sorbet to cleanse the pallet. Nice touch.

Our entree sounded great, eggplant bolognese gnocchi topped with fresh burrata ($42). Once again, lacking in flavor. They have everything right but for us the food was a bit off.

On to the recently opened Maggie’s Farm Rum Distillery and Restaurant in Upper St. Clair. The distillery is on the ground level and the restaurant is upstairs. It is a very large space with a big bar. We had nice service.

I had a yummy coconut pineapple rum concoction. Rachael ordered a Zombie, served in a tiki glass, garnished with pineapple, a cherry and an umbrella. Strong! It was fun to be out on a cold winter night.

Until next time, happy eating!