Girasole: Mediocrity and mixed greens
Girasole, the cozy Italian place nestled between the gelato and indie video shops on Copeland Street, must make amazing meat dishes. At least, that’s what we’re assuming draws the throngs of well dressed Shadyside shoppers, because it ain’t the vegetarian fare. While the atmosphere, especially at the outdoor tables set below the sidewalk, evokes modern, light, and innovative Italian cuisine, the actual dishes are cheese-laden and bland.
First, vegetarians should be wary of meat bases. Many innocuous items on the menu, such as the polenta with escarole and beans, contain beef or chicken broth. The waiter had to think for a moment when asked about vegetarian dishes and admitted there weren’t many; he recommended the spinach spaghetti with buffalo mozzarella ($18) or the spinach and ricotta ravioli ($15). For those prices, the sauces should leave you desperately sopping up remaining driblets with crusty bread, savoring every molecule. Instead, I caught myself wiping up some of the remaining tomato-cream sauce out of extreme boredom with the ravioli, wondering where the flavor was. The bread was chewy but dry, the ravioli scant and uninteresting, and the tomato cream sauce rich (read: fatty and caloric) yet less tasty than a jar of Ragu.
Apparently the squid-ink linguini with lobster is good, if you’re into that kind of thing. But otherwise, our group was unsatisfied. Our friend Scott commented that his gnocchi was missing some key ingredient; the extra garlic or basil that makes a signature dish. I found myself adding salt and eyeing the adjacent gelato shop.
We have to give them props for professing a seasonal menu. Yet, closer inspection of their online menu reveals “fresh” tomatoes and blood oranges in the winter, so their commitment to appropriate ingredients seems a bit suspicious. Admittedly, it’s difficult in Pennsylvania to get good produce any time of the year, so they are most likely trucking in veggies from California like the rest of us. (Note: watch out for audio on their way over-flashed website.)
The one exceptional dish at Girasole is the green salad, with the house sunflower vinaigrette, a crisp combination of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, red onions, and gorgonzola. But, um, it’s not difficult to make a good salad. If the prices were lower, our rating would be slightly higher. But for $15-22 entrées, we have high expectations.
[2.5 veggies]