News

A passenger in a car stopped at a light on South Highland Avenue peered through the rain into the window of the Red Room Cafe and Lounge.

Surely, she was thinking, "That looks like a really fancy restaurant in that plain old building." She would be right.

The Red Room Cafe, marked on the outside by a simple mirror-image double R and its moniker, saves its flair for the inside.

In many ways, the Red Room is as much about its lounge as it is about its dining room. Each consumes about the same amount of floor space and are destinations in and of themselves.

Proprietor Robert Reese wanted the lounge to be more than a place where diners waited for a table.

"What I try to do is piece things together that match what I envision," Reese says. "I wanted some place that is warm and comfortable and I thought the lounge would do just that."

It took a while for the lounge to be used as Reese hoped, but now, some patrons spend their entire time there enjoying appetizers and entrees on the comfortable leather couches and chairs.

The softly lit dining room, swathed in lush velvet cocoa drapes and, aptly enough, deep red walls, is intimate and comfortable. A full-service bar offers 19 Pennsylvania beers, a well-rounded drink list and 30 wines for $30.

The menu is just as alluring as the atmosphere.

Even if beef doesn't top your favorite foods list, try the Seared Kobe Beef Tips ($13) appetizer. These tender tips come from the Japanese breed that's known for its marbling. When dipped in the rich blue cheese port fondue, they melt in your mouth. As one who isn't a huge beef fan, I find myself craving -- and ordering --these little gems each time I return.

The Curry Glazed Pink Gulf Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers ($9) a delicious Jekyll-and-Hyde taste of hot and sweet. They are served with a curry cilantro cream sauce.

Salads and soups are served a la carte. The Mixed Greens Salad ($6) was tossed with the perfect amount of aged sherry vinaigrette and the seasonal offering of Butternut Squash Bisque ($9) served in a generously portioned bowl was worth every penny.

The entree menu offers nine dishes, and often a tantalizing daily special. Mexican, Cajun and Italian influences flavor the selections. Each dish we tried offered enough of a twist to keep the meal exciting.

Reese and head chef Chris Bonfili strive to combine influences.

"I don't want to have any boundaries," Reese says. "I just wanted it to be globally infused, more than one style of cooking or preparation."

The Honey Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin ($26), served in petite slices with purple potato succotash and sweet potato hay was top-notch in both presentation and taste. The tender pork slices melted while the sweet potato hay added another layer of texture and color to the dish.

Another winner is the Black Pepper Crusted Rack of Lamb ($31). This perfectly cooked selection is served with quinoa, a South American grain similar to couscous, but a bit crunchier.

The Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas ($19) combined two beloved vegetables and serves them with cilantro cream, roasted corn and poblano chili salsa. It's a wonderful Mexican -- and vegetarian -- dish.

For dessert, we tried the Dark Chocolate Fondue ($10) that is served with whatever tickles the chef's fancy. During one meal, it came with pound cake squares and sliced strawberries and bananas. The next time, chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, along with sliced apples, pineapples and strawberries were presented to be skewered and dipped.

Equally tantalizing is the Dark Chocolate Croissant and Banana Bread Pudding with Creme Anglaise ($6.50). It's a rich, hearty offering, to be sure, but worth diving into.

The Red Room adds to the revitalization efforts under way in East Liberty. Its building, formerly the Bell Telephone building and a bank, sat vacant for about eight years, says manager Jen Drent. But underneath the trappings of an abandoned building were some gems, like vaults in the basement and a beautiful tile floor hidden under tar and linoleum, she says.

The Red Room breathes life into the neighborhood, and gives added breadth to the city's dining landscape. Don't be fooled by the plain exterior. Like the saying goes, it's the beauty on the inside that matters.

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News