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Wow, what an interesting place!
Red Room Cafe and Lounge is right around the corner from Kelly's Lounge and just a block or three from Casbah and right around the corner from the ever so-interesting Shadow Lounge. Red Room is across a bridge and not in Shadyside, but instead in East Liberty, right off the circle/square. East Liberty has been a distressed minority area since the 1960's. The three blocks from Shadow Lounge past Kelly's is quite an inroad into the rich historic neighborhood. Well preserved architecture and an ever so pleasant environment.
The Red Room is a dimly lit large room with nice effective minimalist partitioning provides intimacy and a swank lounge feeling. The plush window lining benches include equally plush and functional lower back support. Quite an interesting interior, while still sparse with rich aged looking flooring worth a review. Small glass designed candle holders fill the room at night with intimate table lighting.
A hearty menu contains a loaded bar- piling the good wine choices up and an ever so-local selection of finer Pennsylvania only microbrews is well represented over one and a quarter pages. Think of multiple selections from Victory, Stoudt and Weyerbacher to name a few. Big points here for Red Room having no national MACRO brews. What a rare find.
The menu and end deliverables are delicate and ever-so rich food done exceptionally well. The salads are adorned with a finely aged vinegarette and pine nuts. A nice selection of real greens, albeit smaller but fulfilling salad.
There are ample selections of both meat and non-meat options. Vegetarians are limited to just one main entre, an enchilda dish but other appetizers, soups and specials are readily available however.
This is a very worthwhile place to give a chance. The prices are a bit higher than other places, but I still refrain from calling it fine dining. The food is well worth the costs.
It's worth noting that this restaurant was started by former Max Mex/Big Burrito Group employee. It surpasses the very respectable Big Bean offerings in pure quality of food served on this visit.
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