Baum Vivant

[jshufelt]

I've been lurking on egullet for several weeks now, and have enjoyed

the quantity and quality of the conversations on several forums. Since

I've been in the habit of writing up impressions of "big" meals for friends

for years now, it seems only fair to throw my hat in the ring and start

making some contributions. Hope you enjoy this.

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Baum Vivant (Pittsburgh, July 25, 2003)

When time is precious, it's time to splurge.

Shortly after last year's September vacation in the Napa Valley, we

conceived twin boys. Since then, epic gluttony has taken a back seat

to doctor visits, planned (and unplanned) hospital visits, the birth

in May, and a complete and utter lack of sleep. The boys are delightful,

but as any parent of newborn multiples knows, the mother and father

are frazzled.

Enter the mother-in-law, who volunteers to relieve the parents

from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon. We have one day to

catch up on months of missed dining opportunities, so we decide to

make the most of it, and obtain reservations at Baum Vivant.

Given the aspirations of Baum Vivant's cuisine, its location is an

oddity; it sits in a run-down neighborhood populated by auto shops,

industrial buildings, fast food joints, and the odd strip club.

It's easy enough to forget this once you're inside, as the environment

is much calmer and elegant. We're escorted to our table and started

off with crostini and a lemon-cilantro hummus, which is surprisingly

mild.

The menu is a mix of Portuguese and French dishes, broken into appetizers

and main courses. One section is devoted to caviar service, which I don't

remember from previous visits; Beluga, Osetra, and Sevruga are available

in one-ounce portions, at prices ranging from $40-$90. The fine print

at the bottom of the second page indicates the option of a five-course

tasting menu. We inquire, and it turns out it's a seven-course tasting,

paired with glasses of wine for each dish. Since we're having a hard time

deciding between several menu options, we let them do the hard work, and both

opt for the seven-course tasting. Our waitress asked about any dietary

requirements; I don't have any (other than I should be on a diet), but Stacey

is staying away from nuts while breastfeeding, on the advice of her physician.

This is noted, and away we go.

Tomato bisque with garlic and shallots

The first course is served in a demitasse cup, a creamy soup whose

pastel pink belies its flavor. The flavors of tomato, garlic, shallots,

and dill are blended perfectly, giving the soup an assertive but not

overpowering flavor. One of the highlights of the meal; I would have

liked a bowl of this with more crostini to mop up. It was served with

a glass of very dry Portuguese white wine.

Tiger shrimp satay in peanut sauce

Crab cake with lemon-vanilla sauce

For the second course, our waitress took the liberty of giving us each a

different dish, which we appreciated; however, the shrimp plate was given

to Stacey and the crab cake to me. You'll note the peanut sauce and the

aforementioned nut issue. We just switched plates, but had to remind the

waitress when she stopped back by. She was apologetic and offered to replace

the dish, so no harm, no foul. The dish was served with a slightly sweeter

and fruitier Portuguese white (sorry, I didn't get the names of most of

the wines, so generic descriptions will have to do).

I got a couple of bites of the crab cake before we swapped plates, and the

cake itself was good, but the sauce is what pushes this dish up a level.

The sauce was creamy, with just a hint of tang from the lemon, and the

sweetness of the vanilla, and it worked beautifully with the crab meat.

The tiger shrimp satay was good, with large shrimp on skewers and a peanut

sauce. Nothing remarkably different than what you would get at a Thai place,

except in presentation.

Scallops wrapped in smoked salmon with Portuguese molho verde

What a dish. The scallop is lightly seared with a dash of black pepper on

its surface, and wrapped around its side with one very thin layer of salmon,

sitting in a pool of emerald sauce. Molho verde, as the server explained to

us, is a blend of parsley, garlic, and shallots. The scallop was done

perfectly; the slightest pressure of the fork was enough to cut the scallop

and the salmon. The salmon did not have the darker brownish-red color I

expected from smoking, but the smoke flavor was there all the same, and it

blended beautifully with the scallop. The molho verde was much milder than

its color implied, giving just a hint of parsley and garlic to round out the

dish. Along with the bisque, definitely a highlight of the tasting.

Wild boar with quail egg in hazelnut sauce

I think this may have been the first time I've ever eaten wild boar.

The small filet was served with a sunnyside-up quail egg on top, sitting

in a pale brown translucent sauce. The boar was probably the only real

disappointment of the evening; while it wasn't bad, texturally it tasted

like a ground beef patty, which was jarring. On the other hand, the hazelnut

sauce was interesting, very reminiscent of maple syrup. I wonder if seeing

the egg made us think it tasted like syrup, and in retrospect, the entire

dish visually looked more like a breakfast plate, with the egg, the "syrup",

and the "sausage" appearance of the wild boar. This was served with a

Portuguese red which was described as being "like a merlot", but to me

tasted more like a pinot noir.

Microgreens with sprouts and lentils in orange vinaigrette

Flavorful greens and a nice dressing. Still, for a devout carnivore like

me, it's a salad. What else can you say.

Shot of Campari, rum, orange juice, and strawberry juice

Before the last meat dish, we were offered this palate cleanser. Very tropical,

with only the mildest hint of alcohol (I'm not a mixed drink fan, as I find

even the impression of alcohol off-putting). It was a nice change of pace,

and prepared the palate for the next course.

Poussin in Grand Marnier sauce with yellow pepper, candied lemon peel, green

and white asparagus, and polenta

Every time I have Grand Marnier in any form, it always reminds me of

Thanksgiving 1988. One of my undergraduate TAs invited me to his apartment

for the traditional dinner with his family and a mutual friend. Unbeknownst

to me, he was an excellent home cook, and prepared the whole nine yards

himself, which even now still seems like a slightly Herculean feat.

Towards the end of the meal, we noticed that we were all getting a bit tipsy,

and the wine consumption wasn't enough to account for it. He admitted his

secret weapon: Grand Marnier in every dish. Aha! I've never gotten drunk

from gravy before.

In any case, this was a nice trip back to that memory. Perfectly roasted bird,

with surprisingly sweet candied lemon as a counterpoint to the pepper. This

was served with a cabernet sauvignon.

Creme brulee

The traditional preparation. Even though I've learned how to make this in

the past year, it doesn't make me appreciate it any less when someone else

makes it for me. Served with a few blueberries, raspberries, and a strawberry,

along with a glass of Fonseca port. I'm not sure the port really went with the

creme brulee. I have mixed feelings about port; at times, there is nothing

like that syrupy sweet taste at the end of a meal, and at others, it's just

cloying. I haven't really figured port out yet.

An espresso, and a couple of biscotti later, and we're done with a three-hour

meal. When the waitress asks how everything was, I tell her that my only regret

is that the tasting was only seven courses long. How about 10?

I'm a growing boy, I need my strength. A few minutes later, she returns

and tells me to call ahead on my next visit, the chef's up for it.

I believe we are too. Any good babysitters out there?

[Holly Moore]

Greetings jshufelt and welcome to eGullet. Glad you've ventured beyond lurking.

Baum Vivant sounds great. Neat that it's in a run down neighborhood. Makes it all the better as far as I'm concerned.

Is this a well know restaurant in Pittsburgh or a recent find? And what's the address.

[jshufelt]

It's a well known restaurant; always ranked in the top echelon in "Pittsburgh"

magazine's yearly restaurant issue. The address is 5102 Baum Blvd. I'd

recommend getting reservations in advance if you know you'll be in the Pittsburgh

area.

[baphie]

Hmmm. That brings back good memories of Baum Vivant. We last went there five years ago when Death in June played in Pittsburgh. My overiding memory is finishing not one, but two foie gras and wild rice stuffed quail. Absolutely delicious, but totally lamentable as we stood in line in freezing winter temperatures smoking clove cigarettes in a futile attempt to keep warm before the concert.

From a couple of threads, there seem to be more than a couple Pittsburgh area Egulleteers around. If you haven't been to Baum Vivant, it is well worth it. Maybe some sort of gathering is in order? I would gladly come in from Ohio.

A.

[KatieLoeb]

Jeff:

Welcome to eGullet and especially the Pennsylvania forum. Looking forward to many more posts of yours in the future. Great writing and great attention to detail!

Good luck with the twins too! That's a lot more daunting...

[mjg]

Excellent review. I'm hoping to get to Baum Vivant sometime soon. Tony Pais's other restaurant, Cafe Zinho, is one of my favorite restaurants in town. I helped Tony out with a cooking class once and he is just about the nicest guy you'll ever meet.

How much was the 7-course tasting with wine pairings? I'm getting married in October and my fiance and I aren't going on our honeymoon until two weeks afterwards. We are planning on doing a tour of Pittsburgh restaurants that weekend as a mini-honeymoon here at home and Baum Vivant will most likely be on that list.

[jshufelt]

Congratulations on the impending marriage...

I was the only one of us drinking wine. With that said, the total was $180 before the tip. Looking forward to reviews of your mini-honeymoon dining tour.

[coolranch]

Great review. Mr. coolranch is from Pittsburgh and we try to head up there at least once a year to visit family.

I've had Baum Vivant on my list to try for the next trip in November.