Dinner Party
Peruse these menus, and pick a
location for your rehearsal dinner.
By Victoria Bradley
The rehearsal dinner is the ultimate pre-party. It’s all about making sure the stars of tomorrow’s show get pampered with a proper feast and a festive flute of Champagne. We dive into our dinner file and find four of the most perfect places — with four different “themes” and equally yummy menus — to gather your wedding-day all-stars on the night before.
Italian-Inspired Menu
DiSalvo’s Station
Soup:
Tomato basil
Butternut squash bisque
Shrimp and lobster bisque
Salad:
DiSalvo’s Signature Salad
Harvest Salad
Entrée:
Seared mahi mahi
Spinach-and-feta-stuffed chicken breast
Jumbo lump crab cakes
Duet of crab-stuffed shrimp and filet mignon
Stuffed Filet DiSalvo
Sides:
Grilled zucchini and red peppers
Duchesne potatoes
Parmesean risotto cakes
Wild mushroom risotto
Green beans with julienne carrots
Slow-roasted tomatoes
Dessert:
Caramel cheesecake
Mrs. D’s Tiramisu
Vanilla-bean cheesecake with fresh berries
Price per person: $21-$38
DiSalvo’s Station, 325 McKinley Ave., Latrobe. 724.539.0500.
Asian-Inspired Menu
Soba
Shared dishes:
Indonesian corn fritter wraps
Seared sea scallops with fresh wasabi and lemon ponzu
Roasted shiitake and
chanterelle buns
Korean barbecue ribs
Pork dumplings with sweet vinegar dipping sauce
Tuna tartare with sunflower seeds, spicy sesame oil, Asian pear salad, and crispy rice paper
Mushroom and spinach dumplings with red pepper dipping sauce
Crispy tofu
Chilled sake:
Rihaku Nigori Sake Dreamy Clouds
Hou Hou Shu Sparkling Nigori
Gekkeikan Horin Junmai Daiginjo
**Note: Remember proper sake etiquette: No one fills their own cup, but pours for all those around them. This reminds us that we need each other and are united in this life if we are to achieve common goals.
Price per person: $55
Soba, 5847 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside. 412.362.5656.
Traditional Menu
Palazzo 1837 Ristorante
Soups:
Lobster bisque
French onion
Salad/Appetizer:
Deconstructed escarole and beans
Baby iceberg salad with red onion and cucumbers
Entrée:
8 oz. prime Angus filet with caramelized shallot demi-glace
Roasted pancetta-wrapped tenderloin filet finished with Asiago cream demi-glace
Surf and Turf: 6 oz. filet of beef finished with garlic demi-glace and paired with twin broiled 4 oz. Lobster tails in a rich Bernaise sauce
Sides:
Roasted tomato and asparagus
Hand-turned baby carrots
Roasted baby zucchini
Rapini and roasted tomatoes
Cauliflower purée
Bourbon-glazed carrots
Price per person: $50
Palazzo 1837 Ristorante, 1445 Washington Road, Washington. 724.223.1837.
Family-Style Menu
Bella Sera Urban Trattoria
Cocktail:
Blood Orange Sangria
Appetizers:
Imported antipasto platter
Prosciutto, Genoa salami, cappicola, olive salad, roasted peppers, and crostini
Italian cheese display — Provolone, Piave, Parmesan Reggiano, Gorgonzola, and Fontinella, with grapes, dijon mustard, and crostini
Fried calamari with rustic marinara sauce
Mushroom bruschetta with Manchego cheese and white truffle oil
Salad, Family-Style:
Bella Sera chopped salad — crisp greens, hearts of palm, blue cheese, tomatoes, English cucumbers, red onions, and red wine vinaigrette
Entrée, Family-Style:
Chef’s fresh selections of pastas using the freshest local ingredients
Veal meatballs in rustic marinara sauce
Stuffed farm-fresh banana peppers
Sautéed greens and beans
Fresh rustic breads and farm-fresh pesto spread
Dessert:
Tiramisu cups with dark chocolate biscotti
Price per person: $30-$32
Bella Sera Urban Trattoria, Market Square. 412.281.6363.
