It's been a long time since my last restaurant review and I figured it was about time to do another one. Since I'm no longer running around NYC and trying out all kinds of delicious vegan restaurants, I really haven't had anywhere to review. Except Eden, of course. Eden is located at 735 Copeland Street in Pittsburgh, PA. I have to drive a little over an hour to get there, but it's totally worth it. It's the best vegan place in western Pennsylvania, in my opinion. They have a small area for outdoor seating and a cozy and welcoming dining area inside. Upon walking in you'll notice the restaurant is decorated with unique art created by local artists. All of the staff at Eden is wonderful. I've had three different waiters in all of my times there. Usually I have the same waitress and she is wonderful each time. She actually has began to recognize me since she waited on me three times in the past two weeks. I wish I knew her name so I could give her a shoutout. But anyways, all of the staff is very accommodating, knowledgeable, and friendly. I have never had a bad experience there. Which leads me to the food, amazing! They change their menu's each season and I've had items off of their pervious fall, winter, and spring menu. They have options for anyone and everyone by serving raw vegan and cooked vegan dishes. Eden is very accommodating and knowledgeable when it comes to any food allergies. I have never had an issue with gluten cross contamination here, I don't even mention that I'm gluten free anymore. I think that everything on the spring menu is gluten free, but I'm not 100% sure. They recently released their spring menu which I was so excited about. I made plans with a friend to go the other night, as you may have seen on Instagram, and I couldn't stop looking at the menu before we went. There are so many things that I must try! I got to check five of those things off of my list and hope to basically check off the whole spring menu by the time summer rolls around.
BBQ Shiitake Dumplings I knew that I had to try these BBQ Shiitake Dumplings as soon as I saw them on the menu. They're made up of chia seed and coconut wraps filled with shiitake, red onion,and jicama, served in a coconut amino, sassafras leaf and beads or paradise sauce. The wraps are so soft and absorbent of the sauce which makes the flavors soar through your mouth, making you want to eat it really slowly to savor each bite. At the same time you can't help but to eat it kind of fast because of how delicious it is. Plus the sassafras leaves, so perfect!
Crusted Oyster Mushroom Enchiladas My friend ordered this dish consisting of thinly sliced zucchini filled with coriander and flax crusted oyster mushrooms almond cotija cheese, avocado and chopped kale, topped with a chili and cacao sun dried tomato sauce, green onions and poblano peppers. I got to try it and it's really good. Which should say a lot because I'm not really a fan of kale and I would order this for myself sometime. I really like the flax crusted oyster mushrooms. I'd probably eat a plate of them alone. The enchiladas were spicy, but not too spicy which gave them the perfect amount of flavors.
Green Papaya Noodles I ordered this as my main dish. As soon as I saw the menu I knew that this would be what I ended up getting. Kelp noodles, carrot, basil, mint, cucumber and daikon radish in a lime, ginger and goji berry sauce with a spicy dehydrated peanuts and mango dust. So. Crazy. So. Good. I am honestly in love with this. The ginger and goji berry sauce is something that they should bottle up because I'd take it home without question. And the spicy dehydrated peanuts and mango dust just take these noodles above and beyond anything you could ever ask for in a dinner. Wonderful.
Double Chocolate Sandwich My friend ordered this dessert. Pumpkin seed and cacao cookies with avocado and cacao butter fudge, fresh bananas and banana cream. It is very very rich, but I loved every bite. Especially the fudge. It's so smooth and creamy. Mmm. I would eat that on it's own.
Red Velvet I think this is my dessert of choice. When I find foods that I really like I tend to order them over and over again instead of trying new things. That's probably how it's going to be with this cake. We're basically in a committed relationship now. Me and Red Velvet; together as one. Anyways, this is a beet tinted cacao and almond cake with white chocolate, cinnamon and cashew ganache. Served with persimmon sauce and fresh blackberries. Hello beautiful. The ganache is ridiculous. In a good way. I can't tell you the last time I had anything with white chocolate in it, so I was excited for it. Actually the ganache reminded me of a cookie. Red velvet cake and a cookie, you know you want that! The texture of this cake is perfect too. If you gave this to someone who didn't know what it was, they would have no idea that it's raw. And combining it with the persimmon sauce... genius!
So I think you get the point that I really love this place. Eden rocks. Great service, reasonable prices, delicious food, great location. What more could you ask for? I've taken five different people here (4 carnivores) and they have all loved this place. Just writing this review makes me want to take a trip to Pittsburgh again next week and indulge in something new on the menu. (I try to save money, but I'm weak when it comes to this. I guess I could be spending my money on worse things.) If you ever find yourself in Pittsburgh though, get yourself to Eden. It won't disappoint and I guarantee that you'll leave there full of happy feelings and healthy, delicious foods.