White Clam Penne

On Saturday Anthony and I celebrated our 1st year wedding anniversary. He chose Alexander's Italian Bistro in Bloomfield for our eating pleasure. On the outside, Alexander's looks like a tiny little bistro, perfect for a romantic dinner, but on the inside it extends from a bar into two separate dining rooms. We opted to sit alfresco, so as to absorb the late summer evening air, and to watch the passersby; Bloomfield is a neighborhood that usually provides good people-watching entertainment, whether it be misbehaved dogs running across the street lugging owners behind or rowdy teenage punks on bicycles. Luckily a small fence divides the restaurant from the sidewalk or rather the theatre seats from the screen.

Perusing the menu was easy, but choosing was less so. I wavered between walnut pesto salmon and creating a "pastability" (Alexander's has a build your own pasta selection). I went with the pastability, choosing penne with white clam sauce (sauteed with oil, garlic, basil, and an assortment of herbs) and I added artichoke hearts and asparagus. When I ordered the waitress looked at me and said, "that sounds good." I felt assured in my food collage skills. Unfortunately I ordered a Cabernet Sauvignon prior to ordering the food, but luckily I didn't go with a Merlot. If I could rewind I would have chosen a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. However, the wine did go well with the fried calamari that we had for appetizer. The calamari was presented over top of a guilty pleasure good tomato sauce. It wasn't the most "OHMYGOD food experience," but it was, "oh, yum."

My entree did not disappoint. The sauce was light and gracefully waltzed with the clams. The intermingling of fresh asparagus with artichoke hearts was just fresh enough, the asparagus was cooked so that there was just a little chomp in my bite. I have to say that my pastability was one full of textures: chewy clam, crunchy green, buttery sauce. It was a good summer meal. I was lucky enough to steal away some of Anthony's dish too: a creamy Cajun ravioli combo. The best part was the little peas inside. The sauce was punchy in its spice. I could have easily stolen his whole plate and eaten both of our meals.

Location:
5104 Liberty Avenue
Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, PA

The Price:
Entrees: $11.95-$18.95

Ps. Their wine selection isn't bad either.