It’s an opportunity to wine and dine in Media!
More than 20 restaurants participated in Media Restaurant Week from Sunday, March 9th until Thursday, March 13th. Participating restaurants offered three to five course meals for just $30.00.
The one restaurant I’ve always wanted to try was Picasso, located on State Street. My coworkers and I have ventured in there after work for drinks but I’ve never known anyone who has tried the food.
The layout is very open and modern. In the summertime, they have a glass wall in the front of the restaurant that they open and there is outside seating. The bar is very well lit, showcasing the beers and liquor. The restaurant has 13 beer taps, which are always interchanging, along with wines, cocktails and bottled beers.
During Media Restaurant Week, Picasso put together a separate menu. It offered a choice of soup or salad, an appetizer, a choice of one of two entrées and a choice of dessert.
I picked the salad, which had mixed greens, plum tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette. The next course I chose a flatbread that was on the special menu. The flatbread consisted of arugula, gorgonzola, prosciutto and fig with a balsamic reduction. It was very sweet and I love how well gorgonzola pairs with sweet things, like honey. My brother chose the grilled calamari for this course and I tasted it and the olive oil, lemon and chili peppers made it very flavorful.
For the entrée course, diners could either pick the fish of the day or the free range chicken breast. Since I am a huge fish fan, I went which the fish of the day, which happened to be grilled swordfish topped with a dragon fruit and mango salsa. The swordfish was also served with asparagus and potatoes. The plate was so full of flavor and the salsa worked really well with the fish. My brother chose the chicken, which was stuffed with sundried tomatoes, manchego cheese, wrapped in prosciutto and served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. He must have enjoyed it because by the time I looked at his plate, it was clean.
While enjoying the meal, there was live acoustic music playing in the front, which made the meal relaxing. The artist played popular music as well as music he has written.
Other patrons agreed with me. This meal was great.
“Well four courses for $30.00 was a great way for me to try new things off the menu I probably wouldn’t have tried otherwise,” Brittany Maloney said.
Picasso is open Tuesday through Sunday with live acoustic sessions on Tuesdays and live music on Fridays and Saturdays.
Chelsea Ebling
Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, cme5177@psu.edu