The white bean soup needs something to perk up the flavor, and the green salad, green beans and carrots are OK, but nothing exceptional. The seafood platter, with lots of paprika sprinkled over top, definitely takes second place to the soft-shells. It's a pleasant, window-lined restaurant overlooking the Allegheny River, not busy even in the lounge on this weekend evening. With the soft-shells came a generous, crisp salad of field greens and iceberg, black olives, onion and the new grape tomatoes. There's an outdoor patio, and some customers come with a bottle of wine in one hand and a baby in a carrier in the other.
Pizza is a specialty.
Lorenzini says he offers soft-shells as a special whenever he can get them. That's true at many restaurants, so if you want soft-shells, it's wise to call a restaurant and check before you go. The season for soft-shell Atlantic blue crabs runs from May to September, with a peak in June and July. But weather and other conditions along the coast affect the availability. Anthony Moorhead, general manager, wholesale division of the seafood department at Robert Wholey Co. in the Strip, says his Maryland supplier expects this year's soft-shells to be available for the next couple of weeks.