To anyone skeptical of new restaurant Alfabeto, Maurizio Esposito says: “The proof is in the pudding.” The Australian chef brings a focus on quality dishes and a seriousness about cooking to the entertainment space beside City of Asylum Books. That space formerly housed the restaurant 40 North, which experienced an abrupt closure at the end of July.
New North Side restaurant Alfabeto plans to open in late September 2024.
The space’s new restaurant, Alfabeto, will serve Northern Italian cuisine with an emphasis on seasonal game and produce. “If you stand by your convictions and deliver a quality product at a good price, that’s all you can do. We don’t reinvent the wheel as chefs, but we can bring it into a more modern concept,” Esposito said. He hopes that the experience at Alfabeto will speak for itself.
“Simple is complex.”
Esposito comes to Alfabeto with 35 years of cooking experience at some of Australia’s top restaurants including fine dining institution Cecconi’s, where he managed a team of twenty-one people. In Pittsburgh, he was chef de cuisine at East Liberty’s Fish nor Fowl. “I love cooking. I get in the trenches with everyone in the kitchen,” he said. He especially enjoys cooking seafood and quail, which he plans to have on the menu at Alfabeto along with homemade pasta. He strongly believes in making everything in-house to bring diners the most authentic experience. “Italian food is not just meatballs. It’s simple, but simple is complex,” he said. “You can really breathe new life into food.”
He believes that part of what makes Italian food great is that its simplicity allows the quality of the ingredients to shine through. “A lot of great chefs in the world have said to me that the first thing you need to do is respect the product. The technique and everything behind it is just an enhancement,” Esposito said. He loves the seasonal produce available in Pittsburgh from the wide variety of local farms. He sources his produce from, among other places, Footprint Farms in Gibbon Glade, PA, and Sunrise Farms Market, which works with the Amish community in the western Pennsylvania and Ohio area. “We could all learn a lot from the simplicity of the Amish,” he said.
“Restaurants are about hospitality, bringing people into your home.”
The former 40 North announced on its Instagram on July 28 that it was closing. 40 North LLC CFO Kathy Bzdziak followed this with a press release clarifying that the restaurant was not closing but rather rebranding and refreshing its offering. Its fans will miss 40 North. Many loved its playful-chic concept and international menu. Chef Bethany Zozula’s offerings like khachapuri, roasted beets, and lamb burger made for a unique dining experience in Pittsburgh.
But Alfabeto gives us something to look forward to. In preparation for its opening, the management team is installing new floors and furniture.”Restaurants are about hospitality, bringing people into your home, accepting who they are, and giving them a place of refuge. It’s a similar mission to what City of Asylum does,” Esposito said. Alfabeto has begun to take reservations for the last week of August.
Story by Emma Riva / Photo courtesy of Bob Evans
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