I first learned of Legume in Oakland shortly after arriving in Pittsburgh. At the time I was told that the name “Legume” didn’t exactly stand for any sort of vegetarian-ness and meats galore abounded there. In fact, Legume does its best to adhere to a whole-animal policy in which they will do their best to use every morsel of edible goodness in an animal in their dishes. Because of this, their menu often changes and they are prone to running out of dishes.
On my particular visit, the menu was filled with pleasant-sounding dishes like House-made Ricotta Ravioli and Braised Lamb Shank, but the entrees all had huge vegetable components that made them tough to order. I ended up choosing the Smoked Beef Kielbasa with crushed potatoes, sauteed greens and green tomato chutney. Before making my obligatory request to omit the vegetables, I was told by my dinner-mates that they would be happy to eat the greens. I also got myself Tallow Fries with Aioli as an appetizer since everyone seemed to be getting salads. For those who don’t know, tallow is kind of like beef’s version of lard, which makes it awesome. This was a good choice and the fries were quite tasty.
When my sausage arrived, though, I quickly realized that a mistake had been made. Sure, the sausage looked delicious, but it was also a $21 sausage, which is pretty unheard of. Fortunately it was a pretty awesome sausage. The insides were juicy and packed with flavor, while the outside was perfectly crispy and snappy, even when eaten with a fork and knife. The potatoes were okay, but not plentiful enough or enough of a standout considering the fries I had eaten just before.
To say the sausage was damn good would not be an understatement, but I couldn’t help shaking the fact that no sausage should be 21 bucks, like unless it is made out of stegosaurus. I would definitely return to Legume, but next time it will be for something much more unique.
