Lilith's

Berkshire is one of the few insurers that has yet to set a target to wind down emissions from its insurance and investment portfolios.

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This Gaza thing won't end until, as Golda Meir put it, "the Arabs love their children more than they hate the Jews."

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Donnie Iris is 81!

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It has been 66 days since Kate Middleton was seen in public.

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Lilith's

We have been awaiting the new restaurant replacing Toni Pais' Cafe Zinho on Spahr Street. Zinho had been in Shadyside for 25 years and was old-shoe comfortable. You needed some care around the menu, which could be self-indulgent, but the food was reliably good and they were always happy to see you. Just the kind of restaurant a neighborhood wants.

The new place is Lilith's, owned by Pittsburgh veteran chefs Jamilka Borges and Dianne DeStefano (Bar Marco, The Independent Brewing Company, Lorelei, and Hidden Harbor.)

We made several attempts at reservations (only online)--apparently, they are really busy--but strangely got a reservation in person after being told there were none available online. Our reservation for four was later mysteriously changed to two but, after the trouble we had getting anything, we took it without complaint.

We were on time and showed through a busy floor of mostly tables for two, into the back area to a room that, in its previous life, was a small craft shop run by the previous owner's wife. It is small with a table for 4, maybe 6--perfect for an intimate Mafia meeting or people in mourning. Fortunately, the hostess found another less segregated table.

As she sat us she said "90 minutes. We're fully committed tonight. Your reservation is 90 minutes." A spirited discussion developed among nearby tables about selling 'restaurant time credits.'

The waitstaff was interested and helpful. Two of the three beers on the menu were unavailable. We would have any of the meals again.

All said and done, the room was buzzy, and the food was good.

Neighborhood restaurants are sometimes hard to do and I am always on their side. I have high hopes for any good kitchen like Lilith's. But right now we did not think we were very high on the restaurant's list of priorities. The worry is, with all the changes in the economy and the restaurant industry, is this the direction of the future?