With their firm, spongy texture and woody taste, it is surprising that mushrooms rarely take center stage in restaurant menus. But mushroom fans can take comfort. Throughout September, Gullifty's, the famous Pittsburgh restaurant, is holding its annual Mushroom Madness Festival, a culinary tribute to these delectable fungi. The menu offers a small selection of appetizers and entrees, all featuring grilled, sautéed, or raw mushrooms. Unfortunately, the results are an uneven assortment of the flavorful and the bland, a mixed bag of culinary highs and lows.

We started off with the Mushroom Sherry Bisque soup, a creamy concoction with bits of portobello and oyster mushrooms. Though the soup was slightly salty and too heavy at times, it was helped by the light, delicate flavor of the sherry.

All of the Mushroom Madness entrees include a Caesar or garden salad. We chose the Caesar, crispy iceberg lettuce topped with a smooth anchovy dressing. 

For our entrée, we were immediately attracted to the Mushroom Lasagna Florentine, which came layered with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses and which was stuffed with grilled mushrooms. It was baked, then garnished with parsley and chives. Soon after arriving, the three cheeses melted into a rich, mouthwatering blend that contrasted with the sharper texture of the mushrooms. Though the lasagna itself did not disappoint, it was topped with a bland vodka sauce that contributed little to the taste. The garlic bread that accompanied the lasagna was dreadful; tough, dry, and coated in oil, it resembled store-bought garlic bread.

The dismal choice of side dishes kept the Steak & Mush from reaching culinary glory. Two generous medallions of steak were topped with grilled wild mushrooms. The meat was cooked to perfection: juicy, tender, and flavorful; it was what a steak should be. The grilled, wild mushrooms were juicy and firm and enhanced the steak's flavor perfectly. Unfortunately, the "mush" portion of the dish proved disappointing at best. The overcooked wild rice and bland, unseasoned vegetables failed to please.

We hoped that the Exotic Mushroom-Roasted Pork Loin would avoid these pitfalls. The dish looked promising when it arrived in the form of two generous slabs of pork loin stuffed with mushrooms and spinach. However, the pork was so dry that it resembled the epitome of tastelessness: the skinless, boneless chicken breast. The pork was topped with the same vodka sauce as the Mushroom Lasagna Florentine, which did not help matters.

Gullifty's Mushroom Madness proved to be a mixed bag of flavorful main courses and insipid side dishes. Given such an uneven performance, it was hard to justify the high prices. The entrees were priced between $13 and $17, hardly suited to the budget of a college student looking for an inexpensive, quality meal. Appetizers ranged from $5 to $8. If you find yourself at Gullifty's during the Mushroom Festival, skip the sides; all the flavors are in the main course.

Get there by bus: take any 61A, B, or C to Squirrel Hill and get off at Forbes and Murray. Walk down Murray Avenue; Gullifty's is on your right, between Bartlett and Beacon Streets.

Gullifty's
1922 Murray Avenue
Pittsburgh, 15217
412.521.8222