There's rotisserie chicken ($18), a moist breast and succulent leg, skin crisped to an even golden-brown then smothered in the Six Penn version of red-eye gravy, made from a bacon-fat-based roux and doused with espresso powder (hence the "red-eye").

A lightly smoked, double-cut pork chop ($22) comes with white kimchi fried rice (less spicy than the version made with chile pepper powder), a hoisin demi-glace and a thick squirt of spicy red chile sauce.

Grilled romaine ($8, don't knock it 'til you've tried it) became a more substantial appetizer when topped with perfectly cooked white beans tossed with pesto just before serving. Some shaved ricotta salata and a few lardons on steriods added a salty-savory note.

Full of bold flavors, creative influences and occasionally whimsical presentations, the food at Six Penn Kitchen is a delicious combination of influences from America's melting-pot cuisine, with a prejudice toward Americana-inspired classics.

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Six Penn Kitchen

Food:

3 stars = Excellent
Ratings explained

Service:

3 stars = Excellent
Ratings explained

Atmosphere:

2 1/2 stars = Very good+
Ratings explained

Overall:

3 stars = Excellent
Ratings explained

146 6th St.
Cultural District
412-566-7366
sixpennkitchen.com

• Hours: Mondays-Thursdays 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fridays 11 a.m.-midnight; Saturdays 3 p.m.-midnight; Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Basics: A diner-esque spin on fine dining that melds American classics with worldly influences.
• Recommended dishes: Flash-fried calamari and rock shrimp, wood-fired pizza, pesto white bean salad, red oak salad, cracklin' pork shank, rotisserie chicken, house smoked pork chop, lobster mac 'n' cheese, lemon tart, Six Penn "Circus."
• Prices: Appetizers $4-$12; entrees $16-$28; desserts $5.50-$8.
• Wine: A relatively small but well-selected list organized by varietal and price. List includes vintage dates. Five sparkling, 16 whites and 30 reds by the bottle; one sparkling, five whites and nine reds by the glass. Seventeen bottles for $40 or less, and a half-dozen for less than $30. For the most part markup hovers between 150 and 250 percent, with the highest-priced bottles a better deal. Servers are familiar with the wine list and give solid recommendations.
• Summary: Wheelchair accessible; park in garage at Sixth and Penn; credit cards accepted; reservations strongly encouraged; corkage $15 (waived on Monday nights).
• Noise level: Medium-loud to deafening.

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Keith Fuller came to Six Penn as the opening sous chef, and when executive chef Chris Jackson moved to Brooklyn last spring to open his own cafe, Fuller was tapped for the top job. He has filled his predecessor's shoes admirably; today Six Penn Kitchen is more consistent and exciting than ever before.

In a simple salad of red oak lettuce ($8), a maple-pepper vinaigrette brings sweetness to the slightly bitter lettuce, but the black pepper keeps it from becoming cloying. Garnishes of Bosc pear, finely chopped spiced pecans and salty gorgonzola are used sparingly but to emphatic effect, packing a lot of flavor into this light starter.

It's best to start light, because entrees are filling. The rotisserie chicken is served with smooth mashed potatoes and a cornbread waffle, both so good that they couldn't have picked just one.

Cracklin' pork shank ($20) also comes with mashed potatoes, dressed up with sauerkraut and bacon. The real stunners in this dish are the serano apple puree -- just savory enough and so silky smooth it escaped that baby-food feel -- and a brilliant spin on gremolata made from apple, parsley, fresh horseradish and lemon zest.

Lobster mac 'n' cheese ($24) wasn't just garnished with lobster; it's bedecked with two claws and a generous hunk of tail. The pasta was coated in a smooth, rich sauce of parmigian, gruyere, white cheddar and fontina, and finished with English peas and cherry tomatoes, wilted and sweetened from the heat of the pasta. Although the mac 'n' cheese is one of the menu classics, Fuller has added his own spin, garnishing the dish with a few spoonfuls of salmon roe. It's a sophisticated addition that adds another flavor of the sea without becoming too weird.

These aren't fussy plates of pristinely arranged food, and occasionally rusticity borders on sloppy. The lo mein noodle salad ($11) would have benefited from a more precisely cut vegetable garnish, as well as more balanced flavors. The grilled dry-aged rib-eye ($28) was cut unevenly, and though ordered medium, the thicker section was bloody.

But most of the dishes I sampled were not only delicious, decadent and fun;, they were also a good value. The kitchen starts out with quality ingredients and understands how to use them to the best advantage. Six Penn Kitchen is a member of the Eat'n Park Hospitality group, a major purchaser of local agriculture for its casual restaurants as well as for Six Penn. Along with the menu, diners at Six Penn are given a sheet detailing the local purveyors that supply the restaurant.

Prix fixe menus offered Monday through Thursday are an even better value, grouping some of the best items with a savings of about $6. On Monday nights, Six Penn waives the $15 corkage for guests who bring their own bottles.

BYO Mondays or not, the atmosphere trends toward the slightly boisterous. The interior is a mix of upscale diner and industrial chic. The sleek wood, tiles and shiny surfaces are attractive, but the acoustics aren't ideal. On busy nights the noise can be overwhelming, though the second floor dining room is quieter.

Just don't let the din chase you from the restaurant too soon. Desserts are very good and a few are outstanding, thanks to the talents of pastry chefs Lisa O'Connor and Amanda Williams. The Six Penn Circus ($8) has been around since the restaurant's conception, but it is too delicious and too much fun ever to take off the menu. A pile of bright pink cotton candy is accompanied by two chocolate Whoopee pies, a heap of small square cinnamon-sugar doughnuts and a bowl of house-made cracker jack -- all the more delicious in combination.

The lemon tart ($6) is also a showstopper: tart lemon curd concealed underneath a decadent pile of brown-sugar meringue, lightly toasted until it has the texture of the fluffiest marshmallow fresh from the campfire.

French press coffee is a pleasant surprise (an "individual" press pot, $3.75, provides small cups of coffee for two or a generous dose of caffeine for one). While it's already some of the best restaurant coffee in town, timers would improve consistency and take stress off servers on busy nights. A lighter roast would also result in a more flavorful cup.

No matter what you eat or drink, this restaurant tries to send you off with a sweet taste in your mouth -- Six Penn Kitchen's take on junior mints arrives with the check.