Dining in Pittsburgh: From elegant to jazzy

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Dining in Pittsburgh:

From elegant to jazzy

By Marcia D u n ca n Low ry

Here’s a listing o f restaurants to

whet your appetite

A

n army m arches o n its stom ach,” stated Napoleon. After m any years in the library p rofession, I am in clin ed to believe this is equally true o f librarians attending conferences. G iven the significance o f the topic o f food, w e’ve saved the best

till last. This final article

in th e ACRL 7th N a

When you o

tional C onference in

wich with sl

fo rm atio n series d is

_{don’t be sur}

c u s s e s P i t t s b u r g h ’s

eating establishm ents.

your side dis

W h e th e r y o u a re a

top

of your s

gourm et, a gourm and,

_{just a ‘Burgh}

o r just p lain hungry,

the follow ing list will

provide som e assistance. Each year Pittsburgh Magazine conducts a read er’s poll o f the best restaurants in a variety o f categories. The w in n e rs a re n o te d in th is article to a id y o u r decision-m aking. Restaurant pricing, for the budget-conscious, is indicated by a dollar sign sym bol follow ing th e nam e o f the restaurant (see th e key on the follow ing page).

D ining in Pittsburgh is best described in the context o f districts an d neighborhoods (see the February issue o f C&RL News for a description o f these). With tim e o f the essence, busy co n ference attendees will be interested primarily in w hat is available closest to the C onvention C enter for breakfasts an d lunches. All o f the designated conference hotels have restaurants w hich can m eet these needs. It is w orth re

peating, how ever, that Pittsburgh has a very com pact dow ntow n, encom passing basically ten city blocks. Many places are w ithin easy striking distance for lunch. Evening m eals can afford a m ore leisurely pace, an d you m ay w ish to consider destinations a bit farther out.

Dow ntown and The Strip

T he Strip, an easy ten-m inute w alk from the C onvention Center, has a lineup o f quick-bite sp o ts. D eL uca’s ($),

der a sand

voted “Best Breakfast,” _{is full o f local color;}

w and fries,

the Italian O ven ($), a

rised to find

local chain restaurant

hes piled on

w hich has claim ed its _{r a n k in g a m o n g th e}

andwich. It’s

nationals, earns votes

thing!

for best pizza in tow n. Consider Roland’s Sea fo o d Grill ($$$) if a bu ck et o f little neck clams an d a choice o f 18 m icrobrew ery an d im port beers o n tap sounds appealing.

T here m ay not b e a great deal w hich “d e fines” Pittsburgh cuisine, but if you w ant to experience a bona fide local tradition, d rop in at Primanti Brothers ($) for lunch in th e Strip District o r on Cherry Way dow ntow n. W hen you ord er a sandw ich accom panied w ith slaw a n d fries, d o n ’t be surprised to find y our side dishes piled o n top o f your sandw ich. It’s just a ‘Burgh thing! (French fries also find their w ay to th e to p o f grilled chicken o r steak salads in Pittsburgh.)

All dining sp o ts d o w n to w n are ap p ro x i m ately 15-minute w alks from th e Convention Center. T he O riginal O yster H ouse ($) in

Mar-r

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Marcia D uncan Lowry is reference librarian a t Robert Morris College, Pittsburgh; e-mail: lowry©rmcnet.robert-morris.edu

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T h e G ra n d C o n c o u rse R e s ta u ra n t is a n e le g a n t e a te r y in a tr a n s f o rm e d 1880s t r a in sta tio n .

ket Square is a fam ous landm ark since 1870 a n d is n o ted for oysters, fish b o at platters, an d M aryland crab cakes. This is a p o p u lar lunch spot. Across the Square, Jakes Above the Square Restaurant ($$$$) is o p e n for lunch an d dinner a n d features a sophisticated an d com fortable d e c o r as the b ack g ro u n d for c o n tem p o rary Am erican an d N orthern Italian fare judged by Pittsburgh Magazine as “consistently superla tive.” Tw o o th er notable spots d o w n to w n for regional Italian dining are Piccolo Piccolo ($$$) o n W ood Street an d Ju n o Trattoria ($$$) in O ne O xford Center.

W here’s th e beef? D ow ntow n has tw o a n sw ers for that question. V oted as “Best in the City” by Pittsburgh Magazine readers are Ruth’s Chris Steak H ouse ($$$$) located in PPG Place a n d M orton’s o f Chicago ($$$$) in the CNG Tower. Bring a hearty appetite to either of these establishm ents. The sophisticated an d stylish Carlton ($$) restaurant is located in the heart o f d o w n to w n in the M ellon B ank Center. Expect very go o d grilled seafood an d a variety of prime m eats o n this A merican m enu, v o ted o n e of th e top in the city.

A dding variety to y our conference graz ing, d o w n to w n provides tw o options on Sixth Street n ear H einz Hall: Southw est Bis tro ($$) an d Suzies ($$). Southw est Bistro offers, yes, the obvious cuisine b u t look for traces o f the c h e f ’s classical French train ing in unusual com binations o f ingredients an d preparations. Suzie’s, voted o n e o f the top three “best” in the Middle Eastern/G reek category, serves hom em ade G reek dishes, pastries, an d breads.

O ak lan d an d Shadyside

East o f dow ntow n, O akland an d Shadyside can b e reach ed in ab o u t 15 m inutes by cab. O akland, hom e to C arnegie M ellon Univer sity a n d th e University o f Pittsburgh, is also h o m e to som e very fine restaurants. Craig Street has a trio to tantalize palates. Ali Baba ($$) is a longtim e favorite an d m aintains its standing as o n e o f the best in Middle East ern dining in the city, as w ell as o n e o f the best vegetarian restaurants. Star o f India ($$) is also w orth noting an d holds th e title o f “Best Indian.” Cafe Azure ($$$) describes itself as a bistro serving a provincial French, A merican regional, an d nouvelle m enu. Live jazz is offered o n Friday an d Saturday eve nings.

Jazz is also o n the evening bill o f fare at the Balcony ($$$) in Shadyside, a busy favorite for lunch o r din n er that will not disappoint you w ith its offerings o f creative pasta dishes, go o d seafood, an d legendary hot fudge sundaes. It serves a w onderful jazz brunch o n Sundays, as well.

Variety being th e spice o f life, you can find b o th at th e Thai Palace ($$) in Shadyside. V oted “Best o f O ther Asian Cuisines,” variety is m et w ith nearly 100 items o n the m enu an d spice is provided by dishes calibrated o n a heat scale o f on e to ten.

A nother Shadyside w in n er is B aum Vivant ($$$$). In an intim ate atm osphere you can e n oy fine E uropean dining featuring P ortuguese

Key

B ased o n the price o f a three-course meal for o n e person: $ less th an $10 $$ $10-$20 $$$ $20-$30 $$$$ m ore th an $30 j

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specialities. Nearby o n Baum B oulevard is Cafe Sam ($$$), a favorite w ith locals offering a var ied m enu o f French, Italian, an d California se lections.

South Side and Mt. W ashington

A lthough it is som etim es said that the elevation of a restaurant is inversely related to the qual ity o f its food, not so w h en dining on the heights of Mt. W ashington o n the South Side. Expect a cab ride o f about 20 minutes, d ep en d in g on traffic, to these destinations. T hree restaurants deserve serious consideration for outstanding food an d vistas o f Pittsburgh. All three received top votes for “Most Romantic” restaurants. Presi dent Clinton an d Prim e M inister Jo h n Major selected the Tin Angel ($$$$) for their dinner m eeting last year. Its continental m enu includes steak dishes an d lobster. C hristopher’s ($$$$) continental cuisine an d Le M ont’s ($$$$) co n tem porary A merican cuisine are b o th accom panied by the tinkling o f ivories. Reservations are a m ust at all three.

D ow n from th e heights, how ever, you will find tw o o f th e top three “Best O verall” restau rants in the ‘Burgh. Cafe Allegro ($$$$), located just off Carson Street o n 21st Street, is th e top w inner. The cafe designs its culinary creations from French/Italian M editerranean coastal tra ditions an d prides itself o n using only the sea sonally freshest ingredients. It is justly fam ous for its desserts.

Second place accolades go to th e G rand Concourse ($$$) at Station Square. Elegant is th e only w ay to describe dining in this trans form ed an d restored train station o f the 1800s. The fresh fish specialties, voted som e o f the best in Pittsburgh, are w ell p rep ared as are the steak and lamb. Come early an d enjoy drinks an d the raw bar in th e attached G andy D ancer Saloon. The G rand C oncourse w as also voted th e “Best Sunday B runch.”

North Side

For a com plete change o f venue, sw ing across the Allegheny River into the N orth Side. Allow a 15-m inute cab ride in g o o d traffic. An au th e n tic G e rm a n b e e r h a ll a w a its y o u in Pittsburgh’s old D eutschtow n. The Penn Brew ery ($$) o n Troy Hill Road is th e first “tied h o u se ” (brew ery-ow ned restaurant) in P enn sylvania since Prohibition. Enjoy authentic Ger m an food an d over eleven varieties o f G erm an b eer brew ed o n site conform ing to G erm any’s b eer purity law o f 1516. Live musical entertain

m ent rings throughout the hall Tuesday through Saturday evenings.

And the list goes on

A lthough it is im possible to provide a com plete review o f all the restaurant offerings, the following list is a further gastronom ic sampling. An asterisk (*) indicates inclusion on the “Best o f . . . listing. B on appetit!

D o w n to w n a n d The S tr ip

M ullaney’s H arp and Fiddle, *Schwartz’s Bagels, *Sammy’s Fam ous C orned Beef, “Richest Res taurant Deli, Dingbats, The Com m on Plea, Au Bon Pain, Max an d Erma’s.

O a k la n d a n d S h a d y s id e

*Mad Mex, *Schw artz’s Bagels, *Pasta Piatta, Sushi Too, *H ot Licks, *Pittsburgh Deli Com pany, Max an d Erma’s, The Carnegie M useum Cafe.

S o u th S id e a n d Mt. W a sh in g to n

The Cliffside, G randview Saloon, 1889 Cafe, *La P o m m ier, *M allorca, T h e S h o p s at Station Square: *Kiku’s, H oulihan’s, *Bobby R ubino’s, Tequila Junction.

N o r th S id e

Clark Bar an d Grill, Jam es Street N ew O rleans Specialties, *Max’s A llegheny Tavern, Cerulean Bistro.

Have dinner with a local

librarian

M eet new friends as you sam ple the cui sine at on e o f Pittsburgh’s m any interesting restaurants. P ittsburgh-area librarians will join you for dinner on W ednesday, March 30, to w elcom e you to their city. Sign u p at the Hospitality D esk in the David Lawrence C onvention C enter w h en you com e over to pick u p y our registration packet. Sign-up is o n a first-come, first-served basis.

Also available at th e Hospitality D esk will be a restaurant guide and reservation ser vice. Pittsburgh C onvention an d V isitor’s Bureau staff will be o n h an d to answ er your questions o r guide you in the right direc tion.

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