Great Pittsburgh Restaurants
The good news for media attending the G20 Summit is that Pittsburgh boasts a laundry list of great places to eat and/or get a drink in all parts of the city. A list of just some of these restaurants and bars is listed below.
Downtown
Café Euro: A 250-seat luxury restaurant with a five-star chef serves 200 to 300 lunches a day, downtown’s Café Euro—with its cathedral-like ceilings, custom-made chandeliers and abstract artwork is clearly doing something right. From Parmesan-encrusted tilapia and Maryland crab cakes to honey-glazed salmon and veal Gamberti, Euro does lunches and dinners. (U.S. Steel Tower, Lower Level, 600 Grant St., 412.434.0800, www.cafeeuropittsburgh.com. )
The Capital Grille: With rich African mahogany paneling and original art-deco chandeliers, The Capital Grille offers visual elegance. With nationally renowned dry-aged steaks, fresh seafood flown in from both coasts, house-made ice cream and 5,000 varieties on its wine list, the Grille offers taste-bud opulence. Open for lunch and dinner. (301 Fifth Avenue, 412.338.9100, www.thecapitalgrille.com/locations/pittsburgh/main.asp. )
The Carlton Restaurant: A Distinguished Restaurant of North America (DiRoNA) Award-winning restaurant, The Carlton has a “whatever you are comfortable with is fine with us” dress code, but a nationally recognized menu of prime meats, fresh seafood, exquisite veal and pasta. It was named “Overall Favorite Restaurant” by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette readers and is a 14-time recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. (500 Grant Street, BNY Mellon Center, 412.391.4152, www.thecarltonrestaurant.com. )
Palomino Restaurant Rotisseria Bar: This upbeat restaurant and bar is famous for its rich and stylish ambiance and a versatile menu at reasonable prices. At First Seating, a three-course dinner (with choice prawn scampi, crab cakes, capellini pomodoro and braised beef short rib) is priced at $25. But, that does not come close to summarizing the extensive lunch and dinner menus. (444 Liberty Ave. #100, 412.642.7711, www.palomino.com)
Theater District (Close to Convention Center)
Nine on Nine: A welcoming space with elegant ambience, Nine on Nine offers cutting-edge cuisine in its French-inspired American dishes. Just steps away from the Theater District, dinner entrees include Strip Steak, Wild Stripe Bass, Duck, Salmon and Roasted Chicken Breast. They also offer a Bar Nine menu. (900 Penn Ave., 412.338.6463, www.nineonnine.com.)
Seviche: Looking for tapas and a wide variety of Mojitos? Try this restubar in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District with a South Beat Art deco theme complete with Cuban artwork and salsa rhythms. The menu includes the Seviche Bar of seven sushi varieties and a variety of tapas. (930 Penn Ave. #R1, 412.697.3120, www.seviche.com)
The Sonoma Grille: For a taste of California’s Sonoma Wine Valley, try this sophisticated but casual restaurant with an airy dining room. The chef’s creations are internationally inspired by Mexico, Japan, the Middle East and France. The Sonoma Grille offers more than 100 wines available by the glass and the menu offers signature dishes of fresh seasonal fish, study of duck, bacon-wrapped veal and tournedos, and among other offerings, black sesame honey-glazed pork tenderloin. (947 Penn Ave., 412.697.1336, www.thesonomagrille.com.)
Smallman Street, Strip District (very close to Convention Center):
Eleven Contemporary Kitchen: Located where Downtown meets the Strip, the 11th restaurant in the Big Burrito restaurant group combines American flavors, and indigenous and seasonal ingredients in pursuit of a fresh, original menu. From Maine Lobster and Alaskan Halibut to Seminola Gnocci and Elysian Fields Farm Lamb, Eleven has a variety of offerings. (1150 Smallman St., 412.201.5656, www.bigburrito.com.)
Lidia’s Pittsburgh Pasta: Foodies from around the world know Lidia Bastianich from her books, television shows and blogs about Italian cuisine. People from Pittsburgh know her for the Italian food she serves at her restaurant in the Strip District. In 2001, she and her son Joseph built upon the successful Manhattan venture, Becco New York, to offer a daily three-pasta tasting, traditional Italian main courses and, among other things, roasted veal shank and grilled salmon over braised lentils with a zesty chive-mustard sauce. (1400 Smallman St., 412.552.0150, www.lidias-pittsburgh.com.)
Pamela’s P&G Diner: When a president stops by your eatery because he likes your pancakes so much that he invites you to the White House to prepare them like Barack Obama did for Memorial Day, you’re doing something right. Pamela’s Diner owners Pam Cohen and Gail Klingensmith have been doing so since the early 80s, offering banana-walnut, chocolate-chip-banana, Pamela’s-famous-crepe and strawberry hotcakes on a vast menu that people call the “best breakfast in Pittsburgh.” They’re open for lunch, as well. (60 21st St., 412.281.6366, www.pamelasrestaurants.com.)
Mt. Washington
Isabela on Grandview: Just a stone’s throw from Downtown, Isabela on Grandview offers a grand view of the Pittsburgh skyline. The chef offers a locally focused 7-course seasonal meal and dishes designed to compliment a diverse wine list. The menu—with a $70 per person prix fixe or the new ala carte pan-roasted swordfish, braised pork roulade, roasted steelhead trout and Harissa marinated lamb steak—does not take a backseat to the view. (1318 Grandview Avenue, 412.431.5882, www.isabelaongrandview.com.)
Le Mont Restaurant: On the eve of its 50th anniversary in 2010, the Le Mont couples its skyline view with a $50 Dinner for Two and a 50th Anniversary Wine Special of 25 different bottles available for $25. The area’s only five-star-rated restaurant has a menu which ranges from Roast Raspberry Duck to Chilean Sea Bass Tropicana to Lamb Persille to Dry-Aged New York Strip Steak. (1114 Grandview Ave, 412.431.3100, www.lemontpittsburgh.com.)
Monterey Bay Fish Grotto: Even when it was a single suburban eatery, the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto (ne Rodi Grille House) aimed solely to deliver the finest fish to its customers. There are three locations today, none with as good a view as the one atop the Grandview Point Apartment Building. For lunch and dinner, fish is flown in daily from both coasts and the Hawaiian Islands. Offerings are season, but each day’s Fresh Fish Board is available on their Web site. (1411 Grandview Ave., 412.481.4414, www.montereybayfishgrotto.com.)
Tin Angel: Located atop Mount Washington for 50 years “Dine High Above it All”— Tin Angel hosted President Clinton and British Prime Minister John Major for a dinner summit meeting; it is consistently recognized as one of the city’s premier restaurants and romantic destinations. The menu for the five-course prix fixe includes a wide variety of entrees including South Atlantic Lobster Tails, Delmonico Steak, Filet of Sole Bertone and President Clinton’s Black Forest Filet. (1200 Grandview Ave., 412.381.1919, www.tinangelpittsburgh.com)
Out of Town
SiBA Cucina: Thirty minutes north of Pittsburgh in Seven Hills, Pa. is an upscale-but-casual, Tuscan-inspired bistro serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The dinner menu includes seafood including Mahi Fresca, House Favorites including Chicken Scallopini and Lasagna, pasta including Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Farfalle, and From the Grill including Grilled Pork Chops, SiBA Lamb Rack and Filet Mignon. (536 Northpointe Circle, Seven Hills, which is close to Oakland; 724.741.6000, www.siba-cucina.com.)
Hotel Restaurants
Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel: Opus, which offers lunch and dinner menus, has been named one of the city’s Top 10 Restaurants. For breakfast, Opus offers healthy and quick bites, including an Atkins Diet friendly meal, and Starbucks Coffee. The lunch menu includes salads, sandwiches and a variety of entrees (from $6 to $14). At dinner, they focus on world-class American Fusion cuisine and an award-winning Opus Wine List. (107 6th St, 412.992-2005, www.dineatopus.com; The Bridge Bar, 412.992.2837; Prelude Wine Bar, 412.992.2838)
Omni William Penn Hotel: The William Penn Hotel’s Terrace Room has been voted “Best Hotel Dining” in Pittsburgh for two year running. Not only is it visually pleasing —with the original molded plaster ceiling, mahogany arches and “The Taking of Fort Pitt” mural. The Terrace Room is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch and has a dinner menu including entrees including Oven Roasted Duck Breast a la “Montmorency, Roasted Vegetarian Napoleon, Walleye and Shrimp “Papillote” Style, Beurre Blanc Poached Halibut “Veronique” and Aged Pittsburgh Cuts. (530 William Penn Place, 412.281.7100, www.omnihotels.com.)