Will be in Pittsburgh for a single Saturday night in a couple of weeks and need restaurant suggestions.

We're staying in the University Center area, enjoy lively, hip, independently-owned restaurants with innovative food, no real restriction on price but don't want stuffy, New American, Italian or French preferred. Big plus if it's in an area that we can hit a couple of decent bars before or after.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

A couple of suggestions:
1)Go over to the South Side (Carson Street is the main street throught the South Side) and try Bruschetta (Mick Jagger and Keith Richards liked it when they were in town last year), Cafe Allegro (great northern Italian/Provencal) or Le Pommier (great country French). The beauty of the South Side is that there is a real mixed crowd, lots of coffee shops, bars and clubs - Nick's Fat City has great live music every weekend, the Blue Note often has live acts, and there's a relatively new a piano bar across from Cafe Allegro that under former owners was called Club Cardillo (can't recall new name right now). Also in South Side - 17th Street Cafe - really good food in a bar atmosphere just a 1/2 block off Carson; Viaggio, solid Italian with really good tiramasu for dessert, and Mallorca, for paella and other Spanish dishes. South Side is safe, crowded, lively, fun.
2) East of where you'll be staying is Shadyside,with bars and one or two good restaurants (Pasta Piatta comes to mind). There's a really good place even a little further East in Highland Park called La Foret - white linen French, more formal than the SS places described above but a good dining experience.
My recommendation is the South Side. After dinner and music, drive up to Mount Washington (ask locals for directions)and get a view of the entire city. One other suggestion - if you're interested in architecture, when you're in the South Side be sure to look up - the buildings along Carson from 10th to 27th Street constitute the longest single commercial stretch of still-intact Victorian architecture in America. Carson Street was part of the first Main Street preservation program of the Dept. of the Interior.

You didn`t say if you have a car? Grandview Saloon on top of Mt. Washington is a good restaurant and the view of the city is fantastic. You can also ride the incline next door.South Side rocks.Also the Strip Dist. for dinner and entertainment.Donzi`s and many clubs are there. You could go downtown to Ruth`s Chris Steakhouse not any night life downtown. There is also Station Square on the southside-Grand Concourse and Gandy Dancer restaurants and Jelly Rolls(dueling pianos-and great fun),Chauncy`s and Funny Bones Comedy club.Make reservations for restaurants.Also at Strip Dist. there is sidewalk dining at rest. and micro brews(Valhalla and The Strip). Hope this helped and have fun.

P.S.~ Go to In Pittsburgh.com
and KDKA.com and the
pittsburgchannel.com for info
on dining and nightlife and
entertainment schedules.(could
be In-Pittsburgh.com)

Thanks Dan and San, those recommendations are great.

Brian, Agree w/ the So'side suggestions. I'm an old Pittsburgh boy (Neville Island) and hadn't been there in 20 yrs. Went back in '86 and found out what a nice job they did w/ the city and to the So'side. We stayed at the So'side Sheraton and in the mornings I'd just go into Station Square and grab a cup of coffee and a nosh and watch the boats and the river go by.
Nick's Fat City was just opening on one of out trips there. Real nice place.

If the Pitt posters are still looking, are Mario's So'side Saloon and Blue Lou's still open? I still have about 10 fishbowls on my dresser (they served beer in a fishbowl or a yard)?
Kal

South Side it is. I remember Carson Street and actually dined at Mallorca on a business trip a few years ago.

In fact, we chose the Hampton Inn University Center on Hamlet Street because it looked like it was the closest hotel to the South Side. According to Travelocity, it's only about a mile.

As we'll be drinking fairly heavily (I have to attend a family reunion in Akron earlier in the day) we'd like to walk across the bridge to dinner/drinks. Is this a safe and doable walk?

Thanks again.

Yes,Mario`s and Blue Lou`s is still there. No,you can`t walk and it`s not safe. You`ll have to take a cab or drive.Maybe the Sheraton at Station Square would be more convenient.You would still have to drive as the southside covers quite a distance.I`d say it`s at least 2 miles from where you you`ll be. A lot of peope take a cab or bus to the southside and do "the Southside Shuffle"--that`s when you start at one bar and walk to all the rest of them on Carson St.(hope this helps)

By the way, if you'll be in Pittsburgh between June 2 and June 18, the Three Rivers Arts Festival will be happening at the Point downtown.
website: http://www.artsfestival.net/

Boy, glad I asked. Thanks for the info, San.

Brian - hope this message reaches you before you leave for Pittsburgh. If you want to be able to walk (stumble, whatever)to and from all that the South Side has to offer, consider staying at the Morning Glory Inn on Sarah Street in the South Side (412-431-1707). It's just a couple of blocks off Carson. Check it out at www.bedandbreakfast.com (do a city search for Pittsburgh and there it is). You'll pay more than at the Hampton Inn but location will more than make up for the extra expense. Hope you'll let eveyone know what you think of Pittsburgh and the SS in particular.

Thanks Dan, It was actually the first place I looked. Unfortunately, there are no rooms at the inn. I'll let you know how it goes.

Brian:

I'm a Pittsburgher now living in Ohio! However, I go home frequently and have many sisters in the city.

I agree most heartily with the suggestions that Dan gave you. Only tourists go to Station Square (yuk) and, while the view is magnificent, Grandview Avenue is not the culinary epicenter - with the exception of the Montery Bay Seafood Rest.

THE BEST LOCAL HIP YET DOWN TO EARTH PLACE TO EAT A WOOD FIRED BURGER, CHICKEN SANDWICH, BBQ WHOLE CHICKEN, STEAK AND SELECTED FRESH FISH IS TESSARO'S ON LIBERTY AVENUE. HOME MADE EVERYTHING! Kelly Harrington and his sister, Ina own it, with their wild and wooly mom, Ms. Harrington as the no-nonsense hospitable Pittsburgh greeter. All my out of town guests LOVE IT.

Bellini's is the best new restaurant in town - exquisite food, great service and an enchanting patio. Casbah is awesome and slightly exotic in feel. Cafe Sam is wonderful, and you can't go wrong with Mallorca, Le Pommier and Cafe Allegro (although it's pricey and small in portions.) For lunch in the Oakland area try the Spice Island Tea House!

Enjoy!

Just across Penn Ave from Heinz Hall is a great Restaurant (italian). Used to be called Bravo Franco. A couple of years ago the name changed but the service, food, etc was still the best.
Wonderful Osso Bucco.

Thanks for all the replies. Here's what we ended up doing:

We stayed at the Hampton Inn University Center which is in a pretty good location for hitting the South Side (just across the river). We paid about $100 but parking is free. And they provide an hourly shuttle so we saved the cab fare across the river.

We first hit the Lava Lounge for pre-dinner drinks around 8:30. LL is a great place with good music, funky decor and in the back, lots of little nooks and booths that would be great for small groups (even one "booth" where you sit in a circle in the bottom of a well). Top shelf mixed drinks were only $4! We stayed for a while.

Around 9:45 we walked over to Bruschetta, put our name on the list (no reservations unless you have 6 people) and walked across the street to Piper's Pub (I think that was the name) for a couple of pints. They have an impressive list of beers on tap and they poured a perfect Guinness. Seemed to be a friendly, comfortable place.

Walked back across the street just as our table was ready. Dinner was great. We started with a large portion of complimentary bruschetta, split a very good scallop salad (which was brought on 2 separate plates without us asking - nice touch), and 2 very interesting pastas. Washed it down with a well-priced Brunello. Everything was well prepared and served hot. Service was warm but professional. Tab was only $90 before tip. Highly recommend this place.

About 11:30 we decided to forgo the nightcap even though we saw a lot of other bars we wanted to try (we had gotten up early that morning) and surprisingly, we waited on the street for about 10 minutes before we saw a cab. This was probably our fault for being such wusses going home so early.

Thanks again for the good ideas.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your evening in Pittsburgh's South Side. Bruschetta is a reliable choice. Come back again and try the many other good places to eat - and take a ride on the incline.

To Carol/[email protected] --this is the posting I was talking about.Lot`s of good ideas.Mt.Washinton has a fantastic view of city.