Downtown Pittsburgh - restaurants near the Downtown Courtyard on Penn?
Aug 10th, 2005, 11:44 AM
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Downtown Pittsburgh - restaurants near the Downtown Courtyard on Penn?
I will be going to Pittsburgh in a couple weeks for my job. We are staying at the Courtyard Marriott Downtown on Penn Avenue. I am not familiar with Pittsburgh but have heard that the downtown area leaves something to be desired as far as nightlife and dining options. Is anyone familiar with the location of this hotel that could tell me what the area is like and what some decent dining options might be?
Aug 10th, 2005, 12:27 PM
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The Original Fish Market, in the Westin in the next block of Penn Ave., is a fine seafood restaurant with great food (and criminal markups on their wine, so be warned). A relatively short walk away is Bossa Nova, which purports to be a Latin American-style eatery with a stylish bar area and a nightclub vibe. Well, it tries hard, and it's about the only place approaching a Scene in this part of Pittsburgh. Note that the streets are essentially deserted in downtown Pittsburgh on weekdays after the offices close, so it's a bit creepy at night. Weekends are slightly better, but still.... Opus at the Renaissance tries extra-hard to be a little nouvelle for Pittsburgh, but every time I dine there, each course is just that little bit off. Tonic is a good eatery in the neighborhood, however (on Liberty).
Really, your best bet is to grab a taxi to the South Side, where there are some OK restaurants and a couple of clubs. Nothing spectacular, but there will be people. Station Square has the Grand Concourse, which is quite good, but everything closes early there.
Really, your best bet is to grab a taxi to the South Side, where there are some OK restaurants and a couple of clubs. Nothing spectacular, but there will be people. Station Square has the Grand Concourse, which is quite good, but everything closes early there.
Aug 10th, 2005, 08:33 PM
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Wait just a minute. It seems like the blind is leading the blind. I moved to Pittsburgh from Manhattan two years ago. And trust me, Pittsburgh is a beautiful vibrant city. The food scene is growing with exciting leaps and bounds. The club scene is more in the trendy Strip District, artsie South Side, Station Square and the upscale neighborhood of Shadyside. To begin with, the Strip District is home to many good restaurants. Lidia's (you know, Lidia Bastanovich?) and more recently an excellent restaraunt called Eleven. The food is amazing, the presentation gorgeous, the wine list impressive and the interior classy. In the downtown area, which is safe to walk at night and is not "creepy" there are several restaurants you would enjoy. In the same area as your hotel on Penn is the Sonoma Grille, which is a French chef owned restaurant featuring west coast cuisine. It is also beautiful. On Liberty, one street over is a Morton's Steak House. Palamino's located in Gateway Center is a beautiful, hip, trendy restaurant where you'll find many things to please you. Ciao Baby in Market Square is also a great restaurant. The Carlton on Grant Street is a high end, sophisticated restaurant that serves exquisite current gourmet meals. You can take a cab to Mt. Washington, or take the incline, and dine at other fine restaurants. Monterey Fish Grotto is a fabulaous restaurant with a world class view of downtown and the Three Rivers. I could go on and on, but maybe you should check out the reviews for yourself in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (www.post-gazette.com). I have dined at the best restaurants in NYC and California, including The French Laundry and Thomas Keller's lates in NYC Per Se. Also, Pittsburghers are very nice, considerate and informed. They enjoy culture, the arts and fine dining. You don't know what you are missing. Check out the Andy Warhol Museum on the North Shore, our beautiful PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Pittsburgh Ballet, Heinz Hall, The Benedum Theater, The O'Rielly Public Theater, Quantum Theater and many more. There is so much more to Pittsburgh then described here earlier. Besides, who still uses the term "nouvelle" to describe a dining style. Throw away your polyester and come into the light!
Aug 11th, 2005, 08:22 AM
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Er, Tomsoc, I GREW UP in Pittsburgh. I do know the city. And you can sugarcoat that "beautiful vibrant" downtown all you want-- it's deserted after dark on weekdays. I do have to go back to the 'Burgh on business fairly frequently and have had many an evening hour wasted looking for restaurants that were (1) open and (2) good.
Your list of good eateries only supports my assertion that it's best to get out of downtown for dining and nightlife.
The Chamber of Commerce boosterism is heartening, but the fact is: Downtown is not revitalizing despite repeated tries. And the restaurants with good wine lists still levy a crazy markup ($120 for a bottle of Mondavi Woodbridge cab that I can get for $11.99 at a supermarket here at home?!). And the choice of the word "nouvelle" was intentional-- a bit sarcastic; but an expensive restaurant with aspirations to haute cuisine shouldn't screw up easy things like a caprese salad or a berry tart.
(By the way, you forgot City Theatre Company, who does some of the best, most progressive work in western Pennsylvania. I knew them when they worked out of a 99-seat Equity waiver theatre in Oakland. Too bad all the great cultural offerings haven't prevented the city from losing over 50% of its population in 20 years. Which IS a shame.)
Your list of good eateries only supports my assertion that it's best to get out of downtown for dining and nightlife.
The Chamber of Commerce boosterism is heartening, but the fact is: Downtown is not revitalizing despite repeated tries. And the restaurants with good wine lists still levy a crazy markup ($120 for a bottle of Mondavi Woodbridge cab that I can get for $11.99 at a supermarket here at home?!). And the choice of the word "nouvelle" was intentional-- a bit sarcastic; but an expensive restaurant with aspirations to haute cuisine shouldn't screw up easy things like a caprese salad or a berry tart.
(By the way, you forgot City Theatre Company, who does some of the best, most progressive work in western Pennsylvania. I knew them when they worked out of a 99-seat Equity waiver theatre in Oakland. Too bad all the great cultural offerings haven't prevented the city from losing over 50% of its population in 20 years. Which IS a shame.)
