Juldie

I have been to Pittsburgh a number of times over the 4 years my son has been a student at CMU. Graduation is in May and my husband and I will be taking out 7 of us in the family who will be flying out to attend graduation. We are planning on having graduation dinner Saturday night.

I would rather not spend $30.00 per person. My son says he doesn't really care and I should decide. I don't want Indian food, Thai food, Spanish or Mexican food. My mother in law will be with us and she doesn't eat highly seasoned foods.

I have eaten at the Grand View and it was just ok, Church Brew Works, Cheesecake Factory, Melting Pot, PF Chang, Grand Concourse for brunch. I would appreciate any suggestions . Perhaps you have celebrated a graduation that was particularly enjoyable at a restaurant you would like to recommend. Thank you. I can't believe 4 years are over!

yk

On my trip last year, we ate at several places which we enjoyed a lot:

Monterey Bay Fish Grotto
Great view, fresh seafood daily
http://montereybayfishgrotto.com/

Six Penn Kitchen http://www.sixpennkitchen.com/index.html

Sonoma Grille
http://www.thesonomagrille.com

Lastly, you may get more replies and ideas on Chowhound:
http://www.chowhound.com/boards/15

Juldie

yk, these are good suggestions. I like the menu at Sonoma, they have a great variety to please different people. Did you find it very noisy - I read that in a review about it and since we are a group together I want to be able to comfortably talk?

yk

Hi Juldie - Since I've only been there once (it was on a trip), I can't really give you a good opinion. We went on the evening of July 4th, it wasn't that crowded, and it was just 3 of us. But I can imagine it can get noisy on a Sat night. You can always email or call them to see if they have a private dining room?

BTW, does your son have any suggestions for his graduation dinner? I remembered when I graduated college, it was ME who picked the restaurant, not my parents. Perhaps there's a place he really wants to go?

Juldie

I certainly would have liked my son to choose where he wants to go but as I said in my original post he told me he doesn't have any idea, nor does it matter to him. It's just one of those things that doesn't interest him I guess.

yk

Hi Juldie-

Sorry, missed the bit in your original post regarding your son's "non interest" in his graduation dinner. Either way, hope you'll find a good place to eat and congratulations to you and your son!

swaymock

As folks are flying in from elsewhere, I think they would really enjoy Monterey Bay. Part of the charm of visting Pittsburgh is the view of the city from Mt. Washington. Of course, I'm a native, I have to say that

Trekker5211

Monterey Bay would be great for the view. A great restaurant out near CMU in Oakland would be Casbah (mediterranean). The food there is always amazing.

kja

Monterey Bay is wonderful for the views and the food, but might exceed your preferred budget. . . .

Juldie

Thanks everyone. I made reservations at the Sonoma Grille. The menu looks perfect with something for everyone and I like the mixed grill so people can order the portion size they like.
I have a round table reserved away from the bar area so hopefully it won't be too noisy,

Since we are all from the Boston area the seafood at Monterey Bay is not a big draw for us in Pittsburgh. I have been up Mount Washington and the views are spectacular. Maybe we will go to a restaurant there another night we are there.

yk

Hi Juldie - I think your plan sounds great.

You should still consider going to Monterey Bay if you have a chance during your trip. I live in Boston and I can tell you that the view from Monterey Bay is quite spectacular - esp during dinner service when you sit thru the sunset and then the lights of the city gradually go on. It was a very memorable dinner.

Anyway, again congratulations to you and your son. Have a good trip.

Juldie

Hi yk, This past weekend was graduation and I couldn't wait to come home and write to you and thank you for the suggestion for Sonoma Grille to celebrate my son's graduation. It couldn't have been more perfect! It was just the kind of experience I was looking for. We had reserved a beautiful round table for the 7 of us which was great for feeling close and intimate and to be able to talk easily.

The restaurant was beautiful- I loved the colors, high ceilings, the large glass windows and the hip atmosphere. Our waiter was fantastic;he never made us feel rushed. He explained the menu to us and how to consider ordering since it is not ordinary. There was something that captured everyone's attention on the menu. My husband and sons loved their "study of duck" and I loved the horseradish crusted mahi mahi with the sauce of my choice. We had assorted tappas for appetizers that they set up on a pair of unique wooden holders. Desserts were fantastic also!

It was a beautiful, delicious, relaxing and very special celebratory evening.

Thank you very much - you were right on in your recommendation. In 2 years from now I will have my youngest son's graduation in Nashville.Do you have any recommendations there - ha ha ?

yk

Hi Juldie-

thanks for reporting back. I'm glad it worked out well for you! We also had the tappas for appetizer and my parents loved that (with that bridge thingy as a plate).

Again, congratulations to you and your son.

Juldie

Hi yk, I thought you would like to hear how dinner went. Thanks again!

Trekker5211

I'm so glad your dinner went well!!