Five Star Places in Pittsburgh?

[Rail Paul]

Today's Post-Gazette has an article about Pittsburgh's ongoing difficulty in attracting five star restaurants and hotels. Currently, only one restaurant (LeMont on Mount Washington) is rated four stars by a national service. Zagat has not yet launched a Pittsburgh rating effort, adding to the low visibility issue.

According to the article, a current problem is Pittsburgh's relatively low room rates and expectation Pittsburgh is not an expensive place. As a result, extras like fresh flowers or high staff ratios are not often found in local lodging or dining places. Ritz-Carlton, not represented in Pittsburgh, expects at least $200 a night as average revenue per room, far above Pittsburgh's avarage.

The other problem is the history of private dining rooms in major employers like Koppers, Gulf Oil, Westinghouse Electric. These may persist in current large employers (PNC, Federated, Mellon, PPG, USX, etc) but the article doesn't comment on this. Private clubs like the Duquesne offer five star services to members and their guests.

Leaders like the Carnegies, Fricks, Schwabs, Mellons, Kaufmans, etc often lived in five star homes and would entertain guests on a scale not often seen today.

Pittsburgh leaders are hopeful that it can develop a dining climate, but it would seem the odds are against it. What Pittsburgh does have in abundance is a wide range of ethnic eateries and people who enjoy sampling different foods. That would seem to be a much more interesting foundation for expanding a dining culture...

Five Star Region

and tab down to local news

[ajay]

Rail Paul,

I don't dispute your analysis on the historical lack of higher end dinning establishments in Pittsburgh. The thing that continues to confuse me is this: Pittsubrgh is still home to a large number of companies and has all of the attendant professionals (i.e. lawyers accountants etc). Moreover, Pittsburgh has a bustling and active arts and theater scene.

Now, usually both of those types of people tend to compliment fine dinning establishments. i suppose a good number of private clubs can help explain the lack of establishments available to the public, but I remain unpersuaded (as in my experience those clubs tend to be used more for business lunches than dinner and event type dinning, thoug I suppose it's not inconceivable that people entertain clients there for lunch and dinner.)

Thanks for mentioning Pittsburgh, it is an area that suffers from woeful undercoverage.

[Deacon]

The Steelhead Grill, in the Marriott City Center, was very good, I thought. I have to qualify the recommendation by saying that it was a few years ago and I only went there for breakfast. But the decor and service were a cut above the level I expected.

But I don't dispute your point, which is that for a city that size, the number of great restaurants is woefully short.

[menton1]

Coincidentally, last night on Food TV they had a piece on the Grand Concourse Restaurant, in a restored railroad station in Pittsburgh. Not an intimate place, but seems very elegant and the food looked quite good. Would this qualify as a top restaurant in Pittsburgh, or does TV make the place better than it really is?

[Rail Paul]

Coincidentally, last night on Food TV they had a piece on the Grand Concourse Restaurant, in a restored railroad station in Pittsburgh.  Not an intimate place, but seems very elegant and the food looked quite good.  Would this qualify as a top restaurant in Pittsburgh, or does TV make the place better than it really is?

I've been there twice, definitely a nice place with fine food. It has changed hands at least once, so my comments may be obsolete. I believe the locals consider this a grand place.

The main dining room is the former grand waiting room of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie railroad's headquarters, which constructed it as a finger in the eye of the rival, and dominant, Pennsylvania Railroad. P&LE was a New York Central property which hauled coal and steel products.

[R Washburn]

Can Pittsburgh support even one Mobil 5-star restaurant? Philadelphia has only one ("Le Bec-Fin") and its population is almost 10-times Pittsburgh's. I think it is more reasonable to expect some very good restaurants in Pittsburgh, but there are not enough people to support a world class establishment.

What are the best restaurants in Pittsburgh? I do occasionally make it out there, so I would like to know more about the restaurants there. I assume they are probably stronger on more casual fare, which is okay with me.

Robert

[Rail Paul]

Conde Nast (Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Traveler) offers an electronic restaurant guide on their website. It's part of their city profile series, which lists restaurants in about 50 places ranging from Alsace to Washington, DC.

Here are restaurants mentioned in the Pittsburgh page:

Baum Vivant Baum Vivant page

Cafe Allegro

Isabela on Grandview, with its Jamison Farms lamb saddle encrusted with porcini mushrooms. Jamison is local, about 30 miles away in Latrobe.

Soba

Il Pizzaiolo