one night in pittsburgh

[mrbigjas]

haven't heard much from the pittsburgh folks lately, what with all the philadelphia concentration on here.

i'll be in pittsburgh starting on thursday evening. friday we'll be doing a day trip to fallingwater and kentuck, and then back in town for the weekend, leaving sunday. oh, and we're seeing a pirates game on saturday night, so we won't be dining per se that night.

any and all recommendations would be welcomed. we're staying downtown near the strip somewheres, in a big fancy hotel. feel free to PM if you don't wanna post.

[dockhl]

Went to school at Pitt but it has been many (many) years........always like the Common Plea

I am sure there are many better since then but it is an old favorite. Maybe the contemporary Pittsburghers can let us know where.

(Heck I'd love to know if there is still a bar in East Liberty called the Tender Trap where I used to hang out with the "Steel Curtain"............now, I'm talking '70's here, showing my age.......) Ahhhhhh, the good ole days

Kathy

[mrbigjas]

oh also i should clarify: lest you think i didn't do my homework, i have read the two threads on pittsburgh recommendations on here. but they're kind of old, and i was wondering if there's anything new and fun that i shouldn't miss...

[monavano]

This is a time old suggestions, but a very "Pittsburgh" thing. I used to LOVE going to the strip on Sat. morning. Grab a Primanti Bros. sammich just to say you did! They're good too!

It's the equivalent of going to Geno's/Pat's during a visit to Philly.

http://www.primantibros.com/

[dannyboy]

friday we'll be doing a day trip to fallingwater and kentuck, and then back in town for the weekend, leaving sunday.

My family and I go to the Fallingwater area every summer. My friend owns a small farm near Somerset. Lovely area. Fallingwater is excellent. If you are up for getting even farther away from Pittsburgh, I would recommend the River's Edge restaurant and Bed & Breakfast in Confluence, PA. It's about 20 miles southeast of Fallingwater. We went there a few years back and had a very nice meal. The owners are interesting world travelers and the food was very up to par. Fahn dahnin' is slim pickins in them there part of the woods, but this place is nice. Click here for the link. It's the 3rd place down on the page. You'll also travel through Ohiopyle state park to get there. Ohiopyle is a really beautiful place. The restaurant looks out over a stream.

Enjoy your visit!

[mrbigjas]

thanks dannyboy!

i should also clarify one other thing: i'm much more interested in good food than i am fahn dahnin'.

[mjg]

If you are near the Strip, I'd recommend the following:

Low-brow dining: Primanti's

Basically casual: Church Brew Works or Kaya

More upscale: Lidia's

High-brow: Eleven

[mrbigjas]

excellent, thanks mjg! church brew works seems to be a common theme among everyone i ask--we'll definitely have to go there.

i've always wondered about lidia's, since she's in my top five of all cooking show hosts ever, and her books have great dishes in them. but i've heard mixed things about the restaurant itself.

[mjg]

I've never had a bad meal at Lidia's, though I've heard from one person that his lamb left something to be desired.

The pasta sampler is a fantastic deal and is a great way to try a variety of unique and tasty preparations of pasta. If memory serves, it's around $15 for a la carte (there is a meal price as well that includes salad and dessert). Three pastas are brought to your table freshly prepared and you can eat as much as you'd like. Servers are constantly moving about the dining room offering you more. The choices change daily and from my experience include a ravioli of some sort, a fresh pasta, and a "tube" pasta.

It was there that I had a pasta revelation...braised shortrib pappardelle. Yum.