First Time in Pittsburgh, Reccs Please

[mascarpone]

My wife and I will be in Pittsburgh next week for the Music Librarians Association/Society for American Music Conference at the Hilton Pittsburgh & Towers, located downtown at 600 Commonwealth Place. We will be staying at the Days Inn on I-279 and Banksville Road. We will not have a car, but will be relying on public transportation to get to and from the conference. We are interested in every kind of cuisine and our spending budget is $10-15 per person for lunch, $20-$35 per person for dinner. Any good breakfast spots (bakeries, diners, etc) are of interest as well. Please keep in mind that our mobility will be limited as we do not have a car. Also, any suggestions on points of interest (cultural, shopping, etc.) would be appreciated.

[BrentKulman]

I had a very nice dinner at Kaya last week. It's located in the strip district which is very close to downtown.

It's a lively urban bar/restaurant with a chef-driven cuisine that has Cuban/Latin American influences, although the walls are decorated with African art. I had the roasted red pepper and tomato soup topped with a dollop of chipotle ice cream. The vegetable flavors were intense and the impact of the piquant ice cream changed over time as the ice cream melted into the liquid. For the entree, I had the Grilled Marinated Pork Tenderloin - slices of tenderloin encircled a chunk of pork belly (all the meat had been marinated in a cider vinegar marinade) and sprinkled with a multi-color hash that contained diced sweet potato, bacon, peppers and onions. I'm a big fan of pork belly so I couldn't pass that on that dish.

Although the front end of the restaurant is dominated by a bar, there was not a big bar scene on the Thursday night that I was there. Most of the patrons were there to eat and all of the tables were occupied. As I tend to look for restaurants with a good craft beer selection, I was very pleased with the range of beer choices as well. The wine list was small but featured a number of eclectic selections and the restaurant also features a variety of rums and tropical drink concoctions for those who are so inclined.

http://www.bigburrito.com/kaya/

[mascarpone]

Thanks, BrentKulman. This sounds interesting. Any other suggestions are welcome. . .

I had a very nice dinner at Kaya last week.  It's located in the strip district which is very close to downtown.

It's a lively urban bar/restaurant with a chef-driven cuisine that has Cuban/Latin American influences, although the walls are decorated with African art.  I had the roasted red pepper and tomato soup topped with a dollop of chipotle ice cream.  The vegetable flavors were intense and the impact of the piquant ice cream changed over time as the ice cream melted into the liquid.  For the entree, I had the Grilled Marinated Pork Tenderloin - slices of tenderloin encircled a chunk of pork belly (all the meat had been marinated in a cider vinegar marinade) and sprinkled with a multi-color hash that contained diced sweet potato, bacon, peppers and onions.  I'm a big fan of pork belly so I couldn't pass that on that dish.

Although the front end of the restaurant is dominated by a bar, there was not a big bar scene on the Thursday night that I was there.  Most of the patrons were there to eat and all of the tables were occupied.  As I tend to look for restaurants with a good craft beer selection, I was very pleased with the range of beer choices as well.  The wine list was small but featured a number of eclectic selections and the restaurant also features a variety of rums and tropical drink concoctions for those who are so inclined.

http://www.bigburrito.com/kaya/

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[PaniniGuy]

We will be staying at the Days Inn on I-279 and Banksville Road. We will not have a car, but will be relying on public transportation to get to and from the conference.

Banksville Rd. is a tough place to be without a car. Nothing you can really walk to from there. There's a great BBQ joint behind your hotel, but it doesn't open until May. Your hotel restaurant is Indian (Maharaja) and not great Indian at that.

For future reference, if you're going to stay in the burbs, you can go up to Bethel Park and stay at the Crowne Plaza for a couple bucks more, but you can walk to the trolley, which has a station across from the Hilton, but allows you a great deal more latitude in getting around.

The good food is not near the Point or the Hilton. You can walk around the Cultural District and find some OK spots. You can also try Palomino, which is across the street from the hotel. Everything else is a cab ride that might blow our budget. Still, it's worth it to hang out in the Strip for a bit.

[mjg]

Better Indian, if that interests you, can be found just down Banksville road...a place called Namaste. It's in the Kuhn's shopping center. I wouldn't recommend walking but I'm sure you could hop on/off a bus pretty easily.

If you go to the end of Banksville Road, you'll find a few places worth your while. Atria's makes a great burger. Up on Beverly Road (at the end of Banksville) you have: Sushi Three for, well, sushi; Bado's has great pizza; Iovino's is a little more upscale and I've heard great things about it. For breakfast (or at least coffee), Coffee Tree has some of the best coffee in town. All of these places are a 5 minute cab ride from the Days Inn.

Edited February 26, 2007 by mjg (log)

[mascarpone]

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate your suggestions and am looking forward to the visit.

[GordonCooks]

Primanti Bros for lunch (or late night) is a must eat

edit - If memory serves, the original location in the strip district is within walking distance.

Edited February 27, 2007 by GordonCooks (log)