There are two fair Asian restaurants in downtown proper. One is Liang's, in the Vista, and the other's name I can't recall, but it's down on First or Second Avenue. However, there are two very good Asian restaurants in the Strip District, which are within walking distance. My Ngoc is on Penn Ave down around 20th St or so, and serves primarily Vietnamese food, though they do a fair job with Chinese and Thai dishes as well. It's not too far to walk if the weather is nice, but it can be unpleasant in the rain or a cold wind. Golden House on Penn Ave does a better job with Chinese food, and is closer to downtown. There is no Indian food downtown, unless you have it delivered from Oakland or farther.
Pittsburgh, PA
Asian Downtown?
D.W. M. wrote: >I'll be coming to Pittsburgh this spring for two separate conferences, >staying both times at the Westin Wm Penn. Any exellent Chinese or Thai >or Asian-of-any-sort restaurants in the downtown area, walking distance >from my hotel? I am starved for good Asian cooking. Go out the Grant St. exit. Take a right. Walk to the bus station. Take a left. Walk two short blocks. Take a right on Penn. Walk several more blocks until you get to My Ngoc. Vietnamese Thai. Not exactly downtown, but close enough. The (several other) Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese restaurants downtown are unremarkable. However, I've not been to a few. I wouldn't mind hearing someone review Hana on Market Square. Doug Luce Telerama Public Access Internet /// Call 412/481-3505 to get hooked up
I like Phenom Penh on 2nd Avenue. They have nice lemongrass soup (but it's not available every day) and good lunch specials. Unfortunately, they aren't open very late. Go for lunch! They are located just off Smithfield Street on 2nd...right before the Smithfield Street Bridge if you're walking from the convention center. Good value: If you're looking for quantity for a very good price, try Hong Kong Express 2. The food at the downtown one is better than at the Oakland HKE. They use a lot of black beans, so the food seems more Chinese than Chinese-American. I like the Singapore Rice Noodles, and the Tofu with Sesame Sauce is a favorite. HKE2 is on Court Way between Grant and Ross. Court Way is on the Mon River side of town. They deliver downtown and are open until 7pm, I think. Place to avoid: Mark Pi's Express (on Forbes between Smithfield and Wood) Chinese fast food at its worst. Very greasy, poorly presented and too expensive. Interesting atmosphere: Delmonico Gourmet on Smithfield at Forbes. It's a pay-by-the-pound buffet and they usually have a good variety of Chinese and non-Asisan foods available. Nothing stellar, but it's fun when you can't quite make up your mind what you want! Very busy at lunch time. Open until 8 pm most nights. To Doug: Hana is very pretty inside. They have good noodles and the sushi is better than the sushi as Kiku Express. Last time I was there the miso was too salty, but it must have been an off day for the cook because it's usually OK. (My miso soup is better, though!)
Doug L. wrote: >D.W. M. wrote: >>I'll be coming to Pittsburgh this spring for two separate conferences, >>staying both times at the Westin Wm Penn. Any exellent Chinese or Thai >>or Asian-of-any-sort restaurants in the downtown area, walking distance >>from my hotel? I am starved for good Asian cooking. Hi, Dinty. >Go out the Grant St. exit. Take a right. Walk to the bus station. ^^^^^^^^^^^^uh, better not. Doug means "Take a left". Right from the Grant St. exit of the Westin William Penn will take you towards the City-County building (and eventually into the Monongahela, which does not enhance the dining experience). >Take a left. Walk two short blocks. Take a right on Penn. Walk >several more blocks until you get to My Ngoc. Vietnamese Thai. Not >exactly downtown, but close enough It's a good walk, maybe 15 minutes or so. It's also worth it.
Someone wrote: : In article , D.W. M. wrote: : >I'll be coming to Pittsburgh this spring for two separate conferences, : >staying both times at the Westin Wm Penn. Any exellent Chinese or Thai : >or Asian-of-any-sort restaurants in the downtown area, walking distance : >from my hotel? I am starved for good Asian cooking. : Go out the Grant St. exit. Take a right. Walk to the bus station. : Take a left. Walk two short blocks. Take a right on Penn. Walk : several more blocks until you get to My Ngoc. Vietnamese Thai. Not : exactly downtown, but close enough. : The (several other) Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese restaurants downtown are : unremarkable. However, I've not been to a few. : I wouldn't mind hearing someone review Hana on Market Square. : Doug Luce Doug, Consistently, my experience at Hana on Market Square has been very good. The sushi is fresh tasting and plentiful (and even more plentiful if you're well liked by whoever's preparing the dish :-) ). I would highly recommend it. No, none of the people I have been with have ever been sick from it, either... if that is a concern [as it should be with raw fish]. Other things...I don't know... But, the people there [as I recall] seemed rather generous. I'd recommend that you try it. Lee