Last Night, I went to the City-Grill, located in the Southside with a couple friends of mine. At first, it seemed like a good idea; the place was crowded, and I've also heard good things about it. I admit, I was way wrong. I never had the most poor service, anywhere. Our Waitress was rude, she was obviously under a lot of pressure from the establishment being understaffed. It took so long to get three menus, I actually walked up and got them myself. Once we ordered, it took a HOUR to get our food, which tasted like burnt everything. I ordered the high priced $14.95 pasta special which included scallops charbroiled over some unpleasing pasta (I can't even remember what kind of pasta; for it JUST wasn't memorable) mixed with a tomato/pepper sauce. I know charbroil when I see it, and this was not charbroiled. Needeless to say, I'll never go back to CityGrill again, my rating out of five stars equals Zero. I DO NOT advise anyone to go there. By the way, the waitress got a tip of $ 0.00. Be nicer to the next person, lady. -Braden
Pittsburgh, PA
City Grill
Mr. Parker... I used to love the City Grill...I ate there at least twice a week. I would order my burger without the bun, and a double order of steamed vegetable with no butter. Over a period of a year, I lost 62 pounds. Now that it is apparant I lose weight again, beside my regular regimen of food control, I went back to the City Grill and ordered my same burger. It was horrific. It was extremely small and well overcooked, almost like a charred ritz cracker. And the broccoli...almost sour-tasting and swimming in some kind of butter-flavored liquid. And I never got the coffee or the glass of water. The mustard that was on the table to condiment the burger was no longer there. And the cordial and genteel owner, Vincent, was not there, either. When I asked to speak with him, I was just told "He ain't hardly here no more. I never see him." And that, Braden Parker, is the reason for the problem. If Vincent were there, he would have waited on you himself; and were he there the night I was there, he would have gone back and cooked my burger to perfection. It's frightening to realize that the staff of City Grill has overtaken the restaurant, and poor Vincent is going to be left out in the cold, wondering when the inmates will relinquish the asylum back to him. THE FATMAN Braden P. wrote: > > Last Night, I went to the City-Grill, located in the Southside with a > couple friends of mine. At first, it seemed like a good idea; the > place was crowded, and I've also heard good things about it. > > I admit, I was way wrong. I never had the most poor service, > anywhere. Our Waitress was rude, she was obviously under a lot of > pressure from the establishment being understaffed. It took so long > to get three menus, I actually walked up and got them myself. > > Once we ordered, it took a HOUR to get our food, which tasted like > burnt everything. I ordered the high priced $14.95 pasta special > which included scallops charbroiled over some unpleasing pasta (I > can't even remember what kind of pasta; for it JUST wasn't memorable) > mixed with a tomato/pepper sauce. I know charbroil when I see it, and > this was not charbroiled. Needeless to say, I'll never go back to > CityGrill again, my rating out of five stars equals Zero. I DO NOT > advise anyone to go there. By the way, the waitress got a tip of $ > 0.00. Be nicer to the next person, lady. > > -Braden
We were regulars at City Grill on Carson Street for many years. It was a nice informal place where you could get good salads, barbecued chicken, more substantial entrees, and have fun watching the cooks at the grill through the kitchen window. However, after it changed owners, quality gradually declined in recent years and it finally closed maybe six months ago. The paper said that the original owner (Mr. Tessaro) bought it back, and was having it remodeled. It finally reopened, and we tried it in its new incarnation yesterday. It has now become predominantly a bar, rather than a restaurant. There is a new bar that occupies most of the space. There are a few tables stuck around the periphery. There was loud rock music playing the whole time we were there, and unfortunately the place reeks of cigarette smoke no matter where you sit. The menu has much less to offer than the prior restaurant did, mostly sandwiches or salads, and some pasta entrees. We ordered a shrimp salad and Italian Sausage sandwich. They if fact were tasty, but took an inordinate amount of time to be made and served, and this was at a time the place was not busy. The waiter, trying to be helpful, grabbed my soft drink glass to refill it after every few drinks I took, maybe five times, until I indicated to desist with this. Dinner was inexpensive, $20 for two. Overall, a disappointment. Does anyone have a suggestion of a place comparable to the old City Grill, located in the east end or south side area? Chuck Berlin