For late dinner I'd recommend Pgh. Fish Market in the Doubletree hotel, or Kaya in the strip (almost a mile from your hotel, less from the symphony). Kaya is more of a bar atmosphere, but a trendy cool bar, with vaguely caribbean food. Pgh Fish (I think that is the name) is more mainstream atmosphere, good food even if you don't like fish, fine sushi. There are some other supposedly high-end places downtown that I don't know about: Palomino (Gateway Center, near Stanwix & Forbes), Bayona (Market Square). Anyone know if they're any good? Also is Juno's still in Oxford? My favorite brunch is Pamela's in Shadyside (there's also one in Squirrel Hill, just don't go to the Oakland one because it's nasty). They have weird crepe-like pancakes that you can get plain or blintz-style with chocolate/banana/whip cream, walnut/banana or strawberry/sour cream inside. All their food is on the greasy side, but in a very good way. You will have to wait for a table. Bad coffee; you might want to hit the Starbuck's down the street while you're waiting. If you want classy food, try the Grand Concourse Sunday brunch buffet. I think it's $16-20 per person and you might have to wait a little, but you can definitely get your money's worth (don't miss the donut machine in the Gandy Dancer). Good coffee and awesome architecture. The Grand Concourse is in Station Square, just across the Smithfield St. bridge from downtown. Have fun. E
Pittsburgh, PA
William Penn Hotel Area
Erin K. wrote in message ... >For late dinner I'd recommend Pgh. Fish Market in the Doubletree hotel, or >Kaya in the strip (almost a mile from your hotel, less from the symphony). >Kaya is more of a bar atmosphere, but a trendy cool bar, with vaguely >caribbean food. Pgh Fish (I think that is the name) is more mainstream >atmosphere, good food even if you don't like fish, fine sushi. There are >some other supposedly high-end places downtown that I don't know about: >Palomino (Gateway Center, near Stanwix & Forbes), Bayona (Market Square). >Anyone know if they're any good? Also is Juno's still in Oxford? Juno's changed its name to Assiago a few years back, but it's still there. The Pittsburgh Fish Market is indeed a great place to go. Steelhead Grill, in the Marriott hotel, is also a very good seafood restaurant. Carimasi's Tuscany Grill on Penn is good. So is Lemon Grass (Cambodian) on Sixth, right across from Heinz Hall. The South Side is a short cab ride (I'd guess $5 or so) away, and there are a number of very good restaurants there, including Sushi Too, Le Pomierre, Mallorca (Spanish food) and others. If you want good food and interesting decor, try the Church Breworks, a restaurant and brewpub in an old Catholic Church. It's also about a $5 cab ride from the hotel.
> If you want good food and interesting decor, try the Church Breworks, a > restaurant and brewpub in an old Catholic Church. It's also about a $5 cab > ride from the hotel. While I agree with the "interesting decor" part, I would say that Church Brew Works is seriously in the running for the "most overpriced yet still somehow horrifically disgusting and unedible food" prize, at least in Pittsburgh. They have much more ambition than they do talent.
> "Horrifically disgusting"?? C'mon, get a grip. Or did they > suddenly add live maggots to the the menu? You can't just make a statement > like that without at least an attempt to back it up and explain just what > the hell you're talking about. Their menu is a hodgepodge of faux-california cuisine made without an understanding of what makes said cuisine attractive; too many ingredients thrown together on a plate without any restraint or attempt at balance. They are particularly guilty of trying (and in my opinion failing) to create interesting tastes while completely ignoring the importance of texture. Most of their dishes are too heavy, oversauced, and the presentation is dog-ugly. And, they're overpriced. The last I remembered, they were doing things like charging $8 or so for 4 pierogies (which, of course, would be filled with salmon, overcooked, and served in a sauce that contained a full stick of butter). Here, I'll say something good about them: their bread pudding is good. > If CBW is "unedible", what do you consider good? If I wanted to have food typical to a brewhouse, I would go to the Foundry or the Penn Brewery, in that order. Note that both of these places also serve food that qualifies as 'too heavy,' but neither of them have the pretensions that the Church Brew Works does. Frankly, I'm going to expect more from a place that puts "Remoulade of Ostrich sauteed in a saffron-tarragon reduction served on a bed of mesclun greens"(*) than I do from a place that has "selection of German sausages". If I wanted to have the haute-cuisine that the church brew works seems to aspire to, the closest place might be Cafe Sam, just up the road.