ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries March 1 9 9 5 /1 6 7 Dining in Pittsburgh: From eleg ant to ja zzy By M arcia D u n c a n L ow ry Here’s a listing o f restaurants to whet your appetite A n arm y m arches o n its stom ach,” stated N apoleon. After m any years in the library p ro fessio n , I am in c lin e d to believ e this is equally true o f librarians attending conferences. G iven the significance o f th e topic o f food, w e ’ve sav ed th e b e st till last. This final article in th e ACRL 7 th N a­ When you o tion al C o n feren ce in ­ wich with sl fo rm a tio n se rie s d is ­ don’t be sur c u s s e s P i t t s b u r g h ’s eating establishm ents. your side dis W h e t h e r y o u a r e a top of your s gourm et, a gourm and, just a ‘Burgh o r just p la in hu n g ry , th e follow ing list will provide som e assistance. Each year Pittsburgh M agazine conducts a re a d e r’s poll o f th e best restaurants in a variety o f categories. T he w in ­ n e rs a re n o te d in th is a rtic le to a id y o u r d ecision-m aking. R estaurant pricing, fo r th e budget-conscious, is indicated by a dollar sign sym bol follow ing th e n am e o f the restaurant (see th e key o n th e follow ing page). D ining in Pittsburgh is b est d escribed in the context o f districts an d n eig hborhoods (see th e February issue o f C&RL News for a description o f these). W ith tim e o f the essence, bu sy c o n ­ ference atten d ees will b e interested prim arily in w h at is available closest to the C onvention C enter for breakfasts a n d lunches. All o f th e d esig n ated co nference hotels have restaurants w h ich can m eet th ese needs. It is w o rth re ­ peating, how ever, th at P ittsburgh has a very co m p a c t d o w n to w n , en co m p a ssin g basically te n city blocks. Many places are w ithin easy striking distance for lunch. E vening m eals can afford a m ore leisurely pace, an d yo u m ay w ish to c o n sid er destinations a bit farther out. Dow ntow n an d The Strip T h e Strip, an easy ten-m inute w alk from the C onvention C enter, has a lineup o f quick-bite s p o ts . D e L u ca’s ($), der a sand voted “Best Breakfast,” is full o f local color; w and fries, th e Italian O v en ($), a rised to find local chain restaurant hes piled on w hich h as claim ed its r a n k i n g a m o n g th e andwich. It’s nationals, earns votes thing! for b est pizza in tow n. C onsider R oland’s Sea­ fo o d G rill ($$$) if a b u c k e t o f little n e c k clam s a n d a choice o f 18 m icrobrew ery a n d im port b eers o n tap sounds appealing. T h ere m ay n o t b e a great deal w hich “d e ­ fin es” P ittsburgh cuisine, b u t if you w an t to ex p erien ce a b o n a fide local tradition, d ro p in at Prim anti B rothers ($) for lu n ch in th e Strip District o r o n C herry W ay d o w n to w n . W hen you o rd e r a sandw ich acco m p an ied w ith slaw a n d fries, d o n ’t b e su rp rised to find y o u r side dishes piled o n top o f yo u r sandw ich. It’s just a ‘B urgh thing! (French fries also find th eir w ay to th e to p o f grilled chicken o r steak salads in Pittsburgh.) All d in in g sp o ts d o w n to w n a re a p p ro x i­ m ately 15-m inute w alks from th e C onvention C enter. T h e O riginal O yster H ouse ($) in Mar- r a p Marcia D u ncan Lowry is reference librarian a t Robert Morris College, Pittsburgh; e-mail: lowry©rmcnet.robert-morris.edu 1 6 8 /C&RL News T h e G ra n d C o n c o u rs e R e s ta u r a n t is a n e le g a n t e a te r y in a t r a n s f o r m e d 1880s t r a i n s ta tio n . ket Square is a fam ous landm ark since 1870 a n d is n o te d for oysters, fish b o a t platters, a n d M aryland crab cakes. This is a p o p u la r lunch spot. Across the Square, Jakes Above the Square R estaurant ($$$$) is o p e n for lu n ch a n d d in n e r a n d features a sophisticated a n d com fortable d e c o r as th e b a c k g ro u n d fo r c o n te m p o ra ry A m erican an d N orthern Italian fare ju d g ed by Pittsburgh M agazine as “consistently su p erla­ tiv e.” T w o o th e r notable spo ts d o w n to w n for regional Italian dining are Piccolo Piccolo ($$$) o n W o o d Street an d J u n o Trattoria ($$$) in O ne O xford C enter. W h ere’s th e beef? D o w n to w n has tw o a n ­ sw ers fo r that question. V oted as “B est in the City” by Pittsburgh M agazine readers are R uth’s Chris Steak H o u se ($$$$) located in PPG Place a n d M orton’s o f C hicago ($$$$) in th e CNG T ow er. Bring a hearty app etite to eith er o f these establishm ents. T he so p h isticated a n d stylish C arlton ($$) restau ran t is located in th e h eart o f d o w n to w n in th e M ellon B ank C enter. E xpect very g o o d grilled seafo o d an d a variety o f prim e m eats o n this A m erican m enu, v o te d o n e o f th e to p in th e city. A dding variety to y o u r conferen ce graz­ ing, d o w n to w n pro v id es tw o o p tio n s o n Sixth Street n e a r H einz Hall: S outhw est Bis­ tro ($$) a n d Suzies ($$). S outhw est Bistro offers, yes, th e obv io u s cuisine b u t lo o k fo r traces o f the c h e f ’s classical French train­ ing in u n u su al com binations o f ingredients a n d p reparations. Suzie’s, v o ted o n e o f th e to p th ree “b est” in th e Middle E astern/G reek category, serves h o m e m a d e G reek dishes, pastries, a n d breads. O a k la n d an d Sh ad ysid e East o f d o w n to w n , O ak lan d a n d Shadyside can b e re a c h e d in a b o u t 15 m inutes b y cab. O akland , h o m e to C arnegie M ellon U niver sity a n d th e U niversity o f Pittsburgh, is also h o m e to so m e very fine restaurants. Craig Street has a trio to tantalize palates. Ali Baba ($$) is a longtim e favorite a n d m aintains its stan d in g as o n e o f th e b est in M iddle East e rn dining in th e city, as w ell as o n e o f th e best vegetarian restaurants. Star o f India ($$) is also w o rth noting a n d holds th e title o f “Best In d ian .” Cafe A zure ($$$) d escribes itself as a bistro serving a provincial French, A m erican regional, an d nouvelle m enu. Live jazz is offered o n Friday a n d Saturday ev e­ nings. Jazz is also o n th e ev en in g bill o f fare at th e B alcony ($$$) in Shadyside, a bu sy favorite for lu n ch o r d in n e r th at will n o t d isap p o in t you w ith its offerings o f creative pasta dishes, g o o d seafood, a n d legendary h o t fu d g e su n d aes. It serves a w o n d erfu l jazz b ru n ch o n Sundays, as w ell. Variety b ein g th e spice o f life, you can find b o th at th e T hai Palace ($$) in Shadyside. V oted “Best o f O th er Asian C uisines,” variety is m et w ith nearly 100 item s o n th e m e n u an d spice is pro v id ed by dishes calibrated o n a h eat scale o f o n e to ten. A nother Shadyside w in n e r is B aum Vivant ($$$$). In a n intim ate atm o sp h ere yo u can e n ­ oy fine E u ro p ean dining featuring P ortuguese K e y B ased o n th e price o f a th ree-co u rse m eal for o n e person: $ less th a n $10 $$ $10-$20 $$$ $20-$30 $$$$ m o re th a n $30 j March 1 9 9 5 /1 6 9 specialities. N earby o n B aum B oulevard is Cafe Sam ($$$), a favorite w ith locals offering a v ar­ ied m en u o f French, Italian, an d California se­ lections. South Side and Mt. W ashington A lthough it is som etim es said th at th e elevation o f a restaurant is inversely related to th e q ual­ ity o f its food, not so w h e n dining on the heights of Mt. W ashington o n the South Side. E xpect a cab ride o f ab o u t 20 m inutes, d e p e n d in g on traffic, to th ese destinations. T h ree restaurants deserve serious co n sid eratio n for o utstan d in g food a n d vistas o f Pittsburgh. All th ree received top votes for “Most R om antic” restaurants. Presi­ d en t C linton a n d Prim e M inister J o h n Major selected th e Tin Angel ($$$$) for th eir d in n er m eeting last year. Its continental m en u includes steak dishes an d lobster. C hristopher’s ($$$$) continental cuisine a n d Le M ont’s ($$$$) c o n ­ tem porary A m erican cuisine are b o th accom ­ p an ied by th e tinkling o f ivories. Reservations are a m ust at all three. D ow n from th e heights, how ever, y o u will find tw o o f th e to p th ree “Best O verall” restau ­ rants in th e ‘Burgh. Cafe Allegro ($$$$), located just off C arson Street o n 21st Street, is th e top w inner. T he cafe designs its culinary creations from F rench/Italian M editerranean coastal tra­ ditions a n d prides itself o n using only the sea­ sonally freshest ingredients. It is justly fam ous for its desserts. Second place acco lad es g o to th e G ran d C oncourse ($$$) at Station Square. Elegant is th e only w ay to describe dining in this trans­ form ed an d resto red train station o f th e 1800s. The fresh fish specialties, v o te d som e o f th e best in Pittsburgh, are w ell p re p a re d as are th e steak an d lam b. C om e early a n d enjoy drinks an d the raw b a r in th e attach ed G andy D ancer Saloon. T he G rand C oncourse w as also v o ted th e “Best Sunday B runch.” North Side For a co m p lete ch an g e o f ven u e, sw ing across th e A llegheny River into th e N orth Side. Allow a 15-m inute cab ride in g o o d traffic. An a u ­ th e n t ic G e r m a n b e e r h a ll a w a its y o u in Pittsburgh’s old D eutschtow n. T he P en n B rew ­ ery ($$) o n T roy Hill R oad is th e first “tied h o u s e ” (b rew ery -o w n ed restaurant) in P en n ­ sylvania since Prohibition. Enjoy authentic G er­ m an fo o d a n d o v er elev e n varieties o f G erm an b e e r b re w e d o n site conform ing to G erm any’s b e e r purity law o f 1516. Live m usical en tertain ­ m ent rings th roughout th e hall T uesday through Saturday evenings. And the list goes on A lthough it is im possible to p ro v id e a com ­ plete review o f all the restaurant offerings, the follow ing list is a further gastronom ic sam pling. An asterisk (*) indicates inclusion o n th e “Best o f . . . listing. B on appetit! D o w n to w n a n d T h e S tr ip M ullaney’s H arp an d Fiddle, *Schw artz’s Bagels, *Samm y’s Fam ous C orned Beef, “Richest Res­ tau ran t Deli, D ingbats, T he C om m on Plea, Au B on Pain, Max a n d Erm a’s. O a k la n d a n d S h a d y s i d e *M ad Mex, *Schw artz’s B agels, *Pasta Piatta, Sushi Too, *H ot Licks, *P ittsburgh D eli C om ­ pany, Max a n d Erm a’s, T he C arnegie M useum Cafe. S o u th S id e a n d Mt. W a s h in g to n T he Cliffside, G randview Saloon, 1889 Cafe, *La P o m m ie r, *M allo rca, T h e S h o p s at S tation Square: *K iku’s, H o u lih an ’s, *B obby R ubino’s, T equila Junction. N o r th S id e Clark Bar an d Grill, Jam es Street N ew O rleans Specialties, *Max’s A llegheny Tavern, C erulean Bistro. Have dinner with a local librarian M eet n ew friends as y o u sam ple th e cui­ sine at o n e o f P ittsburgh’s m any interesting restaurants. P ittsburgh-area librarians will join you for d in n e r o n W ednesday, March 30, to w elco m e yo u to their city. Sign u p at th e H ospitality D esk in the D avid Lawrence C onvention C enter w h e n you com e o v er to pick u p y o u r registration packet. Sign-up is o n a first-come, first-served basis. Also available at th e Hospitality D esk will be a restaurant guide an d reservation ser­ vice. P ittsburgh C o n v en tio n a n d V isitor’s B ureau staff will b e o n h a n d to an sw er your q uestions o r guide yo u in th e right direc tion. 170/C&RL News March 1 9 9 5 /1 7 1 ERL. “ Technology that enables our netw ork to grow in any environment.” SilverPlatter’s ERL (Electronic Reference Library) Technology enables you to collect, organize and distribute electronic information through a Worldwide Electronic Library. ERL includes full support for user account manage­ ment, system security enforcement, and usage statistics reporting. W ithout compromise, netw orked users can access exacdy the information they need, no m atter where th e user, or the inform ation is lo c a te d – w ith th e retriev al in te rfa c e o f choice. C o m p lete, seam less access to your entire electronic database collection is avail­ ab le f o r D O S , W in d o w sTM, M a c in to s h ®, o r U N IX ® interfaces, with the look and feel o f a familiar local search environment. 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