The Commoner

October 2015
458 Strawberry Way
Pittsburgh PA 15219
http://www.thecommonerpgh.com/

The Commoner is in Hotel Monaco in downtown Pittsburgh.  The menu includes some unique dishes that were very good.  We started out by sharing a couple orders of mussels and devils on horseback (which were bacon wrapped dates with blue cheese - delicious!).  The kale salad had pork belly croutons and apple cider vinaigrette which was a tasty combination.  Out of the 7 of us that were there, I think half of us ordered the scallops.  They were served with greens, apple-chardonnay reduction and a beet risotto cake.  Once I got over the thought that the beet risotto cake resembled a slab of raw beef, it was delicious!  The price point is high, but the portion sizes were large.  If you are looking to go to dinner to celebrate something, I definitely would recommend The Commoner.

Gaucho Parilla

September 2015
1601 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh PA 15222

http://eatgaucho.com/

 Gaucho Parilla has got it figured out.  By minimalizing the responsibilities of the waiters, they are able to serve upscale meals at a low price.  It is a BYOB restaurant without a corkage fee!  Upon arrival, you stand in line to order your meal and then grab a seat (if you can find one).  The place was packed the entire time we were there with a steady line out the door.  You have to grab your own wine glasses, plates, silverware and any dipping sauces you choose.  It was a little awkward at first when we asked for glasses and the waiter told us to help ourselves! It feels like you are at a friend's house for dinner!  The dining area is a little on the loud side but it just added to the unique atmosphere.  We ordered a few dishes to share as a group including flank steak, ribeye, empanadas, grilled veggies and salads.  Everything was served family style and was delicious!  I will definitely be making a trip back to Gaucho.  

Michael A's

August 2015
804 Allegheny River Boulevard
http://www.michaelarestaurant.com

Gran Canal

July 2015
1021 N Canal St., Sharpsburg PA 15215
http://www.grancanalcaffe.com/

 

 

"Gran Canal is a family favorite so I have been here at least 30 times.  The owners Michael and Antoinette are very welcoming and the food is always solid.  We shared the artichokes romano and the mussels and both were great.  The mussels were not the puny ones that you sometimes get when eating out.  They were celebrating their 20 year anniversary the night we were there so there was a special—soup, salad. Pasta and dessert for $20.  The soup was a cold cantaloupe soup which was a perfect summer starter.   The limoncello dressing on the salad was refreshing.  I ordered the carbonara and the portion size was HUGE.  I got 3 meals out of this entrée.  Dessert was shred with the table and was a flourless chocolate torte.   The wine by the carafe was $29 which is a bargain.  Those who ordered by the glass got treated to a Pittsburgh pour—filled to the rim. "

 

"This was my first time at Gran Canal.  It is a small town family restaurant where it was clear that customers come here regularly.  The owners made a point to come out and greet every customer and knew a majority of them by name.  The portions were healthy and the price point was low.  The artichoke appetizer was a big hit to everyone in our party."



LOLA

June 2015
1100 Galveston Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15233
http://www.lola-bistro.com/



"I Loved LOLA - it is a small foodie restaurant with an open kitchen that let you see everything being made fresh.  We shared a cheese plate appetizer and a sashimi appetizer and both were excellent.  I had the Carbonara with pancetta.  It was excellent.  For dessert we each got a chocolate truffle which was the perfect end to our dinner."

Sienna Mercato

May 2015
942 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh PA
http://www.siennapgh.com/mercato/





"If you are looking for a great place to grab a drink with friends and enjoy the sites of Pittsburgh - check out Sienna Mercato!  The rooftop bar is great...it has a retractable roof that they are able to close quickly if it starts to rain.  Even with the roof closed, you can still enjoy the city line of the city.  Their drinks were appropriately priced and the top floor has typical bar food.  The 2nd floor is the main restaurant part which is where we grabbed dinner.  The food ranged from pizza to charcuterie boards to seafood.  We did not get a chance to try out the first floor, but I will definitely going back to try it out.  The first floor specializes in gourmet meatballs!"

 



Luke Wholey's

April 2015
2106 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh PA
http://lukewholey.com/wp/

"I really enjoyed my meal at Luke Wholey’s. The atmosphere was great, loved the large round tables for our big group. The bloody Mary’s were awesome, they were a meal in itself.  We got the oysters and the cat fish bites – both were great and you can’t beat the happy hour prices. I had the lobster bisque which was good with lumps of lobster claw meat. I had the swordfish special with lump crab meat. It was delicious. The grilled asparagus was good but I thought the potatoes were a bit heavy considering the rest of the dish.  I enjoyed the cheesecake so much I took a piece home to go for my family. Overall a great experience, the only downside was our service. Our waiter was extremely slow in taking our order, refilling our drinks and even bringing our check. The food made up for the lack of service."

 

"The Bloody Mary's from Luke Wholeys were a meal in themselves!  Loved them!  THe service was a bit slow but we loved the tal round tables and the food was great"

James Street Gastropub & Speakeasy

March 2015
422 Foreland St, Pittsburgh PA
http://www.jamesstreetgastropub.com/

Eighty Acres

February 2015
1910 New Texas Road, Pittsburgh PA 15239
http://eightyacreskitchen.com/

 

This was the second time I have been to Eighty Acres and it did not dissapoint either time.  The atmosphere is small and quaint with the feel of being inside an old barn.  They have a good mix of square and round tables and you do not feel like you are sitting on top of each other as you do in most smaller restaurants.  We shared several appetizers including the mussels, flatbread and the queso.  Most of the people at the table preferred the queso.  The mussels were good but only came with one piece of bread for the five of us.  For my entree, I went with my staple salmon which was tasty.  The weight staff was friendly and attentive.  It is nice to have a place like Eighty Acres east of the city (Plum)!  We did have one complaint of the night - while we were having a drink at the bar before dinner, one of the people in our group overpaid their bar bill by $20 and the bartender just took the money without bringing it to their attention.

Wild Sage

January 2015
3932 William Flynn Highway, Allison Park, PA 15101
http://wildsage8.com/

 

#1

Wild Sage review:  I really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant.  The chorizo flatbread appetizer was really good, but when I think flatbread, I think really flat and crispy (my personal preference).  This had a pizza-like puffiness to the dough, but it was still tasty.  Their selections of salads was very unique, it was hard to choose as they all sounded delicious.  I chose the Harvest salad with arugula, roasted sweet potatoes, wild rice, almonds and a vinaigrette.  This was one of the best salads that I have ever had.  There was a nice balance of savory and sweet within the salad.  My entrée was the Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast.  The chicken was very flavorful and tender.  We split three desserts which were all really good. 

#2

I enjoyed my dinner at Wild Sage.  The lobster crepes were delicious although it was more like a tortilla, than a crepe. I really enjoyed the chorizo flatbread and my southern belle salad. The kale and bacon combo are always a winner in my book. I had the scallops for my main course and the scallops were done perfectly but I would have preferred a different side to accompany the dish, the lentils did not add anything to the dish. Overall an enjoyable night out but felt the price point was a bit high for the area.

 

#3

I really liked the menu at Wild Sage—the menu was creative without being too exotic so everyone could find something that they liked.   I thought the taste of the lobster crepes was good but the crepe itself was more like a tortilla.  I would call this a lobster enchilada instead.  We also split the chorizo flatbread as an appetizer and it was just the right amount of spice. The arugula salad w/ pears and goat cheese was very fresh.  There were several salad choices, including the ever present kale salad, that looked appealing.  I had the salmon stuffed with crabmeat, artichokes and spinach.  It was perfectly cooked and a generous portion size.  We split 3 dessert and the chocolate cake from Prantl’s was my favorite.  We also as the crème brulee and the napoleon (sp).  The only downside was the price point.  We spent $75 per person with each of us drinking 2 drinks.  While this is not an unusual price for a place in the city with a great atmosphere I think this is high for a brightly lit restaurant with no real ambiance.

Buon Cibo

December 2014
4556 William Penn Highway, Murrysville PA 15668
http://www.ilovebuoncibo.com/

 "I liked this small family run BYOB restaurant.  Everything was made to order and the portions were substantial.  I has the crab cake/scallop platter.  The scallops were nicely caramelized.  I did not know that I could have gotten the crab cake grilled rather than fried.  I would have preferred that from a preparation standpoint.  The crab cake had very little filler and tasted great.  I had the side of pasta which I really did not try as I focused on my seafood.  The house salad was fresh and I liked that they placed the bottle of house dressing on the table so you had control over how much (or little) dressing you used.  We split the antipasti tray and edamame appetizer.  The food is not overly creative but is a notch above regular Italian fare.  The owners were friendly, coming to the table to introduce themselves.  We were there mid week and the place was relatively empty."

 

"The bruschetta appetizer was absolutely delicious.  For my entrée, I had the Chicken Parmesan.  The portion was huge for the price!  I opted for greens and beans for an additional charge rather than a soup or salad and I was a bit disappointed.  I love greens and beans, but this one lacked flavor.  My chicken and pasta were excellent, I wish I would have opted for the vodka sauce on my pasta as it would have made the dish perfect!"

 

"Buon Cibo has the feeling of a small town restaurant where everyone knows each other.  It is a family friendly BYOB establishment where you feel like you are downtown Pittsburgh for an evening out.  I liked that the owner specially made a bruschetta plate for us - it was a nice touch.  I have been back to Buon Cibo since our group went together and I loved it even more the second time around."