Downtown Population increased 25% since 2000 (Pittsburgh, McDonald: prices, groceries, store)

[pman]

another positive blurb about tavern 245.

... delicious tomato mushroom basil soup every day, and ... soup of the day as well...homemade guacamole and tortilla chips; soft tacos; seared orange ahi tuna crusted with cracked black pepper; smoked chipotle hummus; and garlic basil calamari.
...sliders such as pulled pork with fried onions, seared fillet with caramelized onions and roasted red pepper, and grilled chicken with smoky bacon and American cheese. The Tavern Hamburguesa is the restaurant's signature dish, boasting an Angus beef patty seasoned with Mexican spices and topped with homemade guacamole and chipotle mayonnaise, layered with Colby jack cheese.
...caprese chicken with mozzarella and sliced tomatoes on a ciabatta roll; and a blue cheese burger with smoky bacon and crispy fried onions and cheddar cheese.
His homemade desserts sound delicious — seasonal fruits in a graham cracker crust with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel drizzle; creamy chocolate mousse in a graham cracker crust with fresh whipped cream; and strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream.

Tavern 245 finds niche in Downtown dining scene - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[Blackbeauty212]

I'm going to check that place out next time I'm in the Burgh

[pman]

After nine years on the Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown, Izzazu Salon and Spa (above) has moved to Piatt Place at 301 Fifth Ave., next to the Capital Grille.

Read more: A new Izzazu, too

[BrianTH]

"We're about updating and upgrading," says Mr. Cornacchione. "Our whole thing was to be centrally located, to be one of the pioneers on Fifth Avenue. We have the Fairmont to the right, the Omni to the left and 65 luxury condos above us. We wanted to capitalize on the 187,000 people who work in a two-block radius of our location. Our focus is to be more convenient. We feel Downtown is the true center of the city."

Very interesting comments for those of us following the saga of Downtown.

Incidentally, Izzazu's old building on Boulevard of the Allies is pretty cool. Hopefully they get a decent replacement tenant.

[pman]

Penn Avenue Fish Company ...
A second location at 308 Forbes Ave.,... which quietly opened Oct. 12...offers much the same menu as the original store, with one tasty addition: the Taco del Dia, or taco of the day -- say, cod one day and scallops the next. Price: two for $8.99 or three for $10.99.
...I sampled the fish tacos (two for $5.99), a tasty combination of seasoned swordfish, salmon and tuna in hard corn shells. Topped with a crunchy mix of cabbage, cilantro salsa and sriracha, it was a winner.
...

Read more: Fresh Find: Penn Avenue Fish Company
very cool, like the addition of fish tacos
also, top notch review for elements. made me hungry
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10301/1098516-242.stm

[pman]

Downtown Pittsburgh a magnet for new restaurants

[pman]

City planners will hear proposals Tuesday for a 69-room boutique hotel on Fort Pitt Boulevard and for a 136-room extended stay hotel at SouthSide Works.
The 12-story boutique hotel was proposed nearly a year ago.
It stalled when residents near the development raised concerns about the hotel's design and the materials that would be used in its construction.
...Despite a number of hotel openings in and around Downtown in the last few years, Mr. Andreyko believes there's room for at least one more

At SouthSide Works, the Hyatt Summerfield Suites hotel would be built east of Hofbrauhaus restaurant by Oxford Development Co.

Read more: Hotels proposed at Fort Pitt Blvd., SouthSide Works

[BrianTH]

I have liked the basic idea of a boutique hotel going into that spot on Fort Pitt from the beginning, and it sounds like the objectors to the original design have succeeding in getting a much better proposal:

Forza has dropped plans for a pass through from Fort Pitt Boulevard to a guest parking lot off First Avenue that some residents claimed made the development look like a hotel "on stilts." The developer also will use all brick in the construction and drop materials like Quik-Brik, a type of concrete masonry resembling brick that some critics argued would detract from the surrounding architecture.

With a decent street-level design and all-brick construction, it could fit in nicely in that spot. So it will be great if they actually break ground in the spring, as suggested in the article (pending approval).

Edit: Oh, and I am a little disappointed to see the residential units dropped from the plan for the South Side site. Nonetheless, as noted in the article, an extended-stay hotel would be a welcome addition.

[Blackbeauty212]

I think downtown could use more than just "1 more hotel" as noted....It could still use 2 additional (outside the convention center hotel) luxury hotels within the Triangle...Once 5 AV and the Civic Arena area starts to take off, I think Uptown could support another Luxury along with a few boutiques.....As well the area between the Strip and Downtown along smallman could be very succesful for another 2-3 boutique hotels to help anchor the Convention Center and have the City attract much larger events to use the Convention Center to its full potential.

[BrianTH]

The numbers on Downtown hotels are pretty amazing--last I knew, even with more hotels opening and the recession, occupancy rates had been increasing. Assuming the economy gradually recovers, those numbers should do even better.

And I personally think we are well into the virtuous cycle we have discussed on this forum before, where more residents and visitors Downtown lead to better amenities Downtown (see, e.g., the recent article about the booming restaurant scene Downtown), which makes Downtown even more attractive for residents and visitors, and so on back and forth. And while I'm not sure what the practical upper limit on over-night people Downtown (resident and visitors) might be, I'm pretty sure we are still nowhere near that limit.