Downtown/Convention Center dining

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by greg42

Try Penn Avenue Fish Co perhaps, instead of McCormick's. Nothing wrong with M&S I suppose, usually, but you can do that anywhere. Penn Ave Fish on Forbes downtown has dinner from Wed-Fri. It's BYOB though, so if you want wine or such you'd have to grab a bottle. (The better state store downtown is on Smithfield in the base of One Oxford Center, but there's another smaller one closer to the hotel.) Open for lunch too and really really good interesting fish items and sushi, perhaps best in town.

Penn Ave Fish Co. is my favorite restaurant these days. There's no "perhaps" to its being better than McCormick & Schmick.

If you're in the Strip District for lunch, the original PAFC is on the 2200 block of Penn Ave.

PENN AVENUE FISH COMPANY

[greg42]

Originally Posted by jay5835

There's no "perhaps" to its being better than McCormick & Schmick.

I didn't say perhaps it was better. Read it again. The next time you think I'm insulting your favorite restaurant instead of just trying to be tactful and inclusive, take a breath perhaps?

I said perhaps try it because you know if it's going to be a large group, or you need to have alcohol without BYOB or whatever PAFC isn't going to work too well. Unfortunately some situations require sacrificing the best quality of food/preparation for convenience/logistics. Reality is often not ideal.

[PA_Native71]

Originally Posted by MovinOutWest

I'm going to be attending a conference in Pittsburgh soon and I was looking for suggestions of places to eat in the area. I'll be staying at the Courtyard downtown. I found a few menus on line for places like Six Penn Kitchen and Sonoma Grille, but I have no idea if they are any good.

Also, is the downtown area safe for walking around at night, say walking back from dinner by myself at 10pm? I might be interesed in waling over to McCormick and Schmicks one night but not if it's not a good place for walking alone at night.

Jerome (The Bus)Bettis has a Restaurant over by the PNC field and Heinz Field, and besides that you can use MapQuest to look up the restaurants with in the area of your hotel now if you want to go up Forbes ave. toward PITT there is a few places to eat in that area, including The Lube and Primanti's if you want a more casual laid back fun places to eat, here is their sites
Jerome Bettis Grille 36 | Home
http://www.jeromebettisgrille36.com/files/grille36_menu_092909.pdf (broken link)

Quaker Steak and Lube® : 180 degrees from Dullsville!
http://www.thelube.com/food/menus/th..._core_2011.pdf

Primanti Bros. Restaurant - Pittsburgh's "Almost Famous" Sandwiches - Primanti Brothers Restaurant
Menu - Primanti Bros. Restaurant - Pittsburgh's "Almost Famous" Sandwiches - Primanti Brothers Restaurant

so there is their sites and their menus, the bettis grill looks like a good place to eat but I have not been able to actually go so maybe sometime soon I will, I hope, but the lube is an interesting place to eat to say the least, but very relaxed and a good time too and you feel good after going, it is a good place to go by yourself or as a group.
Now Primanti's is a place you are going to love or your going to hate, and the sandwiches is different, the fries on a sandwich is a western PA thing, you get it or you don't, but there you go and hope you enjoy your trip in Pittsburgh.

[gg]

Originally Posted by PA_Native71

Jerome (The Bus)Bettis has a Restaurant over by the PNC field and Heinz Field, and besides that you can use MapQuest to look up the restaurants with in the area of your hotel now if you want to go up Forbes ave. toward PITT there is a few places to eat in that area, including The Lube and Primanti's if you want a more casual laid back fun places to eat, here is their sites
Jerome Bettis Grille 36 | Home
http://www.jeromebettisgrille36.com/files/grille36_menu_092909.pdf (broken link)

Quaker Steak and Lube® : 180 degrees from Dullsville!
http://www.thelube.com/food/menus/th..._core_2011.pdf

Primanti Bros. Restaurant - Pittsburgh's "Almost Famous" Sandwiches - Primanti Brothers Restaurant
Menu - Primanti Bros. Restaurant - Pittsburgh's "Almost Famous" Sandwiches - Primanti Brothers Restaurant

so there is their sites and their menus, the bettis grill looks like a good place to eat but I have not been able to actually go so maybe sometime soon I will, I hope, but the lube is an interesting place to eat to say the least, but very relaxed and a good time too and you feel good after going, it is a good place to go by yourself or as a group.
Now Primanti's is a place you are going to love or your going to hate, and the sandwiches is different, the fries on a sandwich is a western PA thing, you get it or you don't, but there you go and hope you enjoy your trip in Pittsburgh.

These are high volume chain style places that I really dislike for quality other than Primanti's. If you feel the need to try a Primanti's DON'T get the cheese steak (number 2 seller). It is horrible. Everything else is okay, but that little patty that a school would serve a child is disgusting.

Bettis's is fun and a good time for a beer and a snack and the Lube is similar, but if you really want something good to eat, they aren't very good. Lube has pretty good wings, but a bit overpriced. Bettis's place is huge and the food would be like a Fridays.

[PA_Native71]

Oh another thing I want to mention as well, Pittsburgh is well known for its food there is just about any type of food you could want there and if you cannot find a place you will enjoy eating at, then you are dead and a walking zombie and George A.Romero has a job for you
Enjoy your stay take in a ball game if you can(good food there too), and hopefully take a ride on the Duquesne incline the view is incredible day or night Official site of the Duquesne Incline
enjoy and have fun

[gg]

Originally Posted by PA_Native71

..Pittsburgh is well known for its food...

Now there is something you couldn't have said only 15 years ago. I remember how hard it was to get some good Mexican food around here. It was about impossible. Let alone the selections we have now. Sure is a welcome change.

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by PA_Native71

Jerome (The Bus)Bettis has a Restaurant over by the PNC field and Heinz Field, and besides that you can use MapQuest to look up the restaurants with in the area of your hotel now if you want to go up Forbes ave. toward PITT there is a few places to eat in that area, including The Lube and Primanti's if you want a more casual laid back fun places to eat, here is their sites
Jerome Bettis Grille 36 | Home
http://www.jeromebettisgrille36.com/files/grille36_menu_092909.pdf (broken link)

Quaker Steak and Lube® : 180 degrees from Dullsville!
http://www.thelube.com/food/menus/th..._core_2011.pdf

Primanti Bros. Restaurant - Pittsburgh's "Almost Famous" Sandwiches - Primanti Brothers Restaurant
Menu - Primanti Bros. Restaurant - Pittsburgh's "Almost Famous" Sandwiches - Primanti Brothers Restaurant

so there is their sites and their menus, the bettis grill looks like a good place to eat but I have not been able to actually go so maybe sometime soon I will, I hope, but the lube is an interesting place to eat to say the least, but very relaxed and a good time too and you feel good after going, it is a good place to go by yourself or as a group.
Now Primanti's is a place you are going to love or your going to hate, and the sandwiches is different, the fries on a sandwich is a western PA thing, you get it or you don't, but there you go and hope you enjoy your trip in Pittsburgh.

To the OP, you can go ahead and take these suggestions and throw them into the trash can. Stick with the suggestions others have made earlier in the thread. Habitat inside the Fairmont is another one worth checking out. As is Kaya in the Strip District.

[MovinOutWest]

Thanks for all the tips. I ended up going to Sharp Edge once. Food was ok, service was not good. They brought me my entree before I got my soup. And didn't bring me a spoon, I had to ask for one. But their beer list was quite impressive.

I went to Sonoma Grill twice because it was right next to my hotel. The first time I ate at the bar. The service was ok and the food was ok. The wine list was great but a little pricey. The guy sitting next to me got the grill haloumi, a cheese, and loved it. The second time I went I sat at a table. Much different service. And the food was better the second time too. I loved the fettucini that was served with the mixed grille, very good.

I also went to Six Penn Kitchen for lunch one day. I ordered the buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese. It was good but was a bit too much. Would have been better on the side of something rather than as an entree. But I'd go back there again.

Also went to a great little breakfast place, Hanlon's I think it's called. On Liberty. Nothing fancy, just a good, cheap diner type place.

I used to live near Pittsburgh and hadn't been back in 10-15 years. Downtown used to just be what we drove through on our way to the Strip. It sure has changed.

[BrianTH]

Thanks for the followup report!