When I travel to conferences, I like to do a short list of restaurants that I find online that are walking distance from the hotel. It seems that will be even more important for the Romantic Times convention in Pittsburgh in 2 weeks, because the Hilton Pittsburgh is under renovation, affecting all floors, the lobby, and the restaurant.
Fortunately, I’m from the ‘burgh, and have started to sketch out a list of walkable places to eat, both pricey and essentials-only. For example, there is indeed a Starbucks in walking distance, in Market Square. So caffeine-addicted folks like me, I’ll meet you there. I’m the bleary-eyed one with the glasses.
So – what restaurants in the downtown area to you recommend? And if you want to get brave and challenge us conference folks to the adventures of PAT transit, what bus-able or trolley-able places to eat do you love? Please feel free to post in the comments or email me (sarah @ smartbitchestrashybooks.com) and I’ll be posting a dining guide for the RT convention in the next few days. See you in Pittsburgh.
And for the record: it fucking SUCKS that the Pirates are not in town. Screw hotel construction -that is a real travesty!
There is a pretty good list on the hotel website that also lists the distances. All the restaurants listed are pretty good.
There is one not listed that I highly recommend, The Church Brew Works. It is a microbrewery and restaurant set in an old church. It’s about 3 miles from the hotel. http://www.churchbrew.com/
Thanks for doing this, Sarah. I’ll be looking for the SB Guide to RT in Pittsburgh.
And, FWIW, I talked to the hotel awhile ago and they assured me that the restaurants AND BAR would be open and weren’t affected by the renovations during our time there.
Here’s hoping they weren’t messing with me.
I second Church Brew Works, though it might be difficult to get there from downtown on the public transit. There’s a super cheap seafood place in Market Square that’s pretty decent. If you have time to get lunch, Franktuary is downtown in the basement of the Episcopal Cathedral and their hot dogs are really good. There are also tons of good places in the college area that are very easy to get to by bus from downtown: Ali Baba (middle eastern) and Prince of India in Oakland, and Bangkok Balcony (Thai) in Squirrel Hill are some of my favorites, and you can easily get to any of them on any of the Forbes Ave buses.
A visit to Pittsburgh wouldn’t be complete, imo, without a meal at Primanti Brothers. They’re in the Strip District, no idea where that is in relation to downtown, but it is the best local eatery. They made it into Roadfood, a book about all the best, non-chain restaurants in the US. They have many locations and their website is” http://www.primantibrothers.com/
Well, you could try to get tickets to a hockey playoff game…good luck with that, though.
The good news is that the Cultural District has really picked up the pace, restaurant-wise, in the past few years, and all those places will be walking distance from the hotel.
We’ve also now got a halfway decent visitor’s bureau, which we hadn’t had before—here’s the downtown restaurants link:
http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/listings/index.cfm?action=showLoc&catID=11&locID=342&startrange=All&endrange=All&substart=M&subend=S¬ify=1
If you are into schmancy cocktails, Olive or Twist is good. It bills itself as a martini bar, but I would not go there looking for martinis. It’s really a cocktails-served-in-martini-glasses bar. Which is fine!
The Daytona Hilton (RT Con 2006) was just finishing up renovations and did not have their act together. So now the Pittsburgh Hilton is in the MIDDLE of renovations and has limited food service?
This does not bode well. And I think I’m glad I decided not to go (dammit, I have GOT to remember to cancel my hotel reservations).
But my standard advice now takes on even more urgency: bottled water, fruit, crackers, etc. in your room is a must-have. That may be all that stands between you and a complete hunger meltdown—particularly for breakfast!
Although, if your reservations are in the Executive Tower, a continental breakfast and happy hour munchies are supposed to be available in the Executive Lounge, which is why I made my own reservations. hee
waaaaaaa I wanna go
somebody fill me a bag full of free books and stuff.
writers, for inspiration go to the Andy Warhol museum, it ROCKS!
(sorry go back to your original discussion)
Don’t have any recommendations for eateries, but I have to agree with you about the Pirates. I’m bummed that they’re out of town, too.
Baseball geek that I am, at most conferences in cities that have MLB teams, I try to sneak out and take in a game. I’d love to see the Pirates and their new park!
Oh, and one more thing if you are planning to walk to nearby restaurants:
This is April in the Midwest, you may experience Winter, Spring, or Summer and will need to pack accordingly. So watch the weather forecasts right up until the day you leave for Pittsburgh—with any luck you will only need to pack for two of those seasons.
If you are driving, here’s my favorite downtown Pittsburgh quirk: one way streets that suddenly become one-way from the OPPOSITE direction! *meep*
It’s been a while since I lived in Pittsburgh, but I think you can still take the 61a, b, or c to Oakland. Go to the Dirty O (The Original Hot Dog Stand) on Forbes for an O-Dog. Do NOT get the large order of fries unless you have an army to feed.
I think there’s a Primanti Bros in Market Square now, as is the Oyster House. Both good spots to eat.
Go, Phillies!!!!!
Remember, while you’re partying up a storm at RT, I’ll be rocking out at two consecutive Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band concerts.
Catty corner from the Renaissance (directly across the river – don’t ask me which one…from PNC Park) there is a GREAT Greek restaurant. It looks like a hole in the wall but the food is great. You could call my mother, they have been dealing with the Hilton restaurant being closed for months.
Oooh, I miss Pittsburgh! The 61A, B, or C will take you in to Oakland. I think the 71A, B, and C go that way, too. There’s Lulu’s Noodles and the Yum Wok on Craig Street. The Spice Island Tea Room on Atwood in Oakland is fabulous. Those are the two places I miss the most, really. Unless the food carts are still across from Hillman Library. They rocked. If you can, try Kashmiri, a Taste of Kashmir. They used to park across from Hillman in the afternoon, but I don’t know what the “Turn the Useful Parking Lot Into a Park” plan has done to them. But they had some of the best curry I’ve EVER had. Oh, and the Union Grill on South Craig St. is also pretty good.
(South Craig Street is also the place to go for the Antiquarian and Used book stores. There’s Caliban’s, Townsend Book Sellers (amazing selection!), and the Vassar-Bryn Mawr book store, but they have pretty limited hours.)
I had no idea you were going to be at RT. We should dish!
Oh, I can’t believe I forgot about the South Side Works. It’s a new shopping district on East Carson street. Lots of great eateries (I am a bit addicted to The Cheesecake Factory). http://www.southsideworks.com/index.asp
Hop on the 59U bus line and it will take you there :).
I’ve heard that The Melting Pot is good and also Mallorca, but I haven’t personally been to either.
You really can’t go to Pittsburgh and miss out on Primanti Bros. And, yes, you have to get the cole slaw and fries ON your sandwich…
The only civilized way to eat any sandwich. So jealous over here.
From my hubby, Yinzer born and bred…
You can just go walk down Carson Street and there’s a million restaurants, from sushi to a good authentic Spanish restaurant called Mallorca (http://www.mallorcarestaurant.com/). If you want to go really upscale, Monterey Bay (http://www.montereybayfishgrotto.com/) on top of Mt. Washington has not only really amazing fish but probably the best view in the city. You’ll need reservations.
And then there’s the Penn Brewery (http://www.pennbrew.com/). You are not going to find better beers in the USA – this is the brewery that German businessmen call to supply their meetings when they’re in the US. The food is straight-up German, right down to the potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce.
He also seconds the Church Brew Works.
Oh, I wish I could be there!
Verification word: costs37. Well, I guess it depends on where you go.
(writes all this down for reference)
Thanks for all these suggestions…I look forward to the full list :).
Although I will admit to some trepadation. I’m driving down and I’ve now seen several people mention the one-way streets in downtown Pittsburgh. So if you see a distraught and lost author driving a teal-green Hundai and swearing at the street signs…find the hunkiest traffic cop you can and send him in my direction!
Thanks for the great suggestions. I am going to be at RT on the weekend. Since I will hubby and child-free, I intend to make the most of it.
verfication word: nearly 88. Nope, not by a long shot.
I’m the only Carlton lover?? The shame of that…
I’ll second the Church Brew Works. And the O, of course.
I’ll be around. Come find me. I’m curious to know how many people we can fit into my Acura TSX… we’ll have some food fun.
As for the Pirates. GOOD. They can suck up someone else’s city. I’m headed to see the Pens. (and yes, I have tickets and no, you can’t kill me for them. The Tour Manager will simply kick me under the Zamboni and take a co-worker.)
Open offer to anyone—come find me and I’ll do my best to take care of you. Unless you’re a Flyers fan.
The 86A (catch at Wood St & Liberty Ave) takes you right past the BrewWorks.
I can’t really recommend any place good to go since I’m a pathetic hermit and don’t get out much. 🙂
I don’t know what bus goes up Penn Avenue from downtown, but once you find you, you go though the Strip District, which has some pretty good restaurants (Kaya, Enrico’s), and into Garfield, which has Tram’s Kitchen, an amazing Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall, and the Quiet Storm, a really good coffeehouse and vegetarian restaurant.
If, instead, you take a bus up Forbes Avenue, you’ll get to Oakland, which has Mad Mex, a decent Cal-Mex restaurant with margaritas the size of your head (on special from 9-11) and half-price food after 11 pm.
Keep going up Forbes to Squirrel Hill to get to Bangkok Balcony, and Chaya, the best sushi in Pittsburgh. Although, much closer to downtown is Sushi Kim, also totally decent and I hear they have good Korean BBQ. Near Sushi Kim, you can have brunch at Lydia’s. Probably, you can have other meals there, too. I’ve just never tried.
Ok, this is now a novel and I’m hungry and miss Pittsburgh very much.
Oh, man, I also heartily recommend Lulu’s and Star of India in Oakland. The best breakfasts are also in Oakland, at Pamela’s on Forbes Ave. Carson St in the South Side is quite nice, too. Take the 51B or C down that way. Tons of bars and restaurants. My favorite sushi place, Nakama, is there. They have great food and they only hire hot waitstaff, it seems. The Pittsburgh Steak Company is down there, too. I used to work there. Go for lunch and get yourself a Pittsburgh-style salad. Their french fries (yes, on the salad) are insanely good. There’s also a Primanti’s.
Now I’m hungry and I miss home.
Mallorca’s is fantastic – the Sangria is the best! Definitely order it if you go. That’s in the South Side.
In Oakland (across from the O) is Uncle Sam’s Subs which makes the BEST steak sandwiches and sweet potato fries …
I miss Pittsburgh!
I think you’re probably better off that the Pirates aren’t in town. Here’s my favorite recent assessment, courtesy of Sports Illustrated’s Gennaro Filice (which, incidentally, strikes me as a great name for a romance hero):
Sheesh, sounds to me like it’s just as well you can’t catch a game while you’re there.
Mallora: I went there on my prom night. Outstanding food.
And yes, the Pirates are abysmal. It’s a horrifying embarrassment. They suffer under the worst ownership in the history of the known universe and that’s not hyperbole. However, PNC Park? Most beautiful ballpark ever, and yes, I’ve been to Wrigley. If I had to pick, I’d pick PNC. Even though the Cubs might actually win a game, PNC is just that good.
Ah, wonderful suggestions! I’m going to be at RT (I’m their senior reviewer for SF/F, so I’m not sure how many panels are going to be of actual interest to me), and I’ve been concerned about the renovations as well. Looking forward to the list, it’ll be a huge help.