The city may be known as the home of the Steelers, ketchup and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, but Pittsburgh’s culinary collection is something that shouldn’t be left on the back burner.
The ‘Burgh has recently opened a few new restaurants, boasting unique and storied themes, along with fantastic feasts.
Conflict Kitchen
The meals here are unlike anything any American has tried, unless you’re Dennis Rodman – and that’s by design. The Conflict Kitchen features entrees from countries the U.S. is clashing with and is currently serving North Korean cuisine. The menu contains meals with names some people have never heard before, such as Haemul Pajeon (seafood and scallion pancakes) and Naengmyeon (chilled buckwheat noodles in dongchimi broth).
Grit and Grace
www.gritandgracepgh.com
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and for every food dish, there is an equal and opposite entrée. Grit and Grace embodies this notion and boasts a menu full of flavors that create a cordial competition for the consumer’s taste buds. A spicy prawn salad with green papaya, mint, cilantro and garlic; and crispy pig face roulade, with a sunny-side-up egg, napa cabbage and apple butter highlight the eclectic eatery’s menu. The taste and texture combinations make for a balanced and brilliant dining experience.
Cure
www.curepittsburgh.com
This neighborhood restaurant features the best of the local urban Mediterranean cuisine. Each day, the menu changes in little ways, but head chef and owner Justin Severino says the salumi platter, fit with 15-20 different items of cured meat, is an everyday entrée. Also on the menu is a duck confit, complete with kabocha squash, red cabbage, orange, ginger, black tea soaked prunes, maple-lavender mustard. Severino is dedicated to supporting ethical farming and sustainability.
“I really feel if it’s something I’m going to do, it must support my farmers and a positive food community,” he says.
Butcher and the Rye
www.butcherandtherye.com
Complete with a bar on each floor, this restaurant features small and large plates for any palate. Braised rabbit, blue crab risotto and pig candy – pork belly with apple kimchi, miso caramel and cilantro – round out the distinct menu. But the food isn’t the only highlight. The bar prides itself on an incredible bourbon collection of more than 350 selections.
NOLA on the Square
www.nolaonthesquare.com
This New Orleans jazz brasserie, complete with live jazz on Wednesdays and weekends, dedicates itself to some sultry southern favorites. The menu is as creative as the ambience – it includes fried alligator, frog legs, catfish and, of course, gumbo.
“You must try our signature jambalaya, first and foremost,” says Andrew Hebson, executive chef and partner. “It has a sort of heat that builds as you eat, but won’t blow you away.”
Stephan Reed is an editorial associate. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
