meat & potatoes

a real bar - with real bartenders. been here twice in the last six weeks. first with bro and sis, then on my own before a pirate game. be sure to sit at the bar for a bit - i ate there the last visit. they do a great job making real drinks and interacting with customers. i love the aged manhattans. they also have a great beer selection. sis and i shared the prime rib - plenty for two - and the mushrooms were very good and plentiful. we ordered the risotto to take home for the wife - but we all had a taste and agreed it was very yummy.

love the food--the policies suck. i want to start this off by saying that my fiance and i love the food at m&p. we have been there several times, and have been happy to spend a ton of money there. that being said, after an experience we had today, i feel as if this place is getting too big for its britches. i understand that was a football sunday, so when we walked through the doors at 10:50 am, i did not expect to get a table.this has happened to us before, so we happily went to the bar and enjoyed the food and the awesome bartenders. so, today to my surprise, when we walked in an found about 10 empty seats at the bar, we were told that there was an hour wait for the barstools...for barstools! i have never in my life had to have a reservation for a barstool. i thought that the spirit of bars was to be first come, first served. so, while we were ready to spend money, they chose to leave those stools empty, thus alienating repeat and good paying customers. it rubbed me the wrong way and seemed a snobby way to do business. it will be a while before i spend money at m&p again.

makes me wish i lived in pittsburgh. we went here for brunch and could not have been more impressed. the outside is pretty nondescript, but the inside is perfect. casual, but contemporary and classy. this place is busy, so reservations are recommended. our server wes, was knowledgeable, friendly and on the ball.

the drink selection is excellent. many fine cocktails to choose from. we wanted the kingston club but they were unfortunately out of pineapple juice. so we tried the old thyme refresher which had black pepper, thyme, grapefruit juice and some type of liquor. it was excellent and like nothing we have ever had before. they also have an amazing bloody mary bar for their weekend brunch.

we tried 3 meals between the two of us because we couldn't decide. we had the french toast, chicken and waffles and the shortrib hash.

the french toast was made with sourdough bread that had bananas and a bacon almond brittle. this dish was amazing and my wife's favorite by far. i believe this dish was $10 and worth every penny.

the chicken and waffles were great but probably our least favorite dish of the three. it came with 4 whopping pieces of fried chicken (leg, 2 thighs and a breast) and a jalapeno cheddar cornbread waffle. the syrup had a kick with bacon and bourbon in it. the chicken was great, but the waffle didn't quite do it for me. it was kind of cold and dry. could have used some heat and some butter. it was $12 and i probably wouldn't order it again since there are so many awesome things on their menu.

the shortrib hash was my favorite. it was a little on the greasy side, but the shortribs and potatoes were so tasty. it also had poached eggs on top as well as a horseradish hollandaise. it was $12 and worth it.

our neighbor to the right had the huevos rancheros, and he seemed very pleased with them. it was a nice portion and everything looked fresh and delicious.

i really don't think you can go wrong at this place. i seriously doubt there is one bad thing on the entire menu. i am so happy we found this place and were able to walk there from our hotel (westin downtown - check it out). its restaurants like this that keep me looking for the next great thing. people in pittsburgh should be proud of this place. if i lived there, it would be my go-to spot.

p.s. i read in a local magazine that the owners have a new place opening up called "butcher and the rye" but we couldn't find it in town. i am guessing it hasn't opened as of aug 2013.

delicious. although i've had some mixed experiences in the past...one of my overall favorite meals of the summer was at meat & potatoes. i really do think you have to order thoughtfully at this restaurant, but if you do, the meal can be really great.

the outside seating area can be a bit cozy, but has just the right amount of seclusion from the street. i've always had good service at meat & potatoes, although the wait-staff is clearly instructed to educate the diners, and sometimes i do feel a little bit like, um, yes, i'm a semi-educated diner, can we move on? probably nice for people who don't know what some of the menu/cocktail items are, though!

the hudson valley duck breast is great--served medium-rare by the chef's recommendation, which is how i like it. the sauerkraut pierogies underneath were also fantastic--adding some texture and acid. i was not a huge fan of the spaetzle at the bottom of the dish. their purpose seemed similar to that of the pierogies, only less successful. still, a delicious dish. my partner had the pot roast--which was a perfectly sized entree with tender meat, horseradish sauce, and creamy, smooth potatoes.

we were not big fans of the mac'n cheese. it was overly saucy for us, with soft noodles and we weren't big fans of the cheese flavor.

from other trips, the salmon, bone marrow, and the lamb burger were also standouts.

they have some lovely revitalist cocktails and if you can manage to time it right, you can get in without too much of a wait!

my new fave spot in pgh. the food was amazing; well prepared, orginal yet not overly ambitious, fresh ingredients, beautiful presentation and tasty! the atmosphere was fun and energetic. the service was top notch. everything about this place was great. will be back soon.

love. been here twice: once for brunch & other time for dinner.

brunch cocktails are amazing. a drink called death in the afternoon will really knock ya down after 2. i had the special of quiche with bacon, gouda, spinach and parmesan cheese with a side salad. literally amazing. also had foie gras (also insane).

dinner:
hudson valley duck breast. cooked medium rare, never tried it like that with a side of sauerkraut pierogies. interesting. the duck was beyond incredible & once again the drinks at dinner were delicious. we had mussels, any kind are good. salumi flatbread and brussel sprouts with a mayonnaise aioli. oh my god, cannot stress enough how much good food there is.

seriously talented group of bartenders & knowledgeable staff!

best brunch yesterday in quite some time. our server heather was great. she handled our party of 11 flawlessly....loved the pimms, st germaine, pbr cocktail.

meh. food and service were great, but the haughty, pretentious, rude hostesses were enough to put me off of this place forever. if we hadn't had theater tickets and a reservation, our party of three would have bolted. i wanted to say, "ladies, it's food--not an existential crisis." too many other great choices in pittsburgh these day to bother giving this place another shot. lose the attitude folks--it's the 'burgh.

absolute best food and drinks in the city. i don't even have words for this place. they have what i refer to as an 'unofficial industry night' on mondays from 11-1. check it out. $5 food menu and reduced priced cocktail menu. molly and blake and pretty much every bartender here are the best at what they do.

i first heard about meat and potatoes from my supervisor, who had mentioned she had reservations to dine there one weekend. although i always forgot to ask her how the meal was, its unique name stuck. so with my parents' upcoming visit to pittsburgh, i thought meat and potatoes would be the perfect spot to try. it's relatively new to the pittsburgh dining scene, having only opened in the winter of 2011 and is located in the heart of the city's cultural district. in terms of decor and ambience, meat and potatoes is definitely going for an "in" and relaxed look-exposed ceiling beams, the day's specials written on a chalkboard on the wall, tumblers instead of wine glasses, and of course the beef meat chart, an outline of a cow that shows the location of all the various cuts of meat. the restaurant isn't overly large as the bar which serves as the "nucleus" takes up a decent portion of the space, although i had no problem making reservations less than a week in advance for a friday evening

fantastic dining. this is what a steakhouse is all about. this was one of the most remembering dining experience. the service and meal was excellent. i can't wait to come back to pittsburgh to do it all over again.

make a reservation! the p.... make a reservation!
the pork chop was enormous like a fred flinstone type of meal!! amazing though. also, the salmon and flat iron steak were great! cheese and meat boards as an appetizer were very different and fun.

really cool place, but not amazing food. i made reservations for sunday brunch 2 weeks in advance-- you gotta for this place! really awesome atmosphere. they have a dj playing hip and fun music, an intense and unique drink and food menu, and great ambience. it's very young and in, so it's definitely worth checking this place out. as for the food, however... i thought it was decent but not mouth-wateringly amazing. i enjoyed my experience there but don't think i'll become a regular-- i'll probably just go if i wanna go to a cool-looking place with a sweet ambience.

not your run of the mill menu.. my girlfriend and i had the devils on horseback and the risotto, both was good. i had a duck breast, the meat was tender and the taste was delicious. she had the salmon, she said it was savory and sweet, she liked it. this is a good place to go to try something out of the ordinary. not recommend if you want to have a conversation, tables are close together and the place gets loud.

firstly, the food is good. that said - go for the cocktails! the bartenders are the best in the city. i've been there a few times, and everyone is a pro. they know their stuff, they're more than willing to discuss ingredients/technique etc, and they're passionate about their craft. i've learned a few things going there. when i have the dough, that's where i go.