meat & potatoes

gluten free options available!. best bloody marybaranywhere. waiter knowledgable about gluten free options. everyone's food was excellent. highly recommend !

the dj began spinning a space odyssey remix. the doors opened promptly at 10:30, and a small riot of unreserved patrons made a barely restrained rush for the bar. 

meat and potatoes is not quite as down-home as it sounds. pâté and bruschetta are on the sunday brunch menu. michelle's bellini was made with real strawberries, and my bloody marybarwas a diy festival with six kinds of meat, probably two dozen pickled things in jars and just as many varieties of hot sauce. 

and yet, if there are two kinds of good menus—inventive deliciousness and calculated deliciousness—this definitely was the latter. maybe it was the decor: i just can't take antlers seriously in a new downtown cultural center. maybe it was needing to decide between chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, huevos rancheros and stuffed french toast. 

i ended up with e: none of the above, but it was hard to know if i was eating brisket hash or a marketing gimmick.

no going wrong here. fabulous food and even better cocktails in a fun environment. sit by thebarand chat up the bartenders! let it be know, i ate pig ears here!

wonderful place for a date night before a show. their dishes are original and adventurous.the ognolotti was delicious!terrific drinks from thebartoo!

this past weekend, we went to see man of la mancha and then to dinner at meat & potatoes. we were early for our reservation but were able to order a drink at thebar& enjoy it in the lobby area. i ordered my usual: sgt. pepper's old fashioned. after we were seated we ordered 2 more drinks: brown derbyâ (bourbon, grapefruit juice, honey) for me, on the left, and cameron's kickâ (scotch and nutmeg and other stuff i forget, maybe lemon) for sp, on the right. both were delicious. and easy to quickly drink! after these, we switched to iced teas.

disappointing experience. well, as suggested i made reservations. however, to get a reservation at a 5:30 i had to make it 4 weeks out. we were about 20 minutes early so we checked in and told the hostess that we were going to be at thebarto get a drink, until our table was ready. my wife was exited to check out the bloody marybarfor $5.00, that we’ve heard so much about. thebartender proceeded to tell us that the bloody marybaris only for lunch, but he could make her one. so a bloody mary and a jack and coke came to $22.00 plus tip. ouch! that was a bit more than we were expecting but we were out on the town and just wanted to have a good time and enjoy ourselves. so 5:30 came and went and we still didn’t get a table. so about 5:45 i went back out to the hostess stand and asked about our 5:30 reservation. they told me it would be another few minutes. so we finally get a seat right next to the corner of the bar. the problem is that it was so narrow between thebarand my chair every time somebody went by they would bump into my chair or me. so i asked out waiter if we could move over one table. he did allow us, so that was good. so my wife is sitting against the wall on like a big long velour couch and i was sitting in a velour chair across from her. she was complaining how uncomfortable she was, and so was i at this point. both of our seats felt like the springs were blown out and we were sitting in a hole. the velour upholstery was all stained up and looked filthy. the mirrors on the wall looked filthy at first, but then i realized they were just old pitted. with all of the high ratings, despite the tiny tables, i was expecting better. so as an appetizer we ordered the bone marrow and mushroom risotto. both were very good i must say. for our main course i ordered the hudson valley duck breast and my wife ordered the wagyu flat iron. we both ordered them medium rare as recommended by our waiter. my duck breast was very chewy and gristly, even after i trimmed off what looked fat and gristle. i couldn’t even find a piece that i didn’t have to spit out after a few minutes of chewing. my wife gave me some of her wagyu flat iron to eat instead. it wasn’t bad but defiantly didn’t seem like wagyu beef. i didn’t complain though, i just wanted to get out of the uncomfortable chair i was sitting in and go home. our waiter asked what was wrong with my dinner because i obviously didn’t eat it. so i told him it was very chewy and gristly. he said that was one their signature dishes and after talking to his manager, he took my dinner off of our check. the service from our waiter was good so he got a nice tip, but as for the restaurant, we were very disappointed.

make a reservation because this place is so good it's the only way to get a table. this restaurant is excellent and is putting the hurt on several downtown restaurants that have gotten away with crappy food and service. we ate breakfast at thebarand the food and service was perfect.

not just meat and potatoes. but great cocktails, sitting at thebaris a treat because the bartenders are great and will talk to you about various liquors and life in general. i loved our bartender on v-day b/c he took time to describe some things that i could do when making cocktails at home!

also, if you're like me and don't eat pork or red meat (usually) you aren't out of luck. their fried brussels are to die for. the bestbarsnack ever, and at $5 won't break the bank. fried chicken livers are great too, but a little too heavy... i might get these instead of a meal next time! they always have a lovely fish dish and they have been very accommodating when i've brought along friends who had restricted diets.

most amazingly is that their aiolis are delicious. i absolutely hate mayo, but unlike most restaurants they aren't just modifying some cheap hellman's mayo and making their own mayo/aioli/whatever you call it.

favorite pittsburgh brunch. i have been to both sunday brunch and late night shindigs at meat & potatoes many, many times. the brunch selection has a refreshing selection of internationally-influenced breakfasts, and gourmet takes on american classics. and the bloody mary bar? check out the liquor infusions of the day (jalapeno tequila is a favorite of mine) and get creative with the buffet options for your morning drink! this is one of my favorite pittsburgh brunch traditions.

the cocktails and wines are also great in the evening, with a small but quality beer selection. greatbarsnacks, and a great place to meet up with friends. i highly recommend making reservations well ahead of time on almost any night of the week, especially if there is an event happening downtown or in the theatre district.

making a reservation to sit at thebardoesn't make much sense. my boss ordered us to go somewhere else because there was a half hour wait for a drink at thebarliterally 10 minutes after opening the doors. there were plenty of open barstools. i'm scratching my head. the manager came over and said he (my boss) couldn't have a drink while we waited for a table because there was a wait. i heard the food is wonderful, i'll probably never try it though.

a realbar- 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 thebarfor 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 thebarand 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 marybarfor 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.

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 thebarwhich 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

open the door!. i walked over to meat and potatoes today after work, excited to order a french 75. i walked in and the hostess, twirling her hair, said that the restaurant opens at 5:00. it was 4:50 pm... the response should have been... "we are not open just yet, but please go ahead and sit at thebarand one of the bartenders will be right with you." never make customers wait, especially when you have a hostess twirling her hair.


-----04 sep, 2011-----

great atmosphere, horrible service. my expectations were high... the reviews were good and now i was about to experience meat & potatoes with 4 of my best friends. having 5 or more people is the first issue. since they kept the same furniture from the last place, the tables are only built for 2 - 4 people.

having such great atmosphere, they should have went with more social table settings. the food and the comfort food vibe they have going would make this pub... well, feel like a pub.

our reservation was at 7:00 pm and we were sat at 7:28 (problem number 1). where was the manager apologizing for this? it gets better... drinks di not come until 7:50... thank god we had a few at the bar.

thebarwas our best experience, as the beautiful lady working thebarknew her drinks and the menu very well. we asked her about the food, the customers and what she thought of the overal vibe.

if you want to go for dinner... go around 9 or 10... before that, it is all grey hairs and boring couples. it was not until we were leaving, that we saw a more socialable crowd.

so being a party of 5, we were sent to the private room, which used to be the entrance at the old restaurant. the room is cozy and nice, but man... the service is so bad. we saw our server several times at the other tables outside of our room (working the floor). she never checked back to ask about the meals or to see about drinks.

the food came out in a very timely manner. i loved my burger. it was really good. the mac & cheese needs more chesse, but is also a good choice. my favorite was the fried brussel sprouts. yum!

my friends had the mussels, meatloaf (this was not liked and the portion was really small for a pub), steak tacos and flat bread. although we enjoyed the food, the service made for a bad evening. we all agreed that if we returned it would be with a party of 2 - 4, so that we could enjoy the surroundings.

oh... read the specials written on the mirrors, as they will never be read to you (at least by the female server we had).

also, if you look on the fire place... you can have fois gras on anything... this is again never spoken.

i think that there recent review from the ppg was fair, but that chyna girl needs to get more facts right... especially about service.

i wish you the best, as the atmosphere is great and the vibe of the pub is cool (this is no gastropub... you should look up the definition).