monterey bay fish grotto

first of all, if you have never been here and sat on the city side looking out the windows at the best view in pittsburgh, you must. beyond that, the food is very good but i am not the kind of person to pay $40 for a 5 oz piece offishand consider it money well spent. if you have the disposable income, and can get a window seat, it is well worth the experience at least once.

common food/high price. i made the reservation on line, which was easy. we got there and you can only pull in a small car port where a young valet takes the car and you walk into an odd little lobby with an elevator that takes you up to the restaurant. enjoy the view as you go up...that's part of it all.

unless you are seated by the window, being "near" the window doesn't give the ambiance you may want. the food? very common. an appetizer for three gave us two bites each.

the salad...a few lettuce leaves in a cheap vinigrette.

we ordered red snapper, sea bass, and swordfish respectively. thefishwas nothing special--at all. tasted neutral--an essence of fish. we each tasted the other's dinner...swordfish was the best, but nothing...and i mean nothing special.

we ordered a side of asparagus...bland, undercooked spears come to the table with a pot of sauce. we each had 2 spears...most were left.

two of us shared the chocolate mousse cake. what a joke. it was layered thin slices of cake with a little mousse in between. not so fresh...and all over priced.

i would not recommend this restaurant and further, it's sad that this is what pittsburgh has to offer for a fine restaurant.

if they didn't have the windows to tout the "view of the city" their food would never draw you back, for sure.

had a wonderfully dinner here tonight. the view was worth it, and i think that's exactly what you are paying for here.

we had the ichiban appetizer to start off our meal. thefishwas cooked well and came with a nice sauce, but was a very small portion. i had the spinach salad next and my husband had the grilled wedge. both salads tasted good, but the wedge was exceptional. everything in the wedge salad went so well together and the ranch dressing on top was delicious. for dinner i had the strawberry salmon and my husband had the monterey striped bass. bothfishtasted great. i really enjoyed the strawberry sauce, it wasn't too sweet and had a nice peppery finish. we also shared the chipotle cream corn, which was nice and spicy.

we finished the meal with the angel food grilled cheese sandwich. the dessert alone was worth the meal. it was divine, combining the lightness of angel food cake with the sugar crustiness of creme brulee. i was absolutely in love. i told my husband we can come back anytime just to have dessert.

this past weekend we went out for our anniversary dinner celebration. once again, we chose monterey bayfishgrotto on mt. washington. we made our reservation for 5 pm in hopes of getting a table next to the window. happily, we did, a table in the corner with a terrific view.  . mbfg is a special occasion restaurant. it's one of the priciest places we've dined in pittsburgh, perhaps the priciest, but i'd have to really think about it and compare how much alcohol we drank, number of appetizers/desserts, after dinner coffee, etc., for a fair comparison. the food is good, the service attentive, but really, you're there for the view. here's what we enjoyed:

had a wonderful anniversary dinner at the monroeville mall location.  was greeted in a friendly manner and seated promptly while being told about some recent awards for items on the menu.  i finished my meal by trying the award winning angel food grilled cheese sandwich dessert.  sounds odd but is perfectly sweet and creamy.  i chose the salmon & strawberry in wine which was very good but still not as good as my husband's halibut.  wow!  it sat in a savory broth with bits of andouille sausage and yet was sweetened with the taste of apples and toasted granola on top.  i have to say this was one of the best seafood dinners i have ever eaten.  thefishfresh and cooked to delicate perfection!

this year for our dinner out to celebrate our anniversary we chose  monterey bayfishgrotto on mt. washington. mbfg recently underwent a $2 million renovation . not only did we read about it in various newspapers and on blogs, but we heard all about it from my parents. they live in the same building as the restaurant so they had a first hand view of the renovation action. the restaurant just re-opened a few weeks ago . neither of us had dined at the old version of mbfg , nor had either of us ever dined in the space when it was christopher's (long, long ago). our reservations were for 5:30 pm and sadly, we were about 15 minutes late thanks to traffic from the parkway west closure. grrr. fortunately, the couple we were joining for dinner arrived on time. we used the valet to park ($6) and rode the elevator up, enjoying a terrific view of the city. sadly, we were not seated next to a window, so we didn't have the best view, but it wasn't "no view." i could see bits and pieces of heinz field, the upmc building, and ppg. a celebratory bottle of 2009 bjornstad cellars   chardonnay (russian river valley in ca). normally, we do not order an entire bottle of wine because we cannot drink it all (we were sharing this time) so i do not know what an entire bottle usually costs, but after looking at the list of bottles of chardonnay, i think it's safe to say you can expect to spend quite a bit on a bottle here at mbfg ($75+). there are some for less than that, but... i'd be curious what the retail price is on these bottles. our bottle ended up being decanted because there was some sediment in it, and even after decanting, there was still some sediment, which was a bit disappointing given the cost of the wine. to start, we shared an order of calamari with scallions, red & yellow peppers, and mango-cilantro sauce. this is some of the best calamari i've had. definitely in the top 3 that i can remember (one other being in mystic, ct and the other in monterey, ca). not at all tough,

small portions big price. wasn't that impressed with the food. $200 for no sides with myfishmeal and portions were so damn small.

disappointing. we ate at the monroeville location. i had the swordfish oscar.fishwas dry and tasteless. the manager asked if everything was okay i explained to him thefishwas dry. he did offer to get me another one. truly when you are with other couples you want to eat with them, not wait for the kitchen to get it right. we had to be in the city by 7:30p.m. truly disappointing!

change my mind...no longer impressed. i posted a rave review for this place back in 2010, but i have given it two more chances since then (the most recent in early december 2013) and have become increasingly disappointed.

the food is no longer amazing. my tuna steak was, well, boring and too salty. the appetizer combo was also too salty, and overdone. we were brought the wrong side dish, so we had to wait for another. the prices have gone up, and the portions seem smaller. the wine is ridiculously overpriced.

the servers were still fantastic, both times. they were very attentive, informative and friendly. however, this place no longer seems to have that special extra something as far as making you feel like a valued customer goes. the first time i went, and mentioned that it was our anniversary, we were treated like royalty--great table with a great view, happy anniversary greetings from all of the staff, even the coat check staff...special little anniversary-themed desert...all the little extra nice touches that made us feel special. the last time we went (when i indicated ahead of time that it was a special occasion), we experienced none of this. we got an apathetic "happy anniversary" from the hostess (who didn't even make eye contact), so i knew they had written it down, but no one else acknowledged or asked if it was a special occasion. we got stuck in the rear of the dining room, so we had no view. i saw complimentary birthday, etc., desserts going around to others in the room, so i know they still do this, but we weren't included. i don't expect a free meal or even a full dessert, but for the insane amount of money we spent (that we have to save up for once a year), i would think a simple scoop of ice cream or something wouldn't be asking much.


-----04 dec, 2012-----

amazing food and service. my husband and i celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary at monterey bay last night. we are still giddy about it. wonderful food and service...we were treated like royalty. i made a reservation earlier in the day and mentioned it was our anniversary. in return, we were given a table with the best view and were wished happy anniversary from everyone from the coat check attendant to the hostess, server and even the manager himself.

the food was absolutely delicious. we had the appetizer combo, which consisted of cajun shrimp, a skewer of fresh "fish-kabob" and a crab cake. all were very good (although the shrimp was just a tad salty for my taste, but, then again, i'm not big on cajun). the crab cake was perfect--fresh crab, and there was a good bit of it. (more of a crab "heap"...lol). the next time i go, i will likely order the crab cakes as an entree, as i enjoyed it so much.

i had the house salad, which had a very tasty, fruity sweet sour dressing. i had a hard time deciding on it, as all of their salads sounded great.

my husband had the chilean sea bass, caribbean jerk style. it was the freshest tastingfishi'd ever had. i had the mahi-mahi with macadamia nuts, also very fresh with a nice nutty, buttery rich flavor.

for desert we had the peanut trio, which was sort of a peanut/toffee cheesecake that was perfectly salty-sweet accompanied by a chocolate mousse. the chef wrote "happy anniversary" on our plate in chocolate. :) cute touch.

all in all, a great evening. the place is quite pricey, but it's worth it for a special occasion.

substandard, inconsistent food preparation which does not represent a true fine dining experience.. after dining at monterey bayfishgrotto on multiple occasions, i have tirelessly tried and failed to experience the "outstandingness" of this overrated restaurant. from the tacky, outdated, musty smelling decor down to the beyond-it's-expiration-date shrimp served during my last visit, i'm happy to say that this will be my last visit. no more lemon sole sprinkled with old bay and other unidentified bottled herbs/powders, served to us floating in a sea of greasy butter.

if a view of the city is what you're after, step out onto one of the many overlooks of the city perched along grandview avenue at zero cost, then head to a restaurant with more experienced chefs and wait staff.

the crab cakes, which folks rave about are at best marginal. a lighter crab cake can be had at luma restaurant in aspinwall for half the price. nicely broiled, large chunks of crab meat with very little filler and binder. one can actually enjoy the taste of the crab without being bombarded by the richness of monterey bay's heavy mayo binder, served floating in a pungent mustard sauce. tip... request the sauce on the side when ordering the crab cakes at monterey.

something as simple as fried shrimp and shrimp scampi should not be served if one is able to smell the distinct aroma of expired shrimp. this was our last meal, both entrees reeking of that horrible smell coupled with a lovely metallic taste. better tasting, much fresher shrimp can be enjoyed at, hate to say it, the cheesecake factory. for a restaurant who prides itself on supposedly flying in freshfishdaily, where and how long are you storing it? and to serve 2 smelly old shrimp entrees to the tune of $60.00?? those dishes should've never left the kitchen let alone be plopped down in front of paying customers.

they also try (and fail) to put an italian spin on some entrees. if this peaks your curiosity, don't bother. drive over to shadyside and enjoy an authentic italian meal at girasole.

perhaps i did not catch this restaurant before it had changed owners several months back. it is now owned by the same property management company who also can lease you an apartment on one of the lower floors in the building. the original owner/chef has vacated the kitchen leaving it in the hands of inexperienced and mediocre cooks, managed and now owned by an apartment leasing company with no experience nor expertise in the dining industry.

instead of spending another hundred and a half (not including cocktails) for 2 meals i'd rather donate the $ to a reputable charity instead of sinfully wasting it, once again, at this below average restaurant.

freshfishfar from the shore. very good seafood, fresh and well-prepared, and great service - even though it's hundreds of miles from the ocean. if you're looking for freshfishthat is prepared well, in a venue with a pleasant ambiance with a great view, served by a knowledgable and attentive staff, then try monterey bayfishgrotto.

the only complaint we had was that they were sold out of our first choices - but that happens when a restaurant tries to serve only fresh food. the view is great, although it would be better if they washed the windows more often - they were fairly streaky.

we had the peppered tuna and the escolar, and both were excellent. prices are really quite reasonable for fresh seafood, probably because the serving sizes are not huge, and that is just fine with us. we would much rather pay for quality than quantity.

it's perfect for what it is. if you are expecting innovative gourmet cuisine, this is not your place. what you will get is wonderful fresh fish, prepared in a variety of appetizing ways, charming, professional service, and an amazing view of the city. the management here pays attention to detail, welcomes back frequent diners, and makes everyone feel welcome. a great place to bring guests from out of town as long as they likefishand are not expecting fancy food.

dinner was great. we just got back from dinner, and have to say everything was great! hard to get at most restaurants anymore. but you can tell theirfishis fresh and they really try to be creative even with simplefishlike salmon.
the server's are really professional and took care of every detail. the add touch of your name on the menu when it is your birthday is very nice. we will be back, you pay for what you get.

great view - mediocre outdated restaurant. other than the view this place has little to offer. touted as pittsburgh's best seafood resturant, there is nothing special here. they over price adn underdeliver...much better seafood is served at pennavenuefishcompany, habitat, willow and the originalfishmarket.

very disappointed. on a business trip from la, i stopped by the restaurant to have somefishwith a friend since they claim to be the best seafood restaurant. the service was extremely slow in the lounge, the sashimi tuna appetizer looked like cat food. the sword arrived 2 degrees above room temperature . did i mention that they do not care to provide with a great dinning experience. i think if more real seafood restaurants open up in pittsburgh, the monterey bay will be closed in two years time.