My home city on the other side of the state is in the midst of a culinary revitalization. Prior to now, truly good places to eat was the only thing Pittsburgh seemed to lack. With all the waterfront areas and cultural activities it has to provide, the City of Bridges is the perfect place for a summer trip if you are sick and tired of the beach.
Going home for the weekend, I insisted on trying this place after hearing about it from so many people. Since Rob could not make the trip home with me, I took my friend Megan along.
Located in the cultural district of the city along the Allegheny River, an area well known to me from my childhood, Meat and Potatoes shares a lobby with a local cabaret-a fact I am incredibly bitter I was not aware of beforehand. Walking in to a decent-sized dining room with a large bar in the center, the noise was pretty hopping. The decor an interesting mixture of a Texas ranch and prohibition era bar, it was confusing yet I liked it.
Once we figured out that our seats were not extra low, our very friendly server was just THAT tall, we moved on to the menu. With an excellent beer list focusing on local breweries and a well represented wine list, we opted for the highlight of the show-the cocktails. A fun mix of prohibition era drinks with a modern twist, they were too good to pass up.
For an appetizer we opted to go “light” with the poutine. Nothing says Pittsburgh like fries and gravy. It is just that much better because its duck gravy and local cheese curds. We decided to go with this instead of the more popular choice of bone marrow due to our heavy entree choices. Seemed like a good idea at the time. The server did warn us, but it was still bigger than expected. And it was well worth it. The gravy was appropriately thick and the dish simple, letting the gravy provide most of the flavor.
Remember that duck from Abe Fisher we raved about previously? ‘Cause I don’t. All duck breast is now a sad forgotten memory to my taste buds due to the Hudson Valley Duck Breast served here. With a rub that perfectly compliments the duck and the breast done to perfection, the additions, while amazing, were probably not necessary to make it amazing. However, I will give a shout out to spaetzle, sauerkraut, and dill relish among the other pieces for making it a complete and well-rounded dish.
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| Duck at Meat and Potatoes |
Megan got the Wagyu Flat Iron steak. It was amazingly tender and just as wagyu beef should be done to optimize flavor. Paired with a more tex-mex style combo, the salsa verde and fried plaintains worked well with the beef since they didn’t over-power it. The yucca fries were also done to perfection.
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| Wagyu Steak |
There is no set dessert menu as it changes frequently. We shared a banana peanut butter mouse. While I forget the exact name, I do no forget how thick and creamy it was or how wonderful the flavors. Could have been a little better balanced with a little more cocoa flavor, but that is just a personal preference.
Now for the important part of the meal-the check. The great thing about Pittsburgh dining is that they now have better quality but they don’t feel the need to have the prices become higher to reflect that. The entire meal, worthy of any restaurant in any major city, came to about half what it would cost in Philly. And that, my friends, is why I love Pittsburgh. Among other things.
While the noise level could have been better and the decor felt a little forced even by my standards, the food did all the talking at this place. I know I am a little partial to where I come from, but honestly Pittsburgh is a great place to visit and restaurants like these make it all the more worth the trip.
