I may hit you up for recommendations in those areas another time. It's tough to get decent info outside of Downtown, Strip District, and South Side. We may need one more trip up there to get our touristy stuff over with.

Don - Yes, we are from the DC suburbs. And I forgot. We walked over from the hotel (before heading to E Carson) to the Gandy Dancer. The GF loved the spicy cucumber martini (maybe I did too.) Great bartender and overall ambiance.

Burghfeeder - That's the only thing we didn't like. There was an abundance of bars and restaurants, but most of them did not interest us. We'll try a different spot on E Carson next time.

Thanks for all the recs. We hit Primanti Bros (for the "been there, done that" factor) to start. We tried to get a spot at the bar or a table at Fat Heads, but it was too crowded. Don - you're right. Amazing how many chicks get all dolled up to drink beers at dive bars and microbreweries in PIT. We hung out at Casey's next door for some hefeweizen then headed over to Piper's Pub. Great ambiance. We just ordered curry chips with spicy curry. One of the best things we ate during the trip. Then we finished up with a walk to the Dish. A bottle of chianti, an order of mussels, filet mignon, and linguine al frutti di mare. All were prepared very well. The place was definitely a standout from the rest of the restaurants in the area. Looking forward to another trip up there in the near future.

Fish sammie and curry fries it is :)

For this trip, I think we're doing Dish, Fat Heads, and Piper's Pub. I'll shelve Yo Rita's and Cafe Du Jour until our next trip. CDJ definitely looks like the kind of place I want to explore.

Love seafood. I'll keep the scallops in mind. Thanks.

Thanks. Just called. Only could get a reservation at Dish for after 10pm. I guess we're hitting Piper's and Fat Heads first (which I'm guessing is fine w/o reservations.) Does Gandy Dancer have a bar where we can just go and spend an hour at w/o a reservation?

BF - BTW, I started reading your blog. Really enjoying it. Let's see how much of it I can get through before we leave for Pittsburgh this Saturday.

Augie, BF - Thanks for your replies. I guess Dish Osteria and Fat Heads are definitely on the uber short list. We had a rezzie at the Grand Concourse but cancelled it because we wouldn't have time for it. But a drink or two at the Gandy Dancer seems like a great way to experience it. To round out the evening, I was thinking about Piper's Pub, Little Tokyo Bistro, or Mallorca. Any thoughts?

My GF and I will be visiting Pittsburgh this weekend just to check out the city. One of the things we usually do the first night is to hit 3-4 restaurants for drinks and food. We'll share either 1 or 2 appetizers or an entree. We try to sample things that are either representative of the city (e.g. crab cakes in Baltimore) or something we find unique or interesting. We are pretty much open to anything from upscale to dive bars (as long as they're safe.)

We'll be staying at Station Square and will cab it over to E Carson St for an evening/night of restaurant/bar hopping. We would like recommendations on about 3 restaurants we can hit within walking distance that has menu items that stand out. And it would help a lot if you could also suggest an appetizer or an entree that we really should try when visiting the recommended restaurant.

Thanks in advance.