Pittsburgh Restaurant Week is an opportunity to try something new
Let someone else do the cooking.
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week starts Monday.
The semi-annual event runs through Sunday, with some establishments participating through Jan. 23.
The restaurants are offering new menu items with some discounting meals from their standard fare. In addition to changing up the menu, some highlight their local craft beers and wide selections of wine and cocktails.
Revival on Lincoln in Bellevue is one of nearly 40 restaurants participating in Pittsburgh Restaurant Week.
(A complete list can be found here.)
“Pittsburgh Restaurant Week is great because it brings new people into the restaurant,” said John King, owner and executive chef at Revival on Lincoln. “I am happy to do it. The staff likes to do it, too. We get to see our regular customers, which we love, and we get to meet new diners. Many of them come back.”
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week began in January 2012 as a twice-annual event, in January and August. At its peak before the pandemic, nearly 100 restaurants participated.
Fewer are participating than normal because of pandemic-related challenges with staffing, said Brian McCollum, director of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week. Many are in the process of creating menus.
“We need to be patient with the restaurants because they are still working through staffing issues,” McCollum said. “As we get the menus, we will post them on our website.”
McCollum chose January and August because they usually are slow times for restaurants. Restaurants see fewer customers in January after the holiday rush.
The meals are designed for dine-in, but establishments can choose to offer the deals for takeout, McCollum said.
Frederic Rongier, owner of Paris 66 in East Liberty, has been part of the event every year. He will offer the special price for dine-in or to-go. He said he was skeptical of Restaurant Week at first, but that changed after the first day.
Paris 66 will be open Thursday through Saturday for both weeks.
“It brings in business,” he said. “It really helps us this month. It’s an opportunity for restaurants to increase sales. Customers get a three-course meal for a really good price.”
LeMont on Mt. Washington loves participating in Pittsburgh Restaurant Week, general manager Danielle Fingers said via email. LeMont will offer specials both weeks. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
“After the hectic holiday season, we welcome new customers who want to enjoy LeMont for the $40.22 menu pricing, and our longtime customers like to try our new menu items,” Fingers said.
LeMont chef Roley Johnson said the menu item to try is the Maryland blue crab ravioli — and definitely save room for the red velvet cake.
King said his restaurant will be offering specials from 5 to 10 p.m. Jan. 12-15 and 20-22.
“Restaurant week has been very successful for us,” King said.
The menu will include a shrimp Americana dish, herb-roasted pork and salmon as well as Moroccan-spiced chicken. There will be house-made soups: clam chowder and Bellevue bisque, which has tomato, peas and curry. Dessert will be chocolate mousse and cheesecake.
“We love Pittsburgh Restaurant Week,” said Chris Millsap, owner of The Melting Pot in Station Square on Pittsburgh’s South Side, which has other locations in Cincinnati and St. Louis. “We get really busy. Not all cities do a restaurant week, but it really helps boost the restaurant community.”
Millsap said it is a way to have new offerings for regular customers as well as attract a new crowd. For $40.22, the meal includes a choice of salad, an entree of herb-crusted chicken, teriyaki-marinated sirloin, filet mignon, Memphis-style barbecue, pork medallion, sweet and spicy glazed shrimp or wild mushroom sacchetti. Dessert includes chocolate fondue served with fresh strawberries, blondies, bananas, pineapple, marshmallow treats, pound cake and brownies.
McCollum said each restaurant will be responsible for covid-related safety precautions.
He said extending the event by a week helps the restaurants, especially those with smaller dining rooms. They can socially distance diners and have more days to welcome customers because spaces fill quickly during Restaurant Week.
Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar at Live! Casino Pittsburgh in the Westmoreland Mall will be offering a choice of an appetizer, entree and dessert for $35. It also will debut new menu items, from Brussels sprouts and bacon to Yuengling chicken. Sports & Social Steel City at the casino is also participating.
“We are excited to welcome guests to this premier dining concept, which is unique to the region,” said Rian Martin, general manager of Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar. “Their trip to ‘Flavortown’ will include an exciting dining experience, along with the ‘Real Deal’ Guy signature recipes.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.