The final post to conclude my restaurant week winter 2013 at Pittsburgh: Meat and Potatoes! I was disappointed that we weren’t able to go to Bar Marco for our final stop, but since I had never been to Meat and Potatoes, this place was also quite high on my list. The restaurant is also a little on the expensive side, so restaurant week was the perfect time for me to try. We went with their restaurant week menu, and then ordered an appetizer – the bone marrow. This dish has been highly recommended by everyone that has been here, so why not make a 4 course dinner into a 5 course one?
Before I start commenting on the dish however, as strange as it might seem, I have had bone marrow many, many times in my life and I had very high expectations for this dish. Bone marrow is essentially fat, but the stuff is juicy and tender. I’ve had bone marrow on my hamburger before (see Ray’s Hell Burger under DC Area), and that is possibly the best burger I’ve ever had in my life. Ever. I love this stuff, and so I was really excited to give it a try.
Bone Marrow – grilled bread / gremolata / onion relish / sea salt
However, I must say I’m a little disappointed. I don’t know how they could have gone wrong, but it wasn’t as good as I expected it to be. Maybe it needed to come pre-seasoned, or the bread wasn’t flavorful enough. Its good, but I expected it to be amazing, which it wasn’t.
Pot pie – oyster/potatoes/onions/puff pastry
The first course of the 4-course menu is was a pot pie soup. Again, it was good but not amazing. The oysters didn’t really stand out, and the pastry was quite flat and soggy by the time it came out. I wanted a puffy, flaky pastry, but it was flat and a little gummy. I felt like this was a major filler course, and I would have been happier if they got rid of it altogether and made the other ones better.
Frisée salad – house cured lamb bacon/potatoes/smoked egg
The next course, a salad, had more potatoes than salad. I was totally cool with it, but again, good but not amazing. The lamb bacon was a little sweet, which went well with the saltiness of the rest of the dish, but I thought the potatoes were over-seasoned. It was incredibly hard to eat it by itself. Fortunately, the smoked egg was not really seasoned, so a bite of potatoes with a bite of egg made the dish edible. The frisee was a nice refreshing touch to the dish as well.
Hanger steak – lobster tater tots/chorizo bernaise
For our entree, I was expecting amazing things from the lobster tater tots. I don’t think they tasted like lobster, and I don’t think it really pulled through as a good side dish. However, the steak was good, and chorizo bernaise sauce was very, very good. Out of the 4 dishes so far, I think the steak was the best.
Bread pudding – bourbon creme anglaise
Finally, dessert: bread pudding. I was very excited about this dish, and I think it really delivered its true potential. Instead of the traditional bread pudding that is thick and heavy, this bread pudding is more like a cake slice, but the consistency and texture is amazing. Its smooth and moist, but at the same time a little chewy with nice texture. It really was bread and pudding. I loved how they redefined what bread pudding could be. The creme anglaise with bourbon was delicious, and the pecans were a very nice touch.
Overall, I think only the entree and dessert are worth coming here for. I would love to try their normal menu because I felt like the other courses were just fillers, especially the ones on the restaurant week menu.
Have you been here before? What did you think?
Meat and Potatoes
649 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 325-7007
the life of a eating monster 