Pittsburgh Blue

The Scene
A second sister to Manny’s in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh Blue rubs shoulders with Trader Joe’s and Borders under the harsh lights of the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes. PitBlue is a big place with a menu and portions to match. The bar is a warm, handsome space in masculine red and brown tones; cushy booths and soft lighting ooze casual confidence. Always full, the sprawling dining room bustles as service trolleys make the rounds—here six businessmen, ties loosened, toast the closed deal; there a dozen high school students celebrate an eighteenth birthday. A young family with grandparents in tow divvies up fried chicken, couples share appetizers, and bikers (Harley jackets slung over their chairs) dig into plate-sized steaks.

Our Take
It’s about beef, well done to “Pittsburgh Blue,” meaning charred outside and nearly raw within. The über New York strip is dry-aged twenty-one days—it and an even grander rib eye for two are as good as any flame-kissed slabs of meat can be. Blue cheese, mushroom, and horseradish sauces, available for a small charge, are a nice, though unnecessary flourish.

The list of all-American appetizers has a lot to recommend: cute piggies in puff-pastry blankets; a fat, spicy crab-packed crab cake; fresh-shucked briny oysters on the half-shell or Rockefeller; and, for a twist, delicate seared scallops in hollandaise, topped with bacon. Stray from steak to very fresh, simply cooked fish or fried buttermilk chicken, moist and tender under a crisp, spicy crust served with a tangy, fresh slaw. The burger or steak sandwiches make smaller and less expensive choices (avoid the comical chicken-fried pork tenderloin). Side dishes, in cast-iron pans, easily serve four: a grown-up creamy mac and cheese (hints of nutmeg and cayenne), a volcano of mashed potatoes (with lavas of cheese and bacon), and creamed corn are best bets. Big finishes are meant to be shared (one hopes): tart cranberry-apple crisp, piping hot, a scoop of vanilla ice cream puddling in the middle or that retro New York steak house classic—red velvet cake.

Pittsburgh Blue delivers on its promise. Chef Miguel Urrutia’s food is fine; the servers hustle. Prices are lower than at Manny’s, but the place isn’t cheap, and the food is formidably rich with butter, bacon, and bleu.

Raising the Bar
A long stretch of a space, PitBlue’s bar, warmly lit with red-shaded lamps, is a swank place to sip the ubiquitous steak house elixir, the martini, dry and crisp as you like. The list of fancy drinks harkens bygone days of chic parties, furs, and heels. Hanging from the ceiling, visible from just about any nook or cranny, are high-definition TVs, sound down, featuring the sporting event du jour. It’s a swell place to take in the scene with a Distinguisehd Gentleman or mojito. Given a cozy booth, a few plump shrimp, and a Bees Knees, I could even learn to love hockey.