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| - Some of the best food I've had in Pittsburgh...
My partner and four other friends treated me to a birthday dinner here on a Friday night in February. The place was packed, but fortunately, we had a reservation called in two or three days ahead of time. We were a table or two away from the bar, right in front of the window. I'm not a fan of places where there's no way to hear what your mates are saying-- I love a deep, thoughtful conversation, and while we had to raise our voices and repeat stuff here and there, the din of the bar didn't greatly inhibit our interaction.
For being jam packed on Friday night, wait times for food and drinks were reasonable. We ordered a bunch of small plates rather than individual entrées and our personable waiter came back often to ensure we had a great experience. The beer and cocktails were top-notch, as one would expect them to be for a place whose name ends in "rye," which they have myriad types of. The Manhattan is made with a Buffalo Trace bourbon, and yeah, to me, $12 is kinda steep, but between Butcher and its sister restaurant, Meat & Potatoes, I've ordered it on multiple occasions and will continue to do so. My partner enjoyed her Pink Elephant as well.
I'm not an interior designer, so décor doesn't add or detract too much from my experience unless it's godawful. Butcher's layout and design is refined rustic that doesn't take itself too seriously, but at the same time avoids being kitschy.
The food was par excellence for upscale, contemporary American in Pittsburgh, and I'd be proud to line it up against other iterations in larger cities. The menu is cohesive, but also achieves breadth. Our group had the PEI mussels, marrow, brussels, pig candy, country ham and dry aged tartare. For dessert: the deep fried brownie and baked camembert. Take a look at the menu on the website- the flavor combinations will impress you and do more justice than I could hope to.
I'm unable to register any complaints regarding the food, and by extension, the entire establishment. I look forward to heading their again and giving their large plates a try next go around. This place is certainly worth the splurge.
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