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| - We drove over to East Liberty (a 7-minute drive!) after cruising this year's always-enjoyable "A Fair in the Park" arts & crafts show in Mellon Park. We don't get out east in Pittsburgh too often & have been wanting to try Muddy Waters since they opened a few years ago. We were hoping for good oysters, but - beyond that - weren't quite sure what to expect. We got there just in time (4:30) for Friday afternoon happy hour and were seated in a cozy booth. The place is one of those store-front kind of places: not too wide, but it goes way back. Very "neighborhood bar" kind of place - unpretentious & you feel welcome & right at home. You enter and walk past the raw bar on your way back to your table (or booth). Nautical theme with a great East Coast mural on the wall. The young-ish staff was friendly and attentive. (And they all wear black tee shirts proclaiming them as "bad mother shuckers "!) Our server, William, has been there since the place opened & helped guide us through the New Orleans-themed menu & the specials. We started by splitting a dozen big, fresh Delaware Bay oysters at the happy hour price of $1 each. Thoroughly enjoyable. We went on to shaved catfish (sort of like chicken tenders, only catfish), a combo shrimp & oyster poor boy, and a big wedge salad. (Loved the fresh, vinegary cole slaw that came as a side with the catfish!) They have a full bar, and offer a wide selection off beer by the can (nothing on draft - I enjoyed a couple of Vermont Magic Hat #9s served with Mason jar glasses). We had no room left for dessert, and departed the now-bustling dining room with 2 containers of left-overs and a to-go order of fresh, hot New Orleans-style beignets & chocolate sauce (recommendation: don't go home without them!) What a great dinner & overall experience! Long drive, but we'll be back with friends & family. Thanks, William!
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