So Butcher and the Rye is of course one of "those restaurants" that everyone always talks about and recommends as a "must" while in the Pittsburgh area. I have to admit I am always a bit skeptical on the hype that exists over any restaurants but even with this skepticism I was looking forward to the opportunity to dine at this joint. I made my way over on a Tuesday. The interior is broken up into two floors with tables and a bar on the first floor as well as the second floor. I opted to go to the second floor to grab a seat at the bar. The décor is a cool and has a hustle and bustle vibe to it. The first floor has a pretty impressive wall of drinks stacked up against it with a nice chandelier thing hanging.
The few times ive been here, I was always immediately greeted when sitting at the bar and pretty shortly thereafter provided a menu for perusal. They have a pretty solid array of food and drinks so the last few visits have been me asking the bartender for their recommendations for drinks/food. These guys are executing solid cocktails and drinks and were able to meet my random requests for recommendations. After a bit of perusing of the menu, I immediately gravitated towards the pig candy and the dirty pasta based on all the rave reviews. Both were really solid and definitely let me feel I was enjoying the finer cuisine in life. The pig candy is delicious and has the perfect compliments of spices and sweetness to it and is perfectly married with the pork belly. The dirty pasta has the perfect amount of ingredients and is made perfectly as well. It is tossed with ground duck , sage, and pecorino romano making it just heavenly. The noodles were cooked to perfection and I think I literally had to stop myself from licking the plate clean. I have also had the opportunity to try the steak here which was cooked perfectly and delicious with the right amount of tenderness behind it.
All in all, my favorite joint in Pittsburgh so far and definitely a spot that I will try to hit as frequently as possible