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| - The Yard is one of those places that I really, really want to love...but unfortunately, it falls short for me.
The atmosphere is pretty much that of a typical pub. The restaurant itself is actually underground, which is interesting. I have a hard time with the lack of windows and wish it were a little brighter, but they do have free wifi which is nice! Be warned that it is extremely loud here - I always seem to find myself screaming in order to talk to my friends no matter what time I come.
One of the biggest aspects of The Yard's menu is the grilled cheese. They have dozens of different craft grilled cheeses with all different toppings. I am no stranger to the idea of craft grilled cheese - if you have not heard of MELT in the Cleveland area, you should look it up. It is absolutely phenomenal. Needless to say, MELT has given me extremely high expectations, so I came to The Yard expecting comparably amazing grilled cheese sandwiches. I regret to say that I was disappointed. I have tried The Big Che-bowski as well as the Smack Yo Mama. They're good, but not great. I always feel that the bread is a little hard and the flavors are not as distinct as I would like. I love the concept of getting a cup of tomato soup with your sandwich, but the tomato soup is oddly pasty, and almost everyone I have gone with has disliked it. Overall, the food is a bit of a miss for me.
Most recently, I came to The Yard for the bottomless mimosas deal on a Saturday afternoon. The Yard is one of the only bars in the burgh that seems to do the "bottomless" deal for brunch, and it's really a great bargain. The mimosas are clearly watered down, but at just $15, it's still worth it in my eyes. I have not been overly impressed with the service here - we actually had a waitress who seemed to be ignoring us at our last trip, and had to keep asking other waitresses for assistance when we needed something. Very strange.
Overall, I'm not rushing back to The Yard for dinner anytime soon. The bottomless mimosas are a great deal, and I recommend that on a weekend. Otherwise, there are much better options in Shadyside for dinner.
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