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| - Tender is a gorgeous space that is well-decorated, with well-meaning waitstaff. However, the rest of the experience is a disaster. Where to start with the issues at this bar/restaurant/whatever:
1. The bizarre rules. Tender is seated mainly by reservations, yet people who place them routinely still wait for tables. And you can't have a drink at the bar because there is no standing at the bar. I can't think of a better way to encourage people to leave a place! The main space is beautiful, but the back rooms are small & cramped, and it's unclear what purpose the equally dungeon-esque downstairs rooms could serve.
2. The waitstaff/bartenders: All of them are well-meaning, if a bit pretentious, but that's fine. What's hard to accept is that no one seems to know what is going on. Simply asking what beers are on draft produces a flurry of activity that still doesn't result in a simple list. This is probably in part due to the aesthetic decision to have silver tap handles without the descriptive beer handles; this is fine if the staff is briefed on what beers are on tap, but not so good when they are not. Different waitresses and hostesses are constantly coming up asking different questions; the whole thing is not what you would expect from a fine dining restaurant.
3. The cocktails: they range from okay to great. Again, this is fine, but not what you would expect from a restaurant priding itself on its cocktails. Also, an attempt to order off the menu can end badly: I tried to order a Brooklyn cocktail only to have the waitress check, say it was okay, take my order, and then come back and say that they didn't have the ingredients. A prohibition-era bar doesn't have Rye, Vermouth, Bitters, Maraschino, and some kind of digestif?
4. The food. When I first ate at Tender, right after they opened, I would say that, based on the price vs quantity of food, Tender is by far the most expensive restaurant in Pittsburgh. Portions were shockingly small and shockingly expensive. Plus, there was nothing of great expense or difficulty to prepare on the plates. To be fair, I know they've revamped their menu, so maybe they've addressed this issue.
In short, Tender feels like a bar run by someone who likes restaurants, not a restauranteur. Everything is flash and sizzle, but no substance.
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