Butcher and the Rye's got that upscale Gaston's tavern feel to it. We made reservation ahead of time and got a text from their hostess 10 minutes prior to let us know our table was ready. I'm new to Pittsburgh so I wasn't sure how wait time is but reservation is the way to go. Downtown restaurants are crawling with people dining from 6 - 8 PM.
We've had a few drinks before dinner so the first thing we ordered was the bread (Mmmm carbs). It's paired with an herb butter spread and gravy. Aside from the need of carbs, I enjoyed it. For appetizers, we ordered the tartare and the pig candy. The beef tartare was spread on top of a toasted bread (yes, more carbs) and we loved the truffle aloli poached egg yolk on the side. It's likely to inspire many of our homemade eggs now. The pig candy, which is a chunk of pork belly, was less inspiring. However, It was sweet, saucy, and meaty.
For the main course of the night, we shared the pappardelle with pork and lobster. This sealed the night for me as I enjoyed everything from the grounded pork to the bite-sized (although I wouldn't mind bigger pieces personally) lobster tail to the pappardelle to the sauce! The sauce was better than I expected for a pasta dish.
We ended the night with the doughnuts. Expect cinnamon and happiness.