Because we love all of Richard Deshantz's restaurants and were sad to see Keith Fuller's Root 174 close, my husband and I looked forward to trying their joint effort, Pork and Beans. Not only do we LOVE BBQ, but we also admire what these to are doing in and for the Pittsburgh restaurant scene.
We made reservations with another couple for a Tuesday night. Our friends arrived early and each ordered a scotch before we arrived. They did order good scotch, but were rather surprised at the $47 bill for two small pours. But, they enjoyed it and sipped contentedly throughout dinner.
When we arrived we were seated quickly, in a booth to the right. The space is open with muted lighting. There are long wooden tables with benches in the center, and a row of booths to the right. By the bar area there is a long high table for standing and enjoying your drink. I imagine this gets busy at happy hour! So seating is truly at a minimum, which is par for the course for downtown.
Once seated, we ordered our drinks. I chose the Repo Man, a tequila-based cocktail, and my husband had the Tennessee Ninja Mint Julep. They were both small pours and my husband's ended up being too sweet for him, so I kindly switched. (Aren't I the greatest wife ever?!) I will probably stick to ordering cocktails mainly at Meat and Potatoes or Bar Marco.
The food, while tasty, was not any better than our favorite BBQ place in Brookline, the Smoq Pitt. We started off with boiled in-shell peanuts, which are interesting and authentically southern yet not my favorite eat peanuts. Our main courses arrived only a few minutes after the peanuts, so we did not have much time for appetizers.
The servings at Pork and Beans are small, yet because they serve it family style there appears to be more than there is. My husband and our friends got the beef brisket, and I had the pulled pork. Sauces on the table include a spicy, sweet, hot, and mustard-based sauce. The pork was very lean, missing the fat of a normal cut of pork shoulder or butt. The sauce added some much-needed flavor. My husband said the brisket was good, but again not better than Smoq Pitt, and a much smaller portion for the price. We also had collard greens, which were unremarkable and not nearly as flavorful as they should be. They needed more pork flavor or bacon added. My husband tried the beans, which reminded him of a family reunion kind of dish, sweet and slightly bland. I am gluten free so I did not partake of the bread provided, but it looked to be simply buns or rolls that you could buy at Giant Eagle.
Overall, now that I am writing this review, I realize I am more disappointed than I originally thought. I know the restaurant is new and they are probably still figuring out the kinks, but I had expected more from such a prestigious pair. My husband thinks we should go back and try the more unique items on the menu, which I am happy to do to give this place another try.