. "2015-08-12T00:00:00"^^ . "9"^^ . . "5"^^ . "Exceptional food. Exceptional service.\n\nBeing that I am a complete carnivore my lovely wife took me to Eddie Merlot's as a surprise for my birthday. I had never been before so I was very excited. As soon as she gave her name I was not only greeted with a Happy Birthday from the hostess and manager but, a few of the servers actually sang me Happy Birthday. Once they finished we were shown to our table. I was never in this space when it was Palomino's but, it is a very lovely space as Eddie Merlot's\n\nA few seconds later our waiter came and went over the features of the evening. After we had made our selections he brought us some delicious bread to start with. For beverages we all had the lemonade. It was very good and quite refreshing coming in from the summer heat.\n\nFor my entree I chose the 16oz Prime Ribeye Steak topped with Bacon Gorgonzola Cheese paired with a Saut\u00E9ed Crab Cake and Lobster Macaroni and Cheese for my side. My steak was just plain remarkable! It was very tender and juicy and cooked to perfection. The Bacon Gorgonzola Cheese was the perfect addition to the steak as it added a unique flavor to the meal. The Lobster Macaroni and Cheese was exceptional as well. Full of lobster and filled with different types of cheeses. \n\nMy wife started off with a Caesar salad which she absolutely loved. For her entree she chose the New Orleans Mixed Grill. It features a 4 oz. Filet Mignon, grilled shrimp, Andouille sausage and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Our daughter got the Filet Mignon topped with steak butter with garlic mashed potatoes as a side. She devoured everything on her plate so I think she was pleased.\n\nAfter we were finished with our meals our waiter packed the rest of our food to go and even packed us a fresh full loaf of bread to enjoy with it. he also gave us each a Eddie Merlot piece of chocolate that was delicious. \n\nMy only two complaints are one like others have said is that I wish the food was served a bit warmer as the AC was on Antarctica so after 15 to 20 minutes our food was getting cold and two it would have been nice to of been offered a birthday dessert or something which I wasn't which to me is strange. Otherwise our waiter has very good the entire evening. \n\nEddie Merlot's is a chain steak house just like Ruth's Chris, Morton's, Hype Park and Capital Grill but they defiantly bring something different and unique to the Pittsburgh Steakhouse Fine Dining Scene. \n\nInsider Tip: Be sure to park in the garage in the building where Eddie Merlot's is located as they will validate your parking ticket."^^ . . "9"^^ . "4"^^ .