Lidia’s in Strip to close next month
The restaurant that brought Pittsburgh its first nationally known A- list celebrity chef — Lidia’s from Lidia Bastianich — is closing.
Gregg Perelman, founding partner and CEO of Walnut Capital, confirmed its last day of service will be in mid- September.
When Ms. Bastianich opened her restaurant in 2001, she told the Post- Gazette: “When we decided to take our restaurant concept out of New York, we wanted to look at midsized cities that are being revitalized. Our style appeals to both a local and international clientele,” she continued, “but we also want to be part of our community. That can’t happen in a large city. In Pittsburgh there is new construction and we sense a new energy. I need to feel comfortable and Pittsburgh makes me feel good.”
Ms. Bastianich was already the grande dame of the culinary world back then, a celebrated cookbook author, TV personality and successful restaurateur, having won the
James
Beard for “Best Chef: New York City” in 1999.
In its early years in Pittsburgh, Lidia’s pulled in long waits and warm reviews. Since then, the restaurant has lived several lives in its near 20- year stretch at 1400 Smallman St.
“Some were undoubtedly surprised that she had picked Pittsburgh for her next restaurant venture, as the city was known for many things, but not for its sophisticated dining scene,” former Post- Gazette restaurant critic China Millman wrote in 2011. Looking back to the restaurant’s opening year, she cited former critic Woodene Merriman’s observation that along with P. F. Chang’s at the Waterfront, Lidia’s was the hot restaurant “where people were willing to wait hours for a table.”
Over the years, Lidia’s rotation included a roster of head chefs with strong resumes, a dining room face- lift in 2015, multiple reviews — some glowing, others less so, and the first African American chef de cuisine for the restaurant group, right here in Pittsburgh.
Even as she tended to the restaurant with frequent visits, Ms. Bastianich’s fame has magnified over these nearly two decades, with her partnership in the elaborate food hall, Eataly, opening in several U. S. cities and Brazil. She has since won a pile of awards, including an Emmy last year as an Outstanding Culinary Host for “Lidia’s Kitchen.”
But her work life has not been all positives, most notably, with the downfall of Mario Batali, half the Batali and Bastianich Hospitality group for 20 years, following accusations from multiple women of sexual harassment and assault. A year after the initial accusations, which helped usher in # MeToo, Mr. Batali and the restaurant group broke up in March; it is now called B& B Hospitality Group, with initials to represent both Lidia and her son, Joe Bastianich. Los Angeles celebrity chef Nancy Silverton is also part of the group. Over the years, the group had been sued for wage- theft violations, with the most significant payout of more than $ 5 million in 2012.
Neither Ms. Bastianich, her spokesperson, nor a representative from B& B Hospitality has responded to the Post- Gazette’s inquiry about the restaurant’s closing.