EAT, DRINK WELL
Take a bite on the South Side
The question comes often, with underlying tones that range from curiosity to trepidation: What’s it like to live here?
Here being the South Side Flats, my home for the last 15 years. The inquiry is understandable, because it’s mostly predicated on the questioner’s blurry memories of frequenting its bars in their 20s, on the occasional news reports of drunken bad behavior or on the almost annual tradition of late when a pro sports team wins a championship and the entire city stops by to celebrate.
The mental image generally falls somewhere between a battle on “Game of Thrones” and a party from “Old School.”
So what’s it like to live here? It’s pretty great for the most part, especially if you’re hungry or thirsty. With the recent emergence of Downtown and some East End neighborhoods as top dining destinations, it’s easy to overlook the South Side. But doing so would be a mistake. Here are some of my favorite stops both new and classic:
A 1-2 punch
Located right next to one another in the 2100 block of East Carson Street, the cocktail bar Acacia and Italian restaurant Stagioni are easily among the top date night combinations in the city.
Have a drink at Acacia before or after dinner (or both) and be treated to a murderer’s row of bartending talent – Lynn Falk, Shane Morrison, Lucky Munro and Dani Skapura. It’s dark and sophisticated yet retains a neighborhood bar sensibility, managing to avoid any of the twee pretense that’s become an unfortunate symptom of cocktail culture.
Head to Stagioni for a heavily Italian-influenced seasonal menu that’s meticulously sourced and presented with outstanding technique and service from Stephen and Cara Felder and their staff. Try the pici, a Tuscan noodle akin to thick spaghetti that’s made in house.
Their once-a-month Sunday Supper event dinners are not to be missed. These family-style dinners at communal tables (with a waived cork fee) are among the best dining experiences in Pittsburgh. You may arrive as strangers, but leave as friends.
BYOB
In an area that’s allegedly oversaturated with drinking establishments, the South Side boasts a high number and wide variety of BYOB dinner spots.
Thai Me Up has been a neighborhood favorite for nearly 15 years, moving from a small storefront on Carson to a larger yet more cozy and colorful space on 23rd Street. They’ve also opened Sweet Panda, an Asian market.
At the corner of 17th and Carson streets is Apsara, a criminally underrated restaurant from Bo Meng and family. He has brought excellent Thai and Cambodian to Pittsburgh for two decades at the former Phnom Penh, Lemongrass Cafe and Angkor.
Opened earlier this year, The Colombian Spot is the city’s first restaurant dedicated solely to the cuisine of that South American nation, with a menu that’s 100 percent gluten-free. They came to the South Side from the now defunct Pittsburgh Public Market, just as their neighbor down the block, La Palapa, did a few years prior, serving excellent dishes from owners Jesus Martinez and Luis Navarette’s native Mexico.
In 2014, Frank Vitale took over Caffe Davio, a popular diner and lunch spot. His Cucina Vitale kept the diner but added an evening menu of top-notch, red-sauce Italian.
At neighborhood stalwart Café du Jour, they “got the band back together,” as the saying goes, to delicious effect. Head chef and proprietor Paul Krawiec welcomed his friend and protégé Christopher “Locke” Cook back into the tiny open kitchen roughly six years after he left. Recent menu items have included a tomato tarragon bisquewith butter-poached shrimp and citrus crabcakes with harissa aioli and a mango jalapeno salsa.