Redfin Blues

NACHOS

People have been begging me to go to Redfin Blues for as long as I can remember. This strange neighborhood bar is located on Washington Landing, a small island on the Allegheny River. The location is magnificent. Right on the water, located on a bike trail and much less smelly than you'd imagine for a Pittsburgh river bar. The clientele was interesting - middle aged house wives drowning their empty-nester woes in pinot grigio. We actually weren't the worst behaved patrons at the bar for once. These women really put on a fantastic show, just whooping and drinking the night away. When I see older people acting up I am reminded of how my antics must appear to children and teenagers. (Who is that clown in the hat eating shrimp and drinking white wine? Is this guy a trucker or a roadie for Greenday?)

Shrimp! White wine!

The food at Redfin has received a great deal of trash talk on Urbanspoon. For example this review by Joe R. in reference to his crab cake, "I should have just wet a piece of bread in the river, rubbed some carp on it, rolled it into a ball and let it dry for a little while." The food is a far cry from gourmet cuisine, but I don't think all of the criticism is warranted. The peel and eat shrimp and pizza were just fine. Nothing special, and definitely overpriced, but they weren't terrible. As far as the available selections  I'd recommend going with the pizza as I found it entirely palatable and somewhat more affordable than the other dishes. The drinks were also overpriced, but hey, you pay for a view. This is just the way things work.

Pro-tip: the sign says that it is Redfin Blues Raw Bar and Grill. There is no raw bar, bring your own raw seafood.