The Yard - Market Square

Mayor McCheese

I am very happy to say that only one week after I had a terrible patty-melt, I had a fantastic hamburger at The Yard in Market Square. The place is located in a rather peculiar building close to NOLA on the Square. It used to be this strange old Italian restaurant that never had any patrons, now it is a vibrant hangout for bankers and office jockeys with several large televisions.  Also, I must mention that it is very loud. They really need to do something about the acoustics of the space. This was either an extremely serious issue or I am aging rapidly.  

On Thursdays The Yard runs a, "burger and beer" special that is pretty special. You get a Mayor McCheese hamburger and a draft beer for $10. Considering the burger typically runs for $11, I approve of this special. In addition to daily food specials, they also offer a half off appetizer special during happy hour. Again, I approve! 

The Mayor McCheese sports two four ounce beef patties, American cheese, greens, tomato, onion and garlic aioli on a brioche bun. I assumed they were going for a McDonalds Big Mac vibe.While the burger was remarkably tasty, it was not entirely in the style of a Big Mac. Where are the pickles? Where is the sesame seed bun and how about that middle piece of bread and the nondescript pink sauce?

In all honesty the brioche bun was better than a McDonald's bun. It was very fresh and wonderfully toasted with a buttery exterior. The beef was also considerably better than the beef you would find on any Big Mac. For my tastes, it was cooked perfectly. Medium with lots of pink in the middle. Considering I was not asked how I wanted the burger cooked, I was extremely pleased by the result. This gave me some concerns regarding consistency. I will be sure to investigate on my next visit.

                                                                                         SAVE THE MAYOR                                                                                 (This sonofabitch spawned a million dollar lawsuit when H.R. Puffnstuff came after McDonald's for copyright infringement)

I only have two complaints regarding The Yard. IT WAS WAY TOO LOUD! Get it sorted guys. I'm only reiterating this because it was deafeningly loud. Also, I had to send my check back so that my burger and a beer special would be honored. They were very apologetic.

 Below I've included a video of some absolutely crazy woman making Big Mac's at home! She's nuts but enticingly sexy in a strange way. Maybe I get turned on by food? Yep, probably.




 

The Yard Gastropub - Shadyside - the good the bad and the juicy

The Good

Now, I can't prove this, but I'm pretty certain the Yard used to be a fancy Italian restaurant.  In the space currently occupied by Yard Gastropub at 736 Bellefonte I can vividly remember an anti-pasta bar, white tablecloths and ordering some type of clay pot chicken. This was over twenty years ago though, so I might just be remembering a trip to an Olive Garden. It is hard for me to say, but the memory of that delicious clay pot chicken remains.

The Yard is one of Shadyside's newest beer bars. There seems to be this basic recipe for commercial success in Shadyside. Large draft beer selection + big televisions + postmodern decor + lackluster craft cocktails + contemporary food options = GREAT SUCCESS!

 I suppose for the most part that these are basic bar amenities, but there is a peculiar quality to the bars of Shadyside. There's something a little too vanilla right beneath the surface that you can't adequately describe. The bars lack genuine character which they attempt to mask with a veneer of mojitos and hot waitresses.

The best dish I sampled at the Yard had to be the prosciutto wrapped shrimp. The shrimp were cooked perfectly and benefited greatly from the saltiness of the prosciutto. I think they could have used more prosciutto, but the dish was only about $5 for happy hour -  leaving no room for complaint.

The Bad

This was supposed to be poutine. Poutine is a Canadian dish that typically is made with a light brown gravy, a smaller sized french fry and cheese curds. This poutine was made with a burnt dark brown gravy, soggy potato wedges and what appeared to be shredded cheddar cheese. This was probably one of the worst things I've been served at a bar in the last several months. I couldn't even give this dish away, nor could I get the taste of the burnt gravy out of my mouth. I'm pretty sure this poutine, as prepared by the Yard, is responsible for the unrest that has been occurring in Canada.

On the menu the Yard claims that the cheese is made in-house. If that is really the case, they might as well just go buy the low fat cheddar cheese at Aldi and save a few bucks.

The Juicy Lucy

On Thursday the Yard offers a decent special. For $10 you get a Juicy Lucy burger and a beer. Considering some of the beers you are allowed to choose from are in the $7 to $8 range, this really is a bargain. I have to be honest, I could not bring myself to order anything else from the Yard after indulging in their gut busting craptastic poutine. However, I did try a bite of a friend's Juicy Lucy and it was not bad at all.

Go for happy hour and the Juicy Lucy, skip the poutine!