Forbes Tavern

The brand new Forbes Tavern sits in the location of the very old Courthouse Tavern on Forbes Avenue. The Courthouse Tavern had a certain undeniable charm. It was a great place for casual day drinking, the food was cheap and the entire bar smelled of sewage.

I'm delighted to say that the new owner of Forbes Tavern has done a wonderful job with the renovations! The new space has a very clean and modern feel. When I asked about the smell of the previous establishment the new owner, Chris, mentioned that he had spent countless hours personally scrubbing the basement in order to remedy the issue. How quaint.

In addition to some marvelous renovations, all of the food we tried was remarkable. The happy hour options were very well priced and the smoked chicken wings I tried were quite good. A lovely crisp texture with great flavor and a generous amount of smoke. The flank steak, pictured below, was also very well prepared. (Served with chimichurri, corn salad and some grilled veggies.)

Specials run from 4:00 to 6:00 pm with appetizers priced from $5 to $9.

We had great food and some very good service at Forbes Tavern, our only complaint is that as the bar reached capacity it was a little loud, but the owner told us he was working to find a solution.

Vallozzi's - Downtown

Our wonderful spread.

I believe this was my fourth or fifth visit to Vallozzi's for happy hour in the last year. Quite frankly, they have one of the best happy hour setups in Market Square. A spacious bar with plenty of high top seating and room for mingling. Without even taking into account how great their food is, here are some reasons why Vallozzi's should be one of your top choices for happy hour in Market Square if you have a large group.

1. The Oyster House really isn't that good.
2. Nola gets very crowded and it is hard to find a spot at the bar. (You have to be seated at the bar to get happy hour prices at NOLA.)
3. Perle has very strange older singles vibe. (So this might actually be your spot after all depending on what you are into.)
4. Los Velas is not quite as good as Taco Bell.
5. The Yard can be insanely noisy and crowded.

SNACKS

Some of the wonderful dishes we tried included the flat breads, the cured meat plate and the fried risotto balls. Although the flat breads were my favorite snack, I was remarkably impressed by the fried risotto balls. They had a wonderful creamy texture and were a perfect vehicle for consuming Vallozzi's marinara sauce.

WHAT NICE LOOKING PEOPLE

I also have to tell you about my favorite drink from the Vallozzi's happy hour menu. It was an Italian drink I've never heard of called sgroppino. I was actually not sure how to say the word so I think I just pointed to it on the menu. Apparently it is a Venetian drink typically made with lemon sorbet, Vallozzi's served them up with lemon rosemary syrup, vodka and prosecco. Three of them is an excellent way to start and end your night!

Sienna Mercato - Il Tetto

Caprese

Il Tetto is the fancy new roof top deck downtown. I'm pretty amazed at the number of roof top decks that have opened just within the last year.... Skybar, Carson City, Blue Line Grille, Steel Cactus, etc. Pittsburgh's new obsession with outdoor seating is fantastic.

Il Tetto offers a very limited menu that is completely different from the selections available downstairs at Emporio. (Emporio is the Sienna Mercato meatball restaurant. My review of Emporio is available here.) So be sure to grab your meatballs and discounted beers downstairs at Emprio before you take the elevator ride to Il Tetto as the rooftop bar does not offer meatballs or happy hour specials.

Some of the selections available at Il Tetto include fried head cheese, home made sausage, marinated olives and my delicious caprese salad which is pictured above.

My caprese salad was very good. It was made with extremely high quality olive oil from Lodi Olive Oil co, basil, fresh tomatoes, some remarkable mozzarella and some micro greens including cilantro. Someone did a fine job of selecting a delicious tomato for my salad. Great work Il Tetto! Although I found the addition of cilantro to a caprese salad to be rather odd, it seemed to work as it was used sparingly. My chief complaint about the salad, and about Il Tetto in general, was the pricing. The salad cost $14 and each drink ran somewhere between $7 and $15. I think this is very high for Pittsburgh, even with the beautiful view of the city.

It is my personal belief that if I'm paying $14 for a salad it should come with some type of protein or at least a lap dance. However, based on the size of the crowd the last two times I've visited Il Tetto, it would appear that the general public disagrees. It is true what they say, you pay for the view.