Rob and I haven’t been to a steakhouse in a really long time. I guess that sounds surprising when you consider that Rob is allergic to anything with fins and feathers. The reason is that when we want the perfect steak, we go to our fave little south-of-the-river Italian joint – Sul Lago.

But when we were invited to celebrate a birthday dinner with friends, we got to experience Pittsburgh Blue!

We didn’t know a ton about PB before we got there, but we did check out the menu online. Since it is part of the Parasole restaurant group, we decided to call it Manny’s Jr.

Manny’s Steakhouse is a popular one in downtown Minneapolis. Manny’s is just what you’d expect – steaks à la carte, over-the-top shareable sides and overpriced wines. We dined there with friends once. We were not disappointed! It’s just that it’s one of those places where you know you are going to drop a lot of cash.

One thing I can tell you, is that on a Saturday night at 6:30pm, the Edina location of Pittsburgh Blue, is packed! Our reservations weren’t until 7:15, so we enjoyed a drink at the bar.

Please Note: My photos are random from this dinner because I was really just enjoying spending time with lovely company during our friend’s birthday dinner.

Drinks

Hips Like Cinderella – Elderflower liqueur, blanc de blancs, creme de violette, lemon – $10

I ordered this fun little cocktail at the bar. It was served on the rocks, but was a little too sweet for me. Rob asked if I’d like another and all I could think was that I could buy an entire bottle of St. Germain elderflower liqueur for the price of three of these drinks. I passed on a second round..

Blackberry Mojito Martini – Don Q Citrus Rum, blackberry, mint, lime – $12

One of the gals in the group ordered this one. When it came to the table, I was surprised to see a mojito served in a martini glass. That’s because it is a martini {read: more alcohol}. For the record, she loved it.

Smokin’ PB Cosmo – New Amsterdam Citron Vodka, pomegranate, cranberry, lime – $12

Another gal ordered chose this cocktail. It became the favorite of the two martinis. A second round was ordered. {By now, you have probably recognized that PB does not mean peanut butter in this post.}

PB has a half-way decent selection of about a dozen tap beers {several local} that’ll set you back about $6 or $7 for a pint.

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Wine

There is also a humongo wine list with a heavy focus on cabernet sauvignons, which is important when pairing with steak!

Rob and I really wanted a nice red to go with our meal. Most of the wines in the $40 – $50 range were less than satisfactory for our tastes. To give you an idea, a $12-$13 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir was priced at $49. Such is to be expected in a restaurant, especially one of this type. When we thought we had finally decided on the best value wine for our tastes, I spotted something under Spain/Portugal:

CATEDRAL RESERVA, RED BLEND Dão, Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010 – $30

This was the lowest priced red wine on the menu. That is not why we chose it, though. We liked that they had something not only inexpensive for a restaurant, but also interesting. We had tried a wine from this region of Portugal when we once belonged to the Zagat Wine Club. It was one that we really enjoyed. So taking a chance on this one was a no brainer.

It was a perfectly respectable red for our meal! We liked that it wasn’t generically sweet like so many cheap cabs or house reds. Rob appreciated the lack of tobacco aromas that he tends to dislike in some South American wines. It was a win-wine. {See what I did there?}

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Appetizers

We got the For the Table – Hot Appetizer Sampler which includes coconut shrimp, tomato fondue (with grilled cheese for dipping), crab cake and onion rings for $22.95. Nothing was left untouched! The only thing I tried was the tomato fondue. I was slightly disappointed, but the other gals wanted to finish the fondue by the spoon or pour it all over their steaks! Maybe they got more of the brie flavor that it was supposed to have than I did?

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Sides

Like many steakhouses, Pittsburgh Blue’s steaks are served à la carte and sides are served family style. We ordered three sides for our group of eight.

I didn’t know what was so grown-up about the Grown-Up Mac & Cheese ($10.95) because it was rather boring to me.

But the other sides left me wowed!

I ate at least four or five of those bad boys! I probably would not have ordered those mushrooms on my own because of the name. Normally, whiskey sauces are too sweet for me. But I didn’t get that flavor on these at all. I would order these again in a heartbeat.

Best hash browns EVER. {They easily usurped the ones we loved at BlueStone that no longer seem to be on their menu.} These were perfectly crispy and that blue cheese was a fantastic addition. You may know by now that I am not a fan of bacon in dishes, but it did not overpower here! In fact, I could barely taste any bacon. That might upset those of you who love bacon; but Rob agreed with me that these hashbrowns are #1.

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Steaks

I originally went in thinking I was going to order the Grilled Tenderloin Steak Salad and Rob thought he’d try their Classic Burger. But after seeing steaks come out to the people sitting next to us at the bar when we were sipping our pre-dinner cocktails, we decided that our original choices might not be the best way to experience PB. 😉

Instead, we ordered an Aged Sirloin ($29.95) and split it. We also made them crust it with blue cheese. Why not?! Can’t get enough blue cheese at Pittsburgh Blue!

It’s not pretty, but here is what my plate looked like with sides:

I normally order my steaks medium rare, but the steak ordering guide had Rob and I thinking we should go medium. It was perfect.

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I did not hear one complaint about their steaks from any of the eight people in our party. Everyone raved about the food! Our server conveniently split our checks, divvying up the prices of the appetizer and sides among us. It was easy and painless, especially for such a large group. They really do have the whole thing down to a science. We were impressed.

While my fave steak is still at Sul Lago, there is nothing bad to say about Pittsburgh Blue. While pricey, it’s perfect for a celebratory night out. Rob and I also talked about going back for Happy Hour. They have a few good deals. Or we could just order and split those hashbrowns. 😉

What is your favorite cut and preparation of steak and why?

Cheers~
Carrie