To all of our Pittsburgh followers, and to those looking to visit Pittsburgh in the near future, this recommendation is for you.  Amanda and I had the pleasure of seeing the “Mighty, Beautiful” Pittsburgh this past week and experiencing what many have been calling the spawn of a restaurant and dining renaissance over the last half decade.  It was a fantastic visit all-around and everyone was exceptionally nice (Southern hospitality isn’t just a Southern thing).  Like DC, there are a number of great museums and a pleasant zoo to visit, but as always, eating was our highlight, particularly at one of Pittsburgh’s newest restaurants, Grit and Grace.

Grit and Grace creatively serves American (very Southern inspired), Asian, and Indian fusion and lives by the mantra, “everything needs an opposite in order to exist… to achieve balance.”  This can be seen with their dishes like the:

• Pork belly bites with orange, chili, garlic, and ginger
• Smoked brisket sandwich with kohlrabi kraut
• Chicken meatball ramen served with housemade kimchi
• Braised goat with curry and garlic, ginger mashed potatoes

Everything we tried had a great balance between grit and grace and was full of flavor.

I’ll admit that I am typically skeptical of places that serve small plates because I find the balance between price and food can be way off.  I think that can happen here if you just order off of the Dim Sum menu, but G&G’s small plates are filling, particularly if you are sharing with others and you throw one large plate in the mix.  In the end, with alcohol and everything, the total price was very reasonable and I didn’t leave with the feeling of an empty wallet and an empty stomach.

Key Takeaways:

• Get one of the Dim Sum plates right as you sit down, so you can eat while browsing the menu
• The short rib and cream cheese biscuit plate is more grit than grace, so of course it was my favorite
• The combination of small and large plates gives you and your dining companions many ways to divide and conquer the menu – take advantage!

Webbie’s Wisdom (or lack thereof):

There’s a fine line between grit and grace. Be sure to walk it!

BuoybyWebbie.

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