EAT + DRINK
Pittsburgh is in the midst of a dining renaissance, and Justin Severino was one of the first to kick it off. Of his two Butler Street restaurants, Morcilla focuses on Basque cuisine while Cure skews towards the Italian side of the Med. Whichever you choose, know that Severino’s empire is built on his much-lauded charcuterie and order accordingly.
Cure, 5336 Butler Street; Morcilla, 3519 Butler St.
Plates at Morcilla.
With just four kitchens and a bar, this gourmet food hall is admittedly small. That’s because it’s an incubator for new restaurant concepts, giving aspiring chefs an 18-month residency to test out their ideas. If none of the vendors take your fancy, fear not: you’re in the heart of the Strip District, known across the city for its densely packed concentration of restaurants.
Smallman Galley, 54 21st Street.
You know you’re in good hands at any of Richard DeShantz’s restaurants, whether at his gastropub, Meat and Potatoes, Mexican street food spot täkō, or Texas-inspired barbecue and smokehouse Pork & Beans. But Butcher and the Rye is worth a visit for the whiskey alone: more than 600 varietals of whisky – single malts, ryes, bourbons and more – are arranged along a backlit wall behind the bar. They’re best sampled in a flight, or in one of the mixed drinks at the more intimate second floor cocktail lounge.
Butcher and the Rye, 212 6th Street.
Butcher and the Rye.
STAY
Located in a former YMCA, the Pittsburgh addition to the rapidly expanding Ace family could double as a Wes Anderson film set with its midcentury minimalism, retro tilework and faded gymnasium. Like all Ace Hotels, the lobby acts as a communal lounge room where creative types unfurl newspapers, MacBooks or menus for Brent Young’s acclaimed Whitfield restaurant.
Ace Hotel Pittsburgh, 120 S Whitfield Street.
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh
Bright colours, graphic prints and birdcages abound at this chic Kimpton property. The downtown location is within easy reach of the North Shore’s cultural institutions and South Shore’s scenic overlooks, just make sure you’re back in time for the complimentary wine hour every evening. (If you miss it, head up to the beer garden on the roof instead.)
Hotel Monaco, 620 William Penn Place.
A room at Ace Hotel Pittsburgh.
DO
Although there’s plenty to see in Pittsburgh proper, you’re only a 90 minute drive from one of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s most iconic buildings. Commissioned by a wealthy Pittsburgh family in the 1930s, the nature-inspired holiday house was built over a waterfall and is widely considered to be one of Wright’s greatest masterpieces, along with the Guggenheim in New York.
Fallingwater, 1491 Mill Run Road, Mill Run.
The exterior of Fallingwater.
Though the pop artist lived in New York for most of his life, he was born in Pittsburgh, and the city has reclaimed its native son by dedicating an entire museum to his life and career. Explore the impressive collection of Warhol’s art, commercial design work and personal effects, then head to the basement studio where you can create your own silkscreen print to take home.
The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky Street.
