<p>Hi,
So my parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary the weekend I return to school (I’m a orientation counselor- yay!) and I’d like to take them somewhere special for dinner when we’re in Pittsburgh.
What are some suggestions – the kind of place that you go for a special date or other celebrations.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Monterey Bay Fish Grotto - plenty of food besides fish - fantastic view, good food, good service. It’s where we went for our son’s graduation. Very much a special occasion restaurant.</p>
<p>[Monterey</a> Bay Fish Grotto](<a href=“http://www.montereybayfishgrotto.com/]Monterey”>http://www.montereybayfishgrotto.com/)</p>
<p>There are a few nice places up at the top of the incline that are good for nice dinners together. I remember we went to one for my brother’s graduation and the view was spectacular at night (though the food wasn’t anything special).</p>
<p>Food snob clocking in. Big Burrito is a dining experience group that basically owns every fine dining venue in Pittsburgh worth a 35th wedding anniversary. None of these places are cheap, but I guarantee you’re gonna remember eating there, so here are my suggestions:</p>
<p>If you’re in the mood for sushi, Umi is hands down the best sushi experience I’ve ever had. The decor is amazing and is drop dead gorgeous. Casbah, on the other hand, is more of a classic Italian dinner experience (<a href=“http://www.bigburrito.com/casbah/menu/pdfs/casbah_dinner.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bigburrito.com/casbah/menu/pdfs/casbah_dinner.pdf</a>). Eleven is located in the heart of the Strip district and is one of those extremely exquisite upscale modern restaurants. If you try Eleven, make sure to order the s’more for dessert. It’s crazy ****. ([ELEVEN</a> CONTEMPORARY KITCHEN](<a href=“http://bigburrito.com/eleven/eleven.shtml]ELEVEN”>http://bigburrito.com/eleven/eleven.shtml))</p>
<p>Man, I remember, like, six years ago when I got a burger at Eleven. Still one of the best I’ve ever had (though looking at their menu it was about $5 cheaper and came with your choice of two cheeses at the time).</p>
<p>Another place you can try is The Grand Concourse. It is in Station Square in the old train station. </p>
<p>[Muer</a> Seafood Restaurants: Charley’s Crab, Big Fish, Grand Concourse, Gandy Dancer, River Crab, Meriwether’s](<a href=“http://www.muer.com/]Muer”>http://www.muer.com/)</p>
<p>I agree about The Grand Concourse. Very very nice restaurant plus it’s right in Station Square and you could take a ride up the incline and see the city all lit up at night :)</p>
<p>I like Girasole in shadyside for nice italian food.</p>
<p>My H and I got engaged in the Grand Concourse so it is definitely my first choice!</p>
<p>Check Groupon out for some good deals on fine dining restaurants in Pittsburgh. </p>
<p>If you haven’t joined already, here’s a link-</p>
<p>[Deals:</a> Washington DC Half Off, DC Things to Do | Groupon Deals](<a href=“http://www.groupon.com/r/uu29122411]Deals:”>http://www.groupon.com/r/uu29122411)</p>
<p>When I graduated, I went with my parents to a place at the top of the incline which was supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately I can’t remember its name though (it was a long time ago !).</p>
<p>Lamont perhaps?</p>
<p>Bravo’s Italian restaurant in Robinson is delicious and really nice all-around</p>
<p>Related ? – I just tried to book graduation hotel reservations for next spring. Now on parents’ weekend and carnival – the CMU group rates are always $119-139. The hotels were quoting me $229 for graduation! and a three night minimum-- ***? Anyone graduate recently and have this issue at the local hotels ?</p>
<p>What’s the timing for the graduation fancy meal – is it the night before graduation or after given other parties/events likely being held on campus?</p>
<p>P.S. CC *** out above was “W” “T” “F” LOL</p>
<p>My parents just stayed in Monroeville during my graduation (where they stayed most of the times they visited). You may also want to try looking for hotels downtown since their rates might not be as influenced by the happenings farther east on Forbes. There’s a ton of buses you can take to get from anywhere downtown to CMU, so you wouldn’t have to pay the $$$ for parking overnight/@CMU.</p>
<p>We went out for a small family dinner the night before graduation and a bigger one the night of graduation. You don’t want to be out late the night before since you really need to get to campus early if you want a parking spot. I think most stuff going on around campus finished by 1-2, as well, but I think exactly when your graduation ceremonies and what sorts of things they do depends on your department. Mine had a small private ceremony where they talked about each student graduating and what they were planning on doing afterwards (we had about 15 people in the department that year). It was followed up by a reception for professors, graduates, and their families that was pretty fun.</p>
<p>We stayed at the downtown Hampton in 2010 but used Hilton points so don’t know what the prices were. I just looked at the cost for 3 nights May 18-20 2012 and they’re showing $134 AAA rates. For two nights May 19-20 they’re showing $161. Big advantage there is free parking. We like it much more than the Hampton University Inn.</p>
<p>Re the “big dinner” - we did the opposite of RacinReaver - we went to Monterey Bay on Saturday night and had a great time - the restaurant was filled with graduates. Our only other activity Saturday was the Alumni Reception in the afternoon. </p>
<p>It’s true that you have to be on campus early the next day, but Sunday is a very full day and you may be very tired by the end of the celebrations. We started with the SCS breakfast, then the commencement in Gesling, then right over to the SCS diploma ceremony at the Carnegie Music Hall followed by a reception. It was a ton of walking! After all that we dropped off the graduate and went back to the hotel to crash for a couple of hours, then in the evening we went to Bravo at the Waterfront for a late supper. Kudos to my mother (who was 84 at the time) for making it through everything, although some of it was touch-and-go.</p>
<p>At some point Sunday evening we packed up some of our son’s stuff (including the bookshelf that I had to dissemble in the hotel room). Then on Monday we had one last breakfast at Pamela’s Shadyside, packed up the rest of the car, and headed home.</p>
<p>The best part of the weekend was the job offer that DS got that Friday morning! Made the rest of the weekend much less stressful.</p>
<p>Finally a foodie thread. You can’t go wrong with Le Mont, Eleven, or Monterey Fish Grotto. Someone recommended Griasole…the food is decent at best and its definitely not worth the price.</p>