Tonic

A few weeks ago, Mrs. P and I ventured to the Farm to Table conference. As if we didn't get enough to eat as we bounced from booth to booth, we decided to head across the street for lunch at Tonic Bar & Grill downtown.

The colorful walls were a modern contrast to the raw brick which gave the space warm, industrial feel. I'd eaten here a few years ago, but Mrs. P was a first timer.

The upstairs dining room/private party room

We decided to celebrate the occasion with a few midday cocktails. I began with a twist on a classic, Tonic's version of a Hurricane. Mrs. P opted for a Sunburn. Though together our drink names would have made an off-vacation, they certainly were a welcome addition to our day.

Sunburn: $8.50, Hurricane: $9.50

Their menu boasted a wide array of appealing options making both of our heads spin. But we bought more time by ordering the Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Hummus served with pita wedges and fresh cucumber.

Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Hummus $8

The Hummus was unique chalked full of hearty garlic and red pepper chunks making for a delicious spread which paired excellently with the cool cucumber slices. It was a deliciously healthy start to our meal!

After begging the waitress for more time to review the menu repeatedly, we finally landed on our entrees: Mrs. P with the Samurai Burger and I with the Chicken Pad Thai.

Mrs. P raved on and on about her burger and finished it more quickly than I'd seen her finish any meal before. The wasabi mustard and crispy wonton took a classic turkey burger to a whole new level.  The sweet potato fries were the perfect blend of crispy and creamy, adding a...well, sweet twist to her meal.

Samurai Buger & Sweet Potato Fries $15.50 total

I was slightly underwhelmed with my Pad Thai.  It was too sweet for my taste (I'm a spicy Pad Thai fan, myself) and wasn't bursting with flavor as I had hoped.

Pad Thai with Chicken $14

Next time I go I'll be sure to choose from one of the many other appealing options instead.  Mrs. P was blown away by their burgers, so maybe that's the direction in which I'll head!

Restaurant Information:

Tonic Bar & Grill

Address: 971 Liberty Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Phone:  (412) 456-0460

Reservations: Gets busy at lunch and I'd recommend it.  An upstairs room is great for privately reserved parties.

Hours: Mon-Wed 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.

            Thurs-Sat 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. 

Cliffs Notes:

Hurricane @ $9.50

Sunburn @ $8.50

Diet Coke @ $2

Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper Hummus @ $8

Samurai Burger @ $13.50

    w/Sweet Potato Fries @ 2.00

Pad Thai @ $9

   w/Chicken @ $5

Tax:                        Food tax  @ 7% (Allegheny County only) @ $4.03

Tip:                           $13
Total for two:          $74.53

Overall Opinion:

I was neither impressed nor unimpressed.  I'll definitely never recommend the Pad Thai to anyone, but I wouldn't recommend that they avoid the restaurant altogether! The upstairs loft looked like an excellent venue for a small private party and their cocktail list was quite impressive, so Tonic may be the perfect place for your next happy hour or birthday party. Mrs. P couldn't get enough of her Samurai burger and would certainly encourage diners to give their burgers a try. 

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Turkish Delight

Guess who went and had a deliciously unique lunch but forgot her camera?

This girl.

I busted out the winter coat this afternoon for a chilly stroll down Liberty Avenue to meet a former intern of mine for lunch. We chose Istanbul Grille's downtown location because it looked fast and unique.  We were right!

As soon as I walked in I had a good feeling about this place.  The line was wrapped around to the back of the tiny walk-in restaurant and the smells permeating from the grills were mouthwatering.

Sadly, our experience would have been much more enjoyable had we gone on say, any other day but today.  The downtown location has no indoor seating (save for one lone stool under the thin counter which looked like the kid picked last in gym class all by itself).  It was spritzing outside and we could see our breath for the first time since last March, so the tables in the veranda next door were out of the question.

We battled back and forth with heading across the street to Starbucks and paying for a Pumpkin Spiced Latte so we had a place to sit, but my companion spotted an unclaimed, sheltered table in front of Au Bon Pain.  We kept our jackets buttoned and bared the cold to enjoy our meal.

I had a generous helping of the chicken gyro meat on top of turkish brown rice with an enormous side salad.  She had the vegetarian platter with hummus, Babaghanoush with pita bread and the same salad.  We both had trouble finishing, but not for lack of flavor!  We were just given that much food!

The chicken was absolutely divine. It had just enough crisp to make it full of flavor but not taste remotely burnt. I've been picking at it since lunch even though I'm about to burst at the seems. And I watched as I waited in line while the prep cook continuously refreshed the salad with new lettuce and fresh vegetables, oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper, and mysterious (but tasty!) Turkish spices, tossing it every couple of moments to make sure the oil and vinegar didn't settle at the bottom of the bowl. That is commitment! And commitment never tasted so good.

Cliffs Notes:
Meat platter (chicken): $7.50
Vegetarian platter (hummus/Babaghanoush): $6.50
Diet Coke: $0.50
Ginger Ale: $0.50
Total for two (she paid, the sweetheart): $15.00


No tax, cash only, quick, easy, outta there.


Overall opinion:
My experience with the downtown location has definitely intrigued me to the point that I am dying to check out their Lawrenceville location and sit down with a bottle of wine of my choice in what looks like a very warm and inviting atmosphere.  If it smells and tastes anything like the Liberty Avenue joint, I'll be hard-pressed to leave!

Pittsburgh Restaurants