We dined at Union
Standard two times over a weekend in mid-September 2017. The restaurant is open
daily for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner. You can book a table using
the online Reserve application.
Union Standard opened
in February 2017 in downtown Pittsburgh’s Union Trust building. Commissioned by
Henry Clay Frick and designed by prominent Pittsburgh architect Frederick J.
Osterling, the Flemish-Gothic building opened in 1917. We stayed across Mellon
Square Park at the Embassy Suites; however, this restaurant is equally
convenient to the Omni William Penn and the Kimpton Monaco, as well as other
downtown hotels.
The restaurant offers
seating on several levels. The space begins on the corner of William Penn Place
and Oliver Street, then stretches back toward Grant Street. Because of the rise
in elevation of the land, the restaurant’s dining areas are staggered. A street
level dining space, host stand, and small window waiting area are located on
the ground level, with additional seating a few steps up, and the bar and
lounge up a few additional steps. Marble floors, walnut tables and chairs, and
red leather booths (both semi-circular and regular) allow customers to enjoy
views of the cityscape through the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides
the restaurant. A colorful, contemporary mural of the Western Pennsylvania
landscape (with trees, mountains, and a reference to Fallingwater) on the
primary wall (the other walls are glass) provides a focal point. The rear
(mezzanine) bar area offers a four-sided bar (with a raw bar on one side),
surrounded by high-top tables and a few cozy leather booths. A rear entrance to
the restaurant leads into the building lobby, where perhaps you can take a peek
at its 11-story atrium with glass dome. The second floor contains the semi-open
kitchen and seating (table and banquette) that overlooks the ground-floor
dining space. The restaurant seats about 170 people spread over 7,000-square feet.
Union Standard offers
a menu of eclectic fare that combines modernity and rusticity. All the dinner menu
choices sounded interesting, but we decided to start with the potato bread loaf
(served warm, generously sprinkled with sea salt, and accompanied by butter,
goat butter, and onion jam) and the crudo (four pieces of yellowtail topped
with thinly sliced hot peppers and accented with citrus flavors). Next, we
shared a salad made of Brussel sprouts, Bibb, and radicchio lettuce (with
croutons and a garlic dressing), which the kitchen was courteous to divide
between two plates. For our entrees, we chose the scallops (served with littleneck
clams and a fabulous unique shoestring potato/veggie salad) and the swordfish
(served atop a mixture of cannellini bean, corn, and cherry tomatoes). We tried
the Plymouth in Blume cocktail, which was amazingly crafted; it was expertly
mixed and gave no hint of alcohol, but it packed a nice “punch”, the hallmark
of a great drink. Because we loved our dinner food, we returned the next day to
sample the brunch offerings. We sampled the Bloody Mary, which was garnished
with a fancy wooden toothpick studded with an heirloom baby carrot slice, an
olive, and a chicharron, then delivered with a tiny pepper dangling from the
end of the toothpick positioned over the rim of the glass. For our second meal,
we shared the smoked salmon and avocado toast as a starter (two hearty slices of
bread piled with salmon and avocado, then sprinkled with sprouts and other goodness),
followed by main dishes of a pork sandwich (on grilled bread with pesto and
shaved cheese), and the turkey biscuit (turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, and
a fried egg served between a sliced buttermilk biscuit; too large to pick up and
eat like a hamburger, we used a knife and fork and ate it open-faced), along
with a side order of fantastic griddled fingerling potatoes (which we did not
need because the sandwiches and starter were so filling). For dessert, we
shared the walnut dulce de leche pie, which was presented as more of a bar
cookie served with ice cream.
We loved our dinner
at Union Standard and had to return the next day for brunch (even though we are
not big restaurant repeaters, and never on the same weekend). The food and
cocktails were impressive, and the service was great!
September 2018:
No comments:
Post a Comment