Pittsburgh: Ten Penny (October 2017)

Ten Penny - Large Space and Crowd-Pleasing Menu

My spouse and I dined at Ten Penny for brunch on a Sunday morning in mid-October 2017. We booked our spot using the online Open Table reservation system. Ten Penny is open daily for lunch (or brunch) and dinner. Pittsburgh restaurant group AMPD manages Social House Seven (see out separate review), Penn Society, Local Brewhouse, Local Bar + Kitchen, Diesel Club Lounge, Skybar, Delanie's Coffee, and Steel Cactus.

Ten Penny is located in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District at the corner of 10th and Penn Avenue, which is how we thought it derived its clever name; however, it is reportedly attributed to some old nails found during renovation. (A “ten penny” is the cost of one 3-inch nail.) The restaurant occupies a corner street-level space facing the Westin and the convention center, and it is also close to the Marriott Courtyard, providing alternative dining options to the hotel restaurants and event food.

The Ten Penny space is expansive. Two walls of retractable floor-to-ceiling windows allow light and air to enter, plus additional sidewalk dining is available in appropriate weather. Guests can sit at high-top tables, at the rectangular bar, at regular-height tables, and at grey leather banquettes and booths (some of which offer a bit of a view of the entire restaurant because they are positioned a step above the main floor). The industrial-feeling décor features wood beams, columns, and shelves filled with kitchen accoutrement like pots, jars, and dry goods. Cast-iron pipes and metal gears adorn the tables, chairs, and host stand, as Edison bulbs light the room.

Ten Penny serves American cuisine. We shared the deviled eggs (three halves topped with truffle, salmon, and chives) and slider biscuits (one resembling country fried chicken with pepper gravy, and one ham with BBQ sauce and pickle slices) as starters, followed by the roast beef skillet (with sunny-side up egg, horseradish sauce, potatoes) and the hash (more closely resembling an eggs benedict, with meat, eggs, and sauce atop English muffin halves). The skillet was our favorite menu item, with the candy bar dessert (chocolate covered layers of brownie, nuts, and pretzel served with ice cream and peanut clusters) as a close second. We experienced some issues with slow service (missing silverware, empty drinks, inexperienced food runners), but the restaurant appeared to be working at full capacity and perhaps staffing was a bit light.

Because we dined outside on the sidewalk and could distract ourselves by watching pedestrians and canines and bicycle and vehicular traffic, we enjoyed our leisurely al fresco brunch at Ten Penny; otherwise, our meal would have been painfully slow.

 

September 2017