C'mon! We just had dinner at Cafe Sam, and it is stll by far Pittsburgh's best restaurant. It's the place the competition loves to hate because the quality of the food, service, and atmosphere can't be touched. And that's why it's full every night. Cafe Sam is unpretentous, you don't need to be the king of cool to go there. And that's probably why there are so many cool people there! Because it's so affordable, the restaurant sports an unusually diverse crowd - artists, students, doctors, politicians, and plain neighborhood folks. No snots! We find it a place to go and relax, come as you are, and get greeted as you are in the friendly atmosphere of a locally owned spot. How they are able to produce homemade food for the price is the mystery. Last night's four course dinner included a greek salad, vidalia onion soup, a fresh chopped lamb steak, and almond cream cake for sixteen bucks. My wife ate calamari sushi, hand breaded fried mushrooms with horseradish sauce, and a grilled radichio salad - no entree. All superb. Add to that a choice from the extensive list of micro brews (I had a Dogfish Indain Pale Ale) and your good to go! This restaurant isn't formatted for the wannabees . It's always been the place that gets the job done for great food and drink, simple as that. Five stars - it's a no brainer. All the regulars at this place (and there is a ton of them) know the score.
Pros: You don't get robbed paying to be seen.
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