Vivo

The best in Pittsburgh!. I am incredibly impressed with Vivo. I have dined in some of the best restaurants in the world, and have to say that we are very fortunate to have this little gem here in Pittsburgh. The Chef and proprietor is a true artist. He understands the complexities of flavors and pairs his ingredients flawlessly. Really good food should taste effortless and each ingredient should shine. He accomplishes this well. I highly recommend the tasting menu. It is always seasonal and incorporates the freshest ingredients.

The last dinner I had there the three of us were blown away. We had the tasting menu. We ended up not getting the same things so all tried each others. I can honestly say that we didn't find a flaw in anything we sampled.

In addition to the great food, I find the ambience warm and charming. They were very friendly. We were invited to tour the kitchen ( which was impeccably clean) after dinner. Bravo Vivo!…

Courteous dining + children. Generally speaking, there is very little consideration or courtesy when it comes to dining and children. When folks come to a fine restaurant and spend a lot of money the expectation is to dine in peace and quiet. It is no place for poorly behaving children, of any race. My children never ever acted up in public, especially in a restraurant. They were told that if they did not act appropriately that they would be removed and disciplined later. They were taught at the toddler stage by being taken frequently out to fast food restaurants as a trial run for something more upscale. They know how to use a napkin, utensils and how to sit up straight and eat. They always were dressed nice for the occasion which lent itself to good behavior because they know they were being observed by others. They were taught not to embarrarrass themselves, parents, siblings and others by misbehaving. I have always had compliments from other diners how well-behaved my children were. By all rights the proprietor has the right to remove or ask to leave those customers who are annoying the other guest or creating an unpleasant experience. In the case mentioned above, I fault the proprietor for not warning the offending customer that their children's behavior was bothering other customers and asked to leave it it continued and tell the meal was gratis. I'd rather have one unsatisfied customer rather than a whole room full. It seems that some many have lost civility and do not care a wit about others. It's all about me, me, me and what I want regardless how it affects others. If I am spending a lot of money on a meal I feel I have the right to confront the offending party and if it presists I will use my cell phone, which is always off during a meal, to call the police.…

Wonderful Dining Experience. The restaurant is cozy and comfortable, and the staff was helpful and friendly without being overwhelming. The food was amazing. We started dinner with two appetizers: a beef carpaccio and sauteed exotic mushrooms with chorizo and goat cheese. The beef is sliced to order and was drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt and truffle. The beef was so tender it literally melted in our mouths. It was perfectly seasoned - complimented but not overwhelmed. The mushroom dish was delicious as well, with the star of that dish being the goat cheese. It was fresh and creamy and mild. The pasta course (which comes with every meal) was served with a house-made sauce which was perfect. The fun of the pasta dish was that it was served with chili oil, which served as a nice addition to the sauce. For dinner, we ordered the lamb chops and the scallops. The lamb chops were grilled and served with an amazing honey truffle mustard. It was tender and flavorful. The scallops were the largest I have seen. They were pan seared absolutely perfectly and served over a sweet chili sauce. The vegetables for that day were cabbage with pears and butternut squash. Vivo serves their vegetables at room temperature, a prospect which was off-putting to hear but surprisingly good to eat. I am not usually a fan of cabbage, but this was some of the most tender and non-bitter cabbage I have had. Salad was served after dinner and was good but not noteworthy. However, the dessert was certainly something to write home about. We had the homemade "Heath" gelato, and mascarpone cheese with nutella, crushed amaretti cookies, and fresh berries. Both were excellent, but the mascarpone was exceptional. We made it out of there, full and happy, for $110. I think that is a very reasonable price for a five course meal of that caliber!…

Pathetic--not family friendly. I was part of a group who were mistreated by the staff. This is clearly NOT a family friendly place despite what they advertise or what others tell you. They have no realistic expectations of child behavior--should've been honest upfront and just say "we're not prepared to handle kids." How this restaurant get a "$$" for meal price is beyond me; there is no way in HELL that you can get a decent meal without spending at least $50+ per person. I am also terribly disappointed by one of the reviewers who stated that their experience were "ruined" by others' children. Blame the owners. You can only expect so much from toddlers. The reviewers or the staff probably never dealt with kids of their own. The WORST is how they felt necessary to single out the race of the alleged people at fault. In a city where a significant number of celebrities are Asian, I find it especially disappointing that people of different ethnic origin are still discriminated against, as if non-Caucasian people cannot appreciate fine dining in the United States or always appear uncivilized in public. Just beware of both the ownership as well as the clientele when you plan to visit Vivo.…