Reviews Slate Bistro

I had the pleasure of dining here on with my fiancé this past weekend. We showed up early, on a whim, and without a reservation. We were lucky to have the chance to dine. Upon entry we were greeted happily by a few of the waitstaff and promptly taken to our seats. The layout of the resturant is cozy, private, and pleasently inviting. It has the bones of an old home...because it is one! The menu is small but from what I understand changes every month to give the chef/owners a chance to show their true passion for innovative culinary pieces of art. Having a small menu is a good thing in my opinion, it allows for more focus on the dishes offered resulting in a stellar experience. We were served by Elias Kean, a gentleman, and a true wealth of knowledge concerning this establishment. He was there every step of the way providing excellent service and advice as we worked our way through our courses. We started with the brusketta, unfortunatly my fiancé ordered this so I didn't exactly get to read the menu description of it, but I was impressed by their non-traditional take on a classic small plate starter. The addition of crispy prosciutto was a wonderful surprise that added a great depth to the dish. We then moved on to our salads. I had the grilled romane salad. It was served with large black olives, sundried tomatoes, and a pinenut vinigarette. (I even cleaned my plate with a fresh roll to get the last couple drops of the vinigarette) unfortunatly once again, my mistake, but I was too entranced by my salad to pay attention to what my better half was having. She said it was "tasty" excuse her lack of detail, she is a foodie in training. For my entrée I had the shrimp gnocchi. For those who have never tried a gnocchi before i highly recommend using this as a reference point while judging others. The gnocchi themselves were light and fluffy which went perfectly with the tomato creme sauce. I cannot stand when im given a heavy sauce with a heavy gnocchi. The shrimp were cooked PERFECTLY. I find it rare anymore to find a chef who knows how to cook a shrimp, and serve it in a hot dish without any of the shrimp being overcooked even the slightest. The addition of shitake mushrooms and artichoke hearts added a much needed texture gradient that you dont commonly see in a gnocchi dish. My lady had the pork chop served witb roasted potatoes and broccoli. It disappeared before I had the chance to analyze so I can only assume that it was delicious. Now this next sentence is key. Save room for dessert. We shared both the "burgers and fries" and a banana bread dessert and thought we didn't have room left to fit it in our bellys, but when things like this come along, you make room. The burgers and fries were an adorable take on an american classic. A hot brownie topped with fresh whipped cream served inbetween two warm white cakes, paired with a side of funnel cake fries and rasberry dipping sauce. They even served it in your traditional burger shop basket. The cakes were moist and flavourful and the raspberry sauce was anything but store bought. You can tell there was a real passion that went into that dessert. The banana nut bread was just as good if not better. The bread had a great banana flavour, just enough so you know its banana but not too much to overpower the other elements. It was served with a caramel drizzle and homemade vanilla ice cream. Absolutely fantastic. Overall our experience was top notch and I highly recommend giving this place a shot. I will for a fact be returning, but not until next month. I can't wait to see whats to come in the future.

Lunch. This was our second time for lunch & it was excellent. This time we had the specials & they were excellent. The portions are perfect for lunch. Service was good & fast. Plan to come back for dinner.

Wonderful, fresh made food! I had the best meal!

Get to Slate!. My daughter, a friend and I finally made our way to Slate Bistro last evening for dinner. It was very good, and we're all glad that we went. We started our meal with the soup of the day, which was a creamy asparagus soup. Fantastic flavor! It was soo good, that we asked our waitress if there was a "ton of cream and butter" in it. She responded that she didn't know, but probably, because anything that good would have to have a ton of bad stuff in it. (Hmmm??? Shouldn't the response be, "I'm not sure, but I can find out for you.")

On to our entres -- we chose 3 different seafood dishes: the salmon cake special, the tiger shrimp (on the April menu) and the scallops (on the April menu). The salmon cakes were terrific. Two LARGE cakes were served with a butter chive sauce. It looked a lot like the sauce you see in the pictures above for the crab cakes. The salmon cakes themselves were not chunks of salmon, but had a more consistent density. I think they must have whipped the salmon in the food processor to make it almost mouse-like.

The scallop entre was also a huge portion. I think there must have been 10 sea scallops on the plate. They were served with prosciutto and asparagus, sort-of arranged in a pile in the middle of the plate. Pretty presentation. The scallops were done perfectly.

The Tiger Shrimp were also good, although my friend thought she was going to get giant prawns with the entre. They looked like regular large size shrimp. She really liked the Thai sauce that was poured on top of the shrimp and rice. As a side, she choose risotto. She liked it, but told me "Your's is better," a very nice compliment to MY cooking.

The salmon cakes and scallops were served with steamed broccoli and cauliflower as the veggie and the starch was what our waitress told us was "risotto." When I took my first bite out of the "risotto" I said, "This is polenta, not risotto." That was fine with me, because I like them both, but when the waitress came back to see if all was OK, and I told her that it wasn't risotto, but polenta -- albeit made with white corn meal, rather than the traditional yellow -- she insisted that it was risotto. We kind-of went back and forth a bit about it in a kidding way. It wasn't until after our meal, when she cleared the plates, that she decided to ask the chef what was served with the crab cakes and scallops. The chef told her then that it was polenta. I'm not sure how many guests she had told the wrong thing. We were the only table seated at 7:30.

Now, none of this took away from the meal for us, beause we are nice, friendly people, and we like to joke around. However, I can see how some folks may be put off by her seeming disinterest in the food that she was serving to us. I think that the owners, Dave and Cheryl, need to make sure that the waitstaff is well informed about the menu, including the ingredients in the dishes. Maybe our waitress was having on "off" day, but when the food is good (as is the case at Slate), the staff should be knowledgeable about it, and should present it to the guests in an enthusiastic manner. OK, 'nuff said. BOTTOM LINE: We'll be back.

Absolutely excellent. You can't go wrong with this place.

This is one of the best restaurants I've ever been too! The food was amazing and the service was friendly and welcoming- I recommend this restaurant highly- We will be coming back soon

What a great new place in the South Hills. Had dinner with my family and was treated like family by the staff. Great food and friendly service made our dinner exceptional! We will be regulars!

Wife an I went to Slate on tues evening the Chef David came out an spoke with us. Recommended dinners for us. The food was out of this world . Wait staff was very friendly an had our drinks re filled as soon as we took last SIP .... All around great atmosphere ...we will be going back ;-)

AWESOME!!. I took my wife out to dinner to Slate Bistro opening night and it was FABULOUS!! The service was outstanding and the food was grrrreat! I had the gnocchi which I highly recommend. My wife and I had the killer tomato for an appetizer which was delicious. I honestly cannot remember what my wife had for her entre as I was inhaling mine. I am not a big desert eater and don't care much for lime, however my wife loves desert and ordered the key LIME cheesecake and only had a bite because I ate it all! Everyone there is very friendly and the atmosphere is perfect. The prices are very reasonable, the portions are big, and the quality of food is perfect. While we were there one of the chefs stopped by our table to welcome us and to see that our food was prepared to our satisfaction. If your looking for great food and a great dining experience then Slate Bistro is the place for you!! My wife and I can't wait to go back!

I heard about this place from a friend so I decided to check it out. I knew it was previously Cafe Georgio and I had a pleasant experience there once so I figured I would give Slate a try. All I can say is I'm glad I did. It was a great atmosphere and the service was excellent. Our waitress was incredibly helpful and friendly throughout the entire meal. Oh and don't even get me started on the meal. Hands down one of the best meals I've ever had. The food was delicious and prepared just right. I have to admit that there are things I don't like, such as tomatoes, but I tried my friends killer tomato salad and I just couldnt stop eating it! The chefs did a really great job and I can't wait to come back again.

Love it!!! Food was awesome...killer Tomato salad was fantastic...Seafood Bowl was delicious...Cafe Georgios was a favorite of mine...Slate has definitley stepped up to the plate...Service was excellent!!! Very friendly atmosphere...I highly reccomend checking this place out!!

Can I just say I love this place? I do! I moved to Pittsburgh 4 months ago, and I'm so glad we found this within the first week of moving. I immediately took a liking to the duck (seasonal meal). Now, getting duck can always be hit or miss. If not finde right, duck can be dry and gamey. But at Slate I was never disappointed! Every time I've had thr duck it has been superb. I know, I know, I should expand my horizons and try a new meal. But why order something different when I've a boyfriend to do it and who is willing to share?! We've tried the shrimp, gnocchi, steak, and you really can't go wrong with the many options. Be willing to BYOB if you want an adult beverage. Also, get the pumpkin cheesecake (seasonal); I'm not keen on dessert but this one was worth it.

Great food with a monthly changing menu. Always a mix of old favorites with new ideas. Worth a visit every time.

Excellent 👍 service and helpful, good salad with I believe white Russian dressing--very tasty. My wife's chicken was excellent and my veal was excellent also, very thin and tender. Desert was very rich and tons of flavor, with some coffee flavor I think, was great. Plenty of food to take home 😀

The atmosphere is relaxed and semi-casual but the menu is very formal. The choices were all gourmet quality that wouldn’t be found on any menu in this area. I have adventurous taste. EVERYTHING on the menu looked absolutely awesome so I took the road less traveled and asked for the chef to make me his favorite. I was extremely impressed. Presentation, flavor, seasoning and temperature were all perfect. The price is not out of line for the quality meal served . This is our “Special occasion” restaurant. We try to have special occasions often.

Slate Bistro was a wonderful surprise. My boyfriend and I picked it on a whim - luckily we were able to be sat without a reservation. Dinner reservations are definitely recommended! The staff was all very lovely, and the uniquely crafted menu items are super tasty. They make all of their food (including the desserts!) in-house. We will definitely be returning.