*DISCLAIMER*: I do not seek monetary benefits from neither Bar Marco, nor any of these Pittsburgh Bloggers. I’m just a Pittsburgh Foodie, who enjoys sharing her Foodie adventures! Pictures were taken with an iPhone 5s, and were edited with Instagram and Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended.
Last Friday, I had the WONDERFUL honor of dining with Tasha (of The Food Tasters), Terri (Parmesan Princess), Alberto (PR/Events Manager of Gaucho), Robert (Downtown Pittsburgh Concierge), Nadine (Pittsburgh Mommy Blog) and Michael Pellas and Jessica Fink (husband/wife team behind the Why We Live in Downtown Pittsburgh blog)!
We decided to meet for dinner and drinks at Bar Marco, located in Pittsburgh’s Strip District neighborhood. I had been there one time for brunch, but never for dinner. I was looking forward to spending a fabulous evening with good friends and good food!
*TIP*: every evening from 5-6pm, Bar Marco does a “Happy Hour”, where you can order all Bar Menu food and drinks at half price! The Pittsburgh Bloggers and I DEFINITELY utilized this strategy for our meet-up!
The dessert menu looked REALLY good! Next time, I will have to get the chocolate and coffee flourless cake!
This was DELICIOUS! The waitress brought an extra one of Terri’s drinks, and was kind enough to give it to me. 😛
The Food Tasters’ donated generously to Bar Marco’s Food Revolution Club in 2014. Thus, for the night, Bar Marco crafted a drink in her honor! This was INCREDIBLE! 😀
Alberto and I both shared shrimp empanadas, sitting on a bed of cilantro cream. Soooooooooo scrumptious! Loved this dish; heaven on a plate!
Here’s my main dish: confit chicken! Let met tell you: one of the best chicken dishes I’ve EVER had in my entire LIFE! Also, one of the best dinners of my life! I also enjoyed the rice grits, black beans and corn, and plantain (my first time trying plantain)!
The main aspects of these dishes that I really appreciated: I experience a glimpse into the Executive Chef’s (Jamilka Borges) upbringing and cuisine! She’s originally from Puerto Rico; thus, I really felt that I was tasting the dishes that her grandparents and parents made for her, the recipes conducted from Jamilka’s childhood memories. What a delight!
Whether you visit Bar Marco for brunch, dinner, the wine room experience, or just a few drinks, you will NOT be disappointed! There’s a reason why big foodie sites (such as Eater.com) have featured this revolutionary restaurant!
Speaking of revolution: Bar Marco no longer accepts gratuity, since all of its staff is now full time & salaried, with health care and paid vacations. In my opinion, every restaurant around the world should follow in Bar Marco’s footsteps; happy employees equals a happy restaurant!
Also: if you do leave any extra money on the table, all of the proceeds go towards Bar Marco’s Pittsburgh Food Revolution Club, which teaches children in East Liberty about farming, growing and cooking food. Make sure to leave some money behind for this AMAZING food club!
In short: Bar Marco, I love you!
Three Cheers to good food, fabulous art and cultural events,
-Friendly Pittsburgh Foodie
The Food Tasters’s Twitter page
Parmesan Princess’ Twitter page
Downtown Pittsburgh Concierge’s Twitter page
Mindful Pittsburgh Foodie 