Bite Bistro

Update is just an FYI — Bite has closed and held its last dinner service on August 11. They say they are looking for a new venue. Gift cards for Bite will be accepted at their sister restaurant, Vivo Kitchen in Sewickley.

I really wanted to love Bite… it’s BYOB with an creative (sounding) menu. I was unfortunately let down. That being said, I am willing to give it a second try, because I see potential, and other Unilocalers have had good experiences.
Best thing we had for dinner were the fries. Damned good fries, and you should get them just to see what they’re all about. The décor is cool, and I liked that I could read the chalk board menu (unlike Salt’s crap-​tastic menu.) Looking at the board, there were lots of interesting options that sounded as though they were to be created by a creative, talented chef. I ended up settling on the sausage sandwich. Well, it consisted of 2.5 links of Bob Evans, cut in half, on a roll. Not hot sausage, not sausage patties, just good ol’ breakfast sausage, on bread. Not much in the way of garnish, or sauce. Disappointed.
Looking at the pictures that some of you fine Unilocalers have posted definitely makes me want to go back and order something different, because it looks like they have a lot of potential… maybe I just ordered the wrong thing, or hit them on an off night… I was expecting upscale-​casual, and got closer to eat n’ park.
Lastly…good luck with calling them for reservations. I called, was put on hold, no one ever came back, so I hung up, and called back at least 10x, with either a busy signal, or a «number is no longer in service» message. Showed up anyways, mentioned it to our server, and she said oh, our phones are always screwed up like that. How much could it possibly cost to get your phone in working order?

The food was excellent, they have mixers that were also really good.

Just needs beer/​wine and a menu you can read

I ate here this past Friday evening with a dining companion. Upon arriving at the restaurant I was a bit disappointed with the outside look as it looked a bit rundown. The inside originally did not do too much for me either as the chairs seemed to be set up in an awkward fashion. It was then that I noticed they were all facing the large chalkboard menu and it suddenly made sense. They also had a nice array of paintings on the walls that went nicely with their wall color.
For dinner both my dining companion and myself decided upon having the four course sampler. We were told that some of the items that came out might be on the menu while others would not. Our first course was a salad course and I got a beet salad while my dining companion ended up with mixed greens containing a citrus vinaigrette, cumquats and almonds. Both were plated nicely and has a good taste to them. Our second course was a soup course and I received a soup that was not on the menu that tasted much like a butternut squash soup, only a bit sweeter, while my dining companion ended up with a leek and chive soup. As I am generally not a fan of butternut squash I did not really enjoy mine too much but the leek and chives was very good. Our third course was the entrée course and I received some fried duck on the bone over top of Brussels sprouts and granola in a orange sauce while my dining companion had some rabbit with vegetables and a type of mint or lemon jelly. My duck was good although a bit greasier than I would like but the rabbit was fantastic. I have never actually had rabbit before and this was definitely a nice was to try it. For dessert I ended up being served the local goat cheese while my dining companion was served a chocolate cake with grapefruit sorbet on top. The goat cheeses’ plating was very aesthetically pleasing with two small pieces of fried cheese on the side inside of which was the goat cheese and the rest of the white space being used up by three increasingly smaller circles of balsamic vinegar and local honey coming for the two corners towards the middle. It also tasted wonderful and I wished that I had more. I was also able to taste the grapefruit sorbet which was nice and my dining companion stated that she enjoyed the chocolate cake. Overall it was a nice meal and I thought that the chef did a great job. The one that I did find odd for the evening was the live music that was being played while we were eating. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing and at times was nice, just odd considering the intimate setting and type of restaurant that we were in.
The bottom line for me is that I will be back to Bite Bistro in the near future. It was nice to get a chef’s tasting for a reasonable price and the food accompanying it was good. The restaurant is also BYOB.

Two of my friends and I went to Bite Bistro on a Friday evening for dinner. The restaurant was full, and a three-​man band was playing in the corner. The restaurant is quaint, simple, and the ambiance was nice.
We started with the duck charcuterie plate, which included three slivers of cured duck, pâté, ham terrine, and crostini. My friends both enjoyed the ham terrine, but none of us were impressed by the duck or the pâté. I have had much better charctuerie in several Pittsburgh restaurants.
One of my friends and I both ordered the duck for the entrée, and my other friend ordered the celery root. Three slices of duck breast were accompanied by five marble-​sized potatoes and three Brussels sprouts that were halved. The duck was cooked well, but the vegetables were completely bland and unseasoned. A little salt and pepper goes a long way. The vegetables were steamed and plated, which is a simple but unimpressive preparation. For $ 16, I would expect more of a side than what was plated.
The celery root was decent, but nothing spectacular. The root was sliced into discs and served like a filet, presented with polenta. Again, mostly bland. This dish was $ 14, which seems extravagant for celery root.
Because the restaurant is BYOB, I brought a few beers to share. Upon receiving the bill, we were charged $ 2 per beer. We had only four or five beers between the three of us, but we were stymied by the unexplained charge. If you want to charge a corking or bottle fee, I don’t mind, but please be up front about it.
For $ 14 to $ 18 per plate, I would have rather stayed in the city and spent my money elsewhere for dinner.

I have been to Bite Bistro several times… living in Bellevue, then moving to neighboring Avalon, it’s rare that I have a chance to brag about culinary attractions in the area.
For those unsure about where Bellevue is, Bite Bistro is worth the extra work to figure it out and make the trip (it’s really only a few minutes outside of the city!).
Bite Bistro is a welcoming restaurant, stylish and modern but comfortable and casual. There is usually a nice mix of older fine dining patrons and younger couples and groups. It’s BYOB and they offer a lot of tasty mixers for liquor. Many of the ones I’ve tried are a bit too sweet for me, so I usually settle with a bottle of wine or beer.
This particular trip to Bite I was concerned because nothing on the menu immediately jumped out as an easy choice. They recently removed my go-​to Prosciutto Sandwich (with St. Andres cheese, amazing sandwich), so I was desperate to find my next fave dish. My husband ordered the Hanger Steak, which is a delicious mix of juicy flavorful steak and Bite’s unbeatable fries. Can’t go wrong with that, but I was looking for something a little less heavy.
I settled on the Duck Breast and squash. I don’t remember ever having duck, so this was a leap. It came out medium rare, sliced over top of tenderly sauteed squash, brussel sprouts, and fresh cranberries. The duck was so juicy it was unbelievable. I’m not usually a fan of fat on meat, but the thin edge of fat on one of the pieces was like butter mixed with the delicious duck. The bitter crunchy cranberries and rich flavors of the squash and brussels was perfectly balanced. My husband even liked the duck more than the steak (and the steak was good, people).
One thing I love about Bite is that I always have room for dessert, and they always have something that is interesting. Tonight we treated ourselves to the goat cheese and warm cider dessert. The goat cheese was so creamy and rich that I could have eaten a bucket of it. Served with little pieces of bread and apples this was a great fall/​winter dessert idea. The warm cider was a nice finishing touch.
I have had dishes I like more than others at Bite, but I’ve never had any dish there that was not thoughtfully cooked, carefully presented, and creative. I couldn’t ask for more than that from a restaurant. The service is always fantastic. I would come here every night if I could! Next time I’m there I’d love to experience a chef’s tasting. Keep up the great work, Bite Bistro!

We heard about the Bite Bistro from some friends of our in the Wexford area. We live in Dormont and thought that it might be nice to check out this resturant last night while we took in Bellevue’s «Lightup night». We were not disappointed. Me sweetie ordered the pork cheek with herbs and I had the Italian sausage sandwich. They were both prepared perfectly and reminded me of dishes that we’ve found in New York and DC. The menu is more adventurous than your average Pittsburgh resturant. It’s nice to find a place that isn’t affraid to prepare things slightly different.

Full Review can be found on my site
«The man responsible for the great food is David Bulman. He’s the third Chef to run the kitchen since Bite’s opening last February, and according to Danina, the one to keep. Just in case she needs a second opinion, I completely agree. I’m excited to try more of the menu in what I hope to be many return trips.
Great food and a matching atmosphere are making Bite Bistro a not-​so-​hidden gem right outside of the city. If you haven’t been there yet, I highly recommend a visit.»

It seems as soon as I hear the words «Fall Tasting» I’m in! So, seeing that there was a fall tasting offering for $ 30 and I had never been here before, I was in!
I have to admit I’ve never even been to Bellevue before, so I was in uncharted territory. It’s a pretty unassuming, quaint restaurant, total mom and pop type, so you immediately feel comfortable. Added bonus, it’s BYOB… so bring it!
So the tasting menu was either 4 or 7 courses. Since 7 seemed like a stretch, I stuck to the 4 courses. First course was beets: chips, beet tartar, spiced beet purée. I love beets SO MUCH. And while it was delicious, and the beet chip was something I’d never seen or tasted before, the offerings were TINY. Maybe that’s me just being a greedy beet lover, but since it was so inventive and good, I wanted just a tad more.
The second course was the Pumpkin Risotto. This was a perfect size and great tasting. Creamy and pumpkin-​y. Just how I wanted it to taste! The fourth course was between a trio of birds (what a cute name!) and the Harvest Vegetable Spaghetti with cauliflower, chanterelle mushroom and pecorino. I love veggies so I opted for this choice and it was awesome! It was something that looked so easy to make that you could potentially make at home, but I could never pull off the right flavorings. It was fresh and flavorful.
The last course was Roasted Figs with vanilla and honey. I’ve just recently discovered how awesome figs taste (I know, I’m probably behind). The mix was incredible. I feel like honey’s being used in a lot of different plates recently, and I’m totally into it! It adds just the right touch of sweetness.
The service was incredibly attentive and fast, with the server there when you needed her as well as the manager walking around the room and talking with the patrons. Again, just very welcoming. And I can’t even begin to describe the presentation of the food. It was art! It tasted as good as it looked, but it was an added perk. I’m okay with ruining tasty art!

Living in Bellevue we don’t have many restaurants I like to frequent for dinner. Vivo was always a little too expensive to go to too often so I’ve been delighted with Bite Bistro.
In my opinion there might not be a better value in all of Pittsburgh. Their food is inventive and after going there several times I’ve never had a bad experience or been anything but thrilled with my food.
There are plenty of Vegetarian options, and the deserts are always delicious and something I’ve never tried before (cereal milk panacotta and corn gelatto were both amazing).
Since Bellvue is dry, it’s BYOB, but the corkage fee is only $ 2. Bite Bistro is one of my favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh, and definitely my favorite that I can walk to.

I love the restaurant, the building I mean. The food’s good too. It was 95 degrees when I picked up my friend, I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, who wants to eat when it’s so scorching out? Thank god for small plates.
We walk in, My friend looks around, I looked around, looked different from the last time I was here, right after it opened. Added attraction… the waitress remembers me from last time, calls me Joe and remembers what table I sat at, and I get «will you be dining at your normal table?» This is only my second visit, I didn’t know I had a regular table. Last time I chose the table right in front of the big black board with the menu written on it. So, I guess this is my regular table. We sit down.
As I stated earlier, It was hot as a witch’s other part, I was happy I found a parking spot right outside the door, and the restaurant was nice and cool, not cold, just right, and our waitress brought over two nice big glasses of water with lemon. I sucked it down like it was the last glass of water on Lincoln Ave. That really hit the spot. She refilled us both right away.
Ordering dinner was hard, I decided on two small plates, I chose the grains with cardamon tomatoes and the wild mushroom polenta with a drizzle of walnut oil. Two small plates, nice and light and saving room for dessert. Friend of Joe decided between bread pudding with truffled Asparagus or the Crab BLT. She chose the latter and proclaimed it delicious. The aioli served with the crab sandwich made the meal she said, nice and spicy, it played nicely off the fresh lump crab, the smokey bacon and the heirloom tomatoes. My polenta was soft and delicious, with a hint of cinnamon. The wild mushrooms were trumpet mushrooms, expertly sauteed and drizzles with the right amount of walnut oil. The grains were equally delicious, perfectly cook, a combination of lentils and chick peas, crispy onions, and a tomato
sauce with a nice bit of cardamon.
For dessert we both had the grilled banana bread with macerated berries, nice and light, not the least bit heavy. I would have served it with a little whipped cream, but it was very good.
We had fun watching the Bellvue natives walking past the large picture windows as we dined.

This is one of Pittsburgh’s best unsung food establishments. A newer place, it’s on Bellevue’s main drag. In addition to great concepts like Lamb Sloppy Joes and Crab Meat BLTs it has many vegetarian and vegan options.
The place is often packed as those in the know frequent this place. Try something new and exciting like the Grilled Banana Bread & Berry Bruschetta or their Pork Fat Fries. It’s a family owned and run place. The chef or his daughters will often ask you how your meal was to make sure you enjoy it.
The prices are a little higher than your average lunch but you get what you pay for. If you’re looking for something trendy, different and delicious, I highly recommend Bite Bistro. I eat their often!

Yum! New concept for the old VIVO location. Still run by Chef Sam D and his wife Lori. Have Small Bites, Soups and Salads and Big Bites.
Stopped for lunch and had the Soup/​Salad/​half sandwich special for $ 9. Almond soup with crispy onions was so delicious — what a great tasting soup! Had the BLT — which is crab meat with maple bacon and spicy mayo –Yum! The salad was very good with a very tasty orange vinaigrette.
There are a few Vegen items on the menu.
Was talking with Lori, she said (For those) «VIVO» (fans), «will reopen in a new space in Sewickley with a liquor license probably in late April. Currently under construction».
Pricing is good, most small bites, salads and sandwiches are under $ 10. Big bites are $ 10 to $ 15 (if I recall correctly).
Still BYOB. They are planning on having some Acoustic Nonsense night later in March.
Really enjoyable lunch! Very imaginative menu!