Review Pittsburgh Blue Steakhouse in Rochester

Rochester finally has the steakhouse it deserves. Located in the heart of downtown, 10 E. Center St. (Hilton Mayo Clinic Area), Pittsburgh Blue serves wet-aged beef, hand-cut by master butchers, along with super-fresh seafood and the city’s best burgers. Join PBSR for dinner nightly, and for daily happy hour beginning at 4 p.m. every day. This exquisite venue brought to you by Beth Coons, General Manager, and Adam Bangert, Executive Chef. Other key kitchen support: Sous Chef Andres Mares and Sous Chef James Capek. Pittsburgh Blue is part of the Parasole Restaurant Holdings in Edina. Customers rated the best steak in the house as the Cowboy, a 22-ounce bone-in Ribeye, and it has a style and reputation all its own. It is robust and full of flavor, due to its abundant marbling. Sea Scallop’s Benedict is the perfect way to start off your meal. Pan-seared scallops atop applewood-smoked bacon, hollandaise and lightly toasted brioche bread.

Pittsburgh’s signature Hash Browns Blue style and Buffalo Brussel Sprouts are the eatery’s most popular side dishes. Finish off your impeccable meal with either the New York Cheesecake with Strawberries or the Pittsburgh Blue Brownie.

“For those who want a unique and challengeable steak, we offer the 50-ounce Bludgeon of Beef, 45-day dry-aged Tomahawk,” said Beth.

The tap beers are all hyper local, including two from the Little Thistle establishment. Beth and Adam feature an amazing wine selection and have won the Wine Spectator Award three years running. The staff is friendly, personable, knowledgeable, and they all possess great customer skills.

Make mine

Pittsburgh Blue

Say the word and the chefs will serve it up charred on the outside, raw on the inside; the way Pittsburgh steelworkers ate their steak. It was the result of throwing slabs of meat directly onto the blast furnaces. (Ask for our recommendation, though, and we’ll steer you to medium-rare). If steak is not for you tonight, maybe you’re in the mood for fresh seafood, a perfectly roasted chicken, or the world’s best burger.

Many other Blue Goodies

CALAMARI—sweet peppers, lemon aioli; BOURBON MAPLE GLAZED BACON—sweet corn purée, spoon-bread, jalapeños; JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKE—herb aioli; COCONUT SHRIMP—spicy ginger pineapple chutney; JUMBO SHRIMP COCKTAIL—cocktail sauce & fresh horseradish; SEA SCALLOPS BENEDICT—applewood-smoked bacon, hollandaise, brioche bread

Burgers & sandwiches

Served with hand-cut parmesan fries; CLASSIC BURGER—lettuce, tomato, onion - add cheese $1 - add applewood-smoked bacon $2; PRIME RIB FRENCH DIP—handselected, center-cut & naturally-aged for tenderness & flavor; HORSERADISH-CRUSTED FILET—topped with horseradish, applewoodsmoked bacon & toasted bread crumbs; MUSHROOM-CAPPED FILET—broiled with a mushroom & fresh herb crust; BLUE CHEESE-CRUSTED FILET—topped with a blue cheese crust; FILET AMERICAN—topped with tillamook cheddar & applewood-smoked bacon; FILET “OSCAR”—topped with a lump crab cake, asparagus & béarnaise; OVENROASTED CHICKEN—rosemary-lemon pan jus; PISTACHIO CRUSTED WALLEYE—lemondill butter sauce; CRAB LEGS—with drawn butter; SOY MISO GLAZED SEA BASS— horseradish-parmesan crust, whole-grain mustard sauce; VEGETARIAN LINGUINI—seasonal vegetables, compound herb butter, shaved parmesan, balsamic drizzle

Desserts

KEY LIME PIE; COCONUT TRES LECHES CAKE; CARROT CAKE — with butter brickle ice cream; NEW YORK CHEESECAKE — with strawberries add $2

The Definitive Steakhouse

“We feature hand-cut, perfectly aged Midwestern beef, trimmed to our specifications and cooked to yours. You’ll see deep booths and a deeper wine list. We have a bar that makes everything better. And we offer the kind of service everyone deserves but hardly ever receives. Welcome to Pittsburgh Blue. You’re about to eat very, very well,” said Coons.

Private Dining, Done to Order: From intimate celebrations to company-wide business gatherings, simply tell PB what you need, and their staff will help you plan every detail, including menu, décor, audio/ video and more. This is the perfect choice for family, friends, colleagues and customers. Gift cards are welcomed at all Pittsburgh Blue locations, and at the entire family of Parasole restaurants. Open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily; happy hour is Saturday 4 to 6 p.m. and Sunday 4 p.m. to close; visit pittsburghbluesteak.com for more information. 

By MOLLY PENNY mollypenny@gmail.com

Owatonna’s Jason Lennox is a local health care executive, author, entrepreneur and person in recovery who has advocated for changes in the addiction treatment industry at all the levels.

His roots in the recovery community stem from Southern Minnesota. He recently published a memoir, “A Perfect Tragedy.” Here, Jason answers my questions about the book and sheds light on his experience as a newly published author.

Your memoir, “A Perfect Tragedy.” launched in December, aligning with your 12-year sobriety date. For those who have not yet read the book, tell us how the decision to write a memoir of your journey came about and just how long it took to complete.

After a few years in recovery, I started to get more comfortable with my past and began sharing it in more public settings, including social media. The response was generally very positive, and I began to see how others who might normally have had stigmatizing thoughts about addiction developed new perspectives. I also heard from enough people about how my writing and speaking inspired new ways of thinking and being within their own recovery. I knew a book had to be in my future, for the sake of those struggling and those watching others struggle.

In 2017, I started with an opening introduction and never made it beyond that. Two years later, in 2019, I went back to the beginning and documented my life through my blog site – Recovery Reinspired. In 2022, I submitted a consolidation of my blog posts to an editor, and she returned it, letting me know it needed an overhaul. In July 2022, I began a whole new version and finished it by September 2022.

How has life been since the launch? I know you have been busy promoting the