I went there last night with a few friends. We had all heard great things and were not disappointed at all. We arrived at the bar about 30 min. prior to reservation and had a couple glasses of wine from their extensive selection. The wine prices are pretty reasonable considering some of the other \"wine bars\" in town. I'd say the price is 2x to 3x cost. I order a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay at Sonoma Grille this weekend and the price was 5x cost. So, with respect to the competition I guess 2x isn't bad. The bartender was professional and I've seen her at other places. Her name is Holly and she is attentive and welcoming. One small issue was that the floor by the bar was sticky which was kind of weird. The overall atmosphere is warm and inviting. We were sat at a fine table with perfect lighting. Our waiter was great. I also noticed another great waiter, Raj, who used to work at Nine on Nine and Eleven. It seems to me that the Chef/Owner took special care in his staff hiring. The Maitre'D is also helpful and experienced. Okay..., the food. We started with a nice selection of warm bread which was on par, but nothing special. We then ordered steak tartare, belgian endive salad, and mushroom ravioli as appetizers. The steak tartare was delicious. It was served with a quail egg and perfectly toasted ciabatta. The belgian endive was okay, but not memorable. It should have had more walnuts and cheese and less endive. The ravioli was rich and delicious served with oxtail which I thought was interesting. The entrees' were awesome. I had the beef short ribs which they are known for and it without a doubt the best I've ever had and one of the \"richest\" dishes I've ever had. Another friend had the lamb which was perfect and another dish sampled was the roasted chicken. Thomas Keller has said his favorite meal on earch is roasted chicken and I can see why after sampling Mio's. The portions were perfect. One of my pet peeves is huge portions and this place does not fall into the trap. The prices are more than most, but the ingredients are stellar. There was no room for dessert. We finished the evening at the bar with a few more drinks and spoke with Matt who is the chef/owner. He told us all about stories of Mario Batali and the like in NYC where he was sous chef at Veritas. We are lucky to have a chef this talented in Pittsburgh. Mio is my favorite NEW restaurant and deserves your visit. They are also going to start serving lunch in April. So, you'll be able to sample the same quality without the same pricetag as dinner.
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