Pittsburgh Blue steakhouse is expanding south.
Parasole Restaurant Holdings, which also includes Manny's, Chino Latino and others in its restaurant portfolio, is scheduled to open its third Pittsburgh Blue, this one in Rochester, in April.
"Not only will Pittsburgh Blue in Rochester be the first out-of-town location for this concept, it will also be the city of Rochester's first true steakhouse and a premier private dining and meeting venue," Phil Roberts, Parasole chief executive, said on Tuesday.
The restaurant will be located at the corner of E. Center Street and S. Broadway Avenue, anchoring a 20-story, 264-room Hilton Hotel. Initially, it will only serve dinner, but it plans to open about 3 p.m. to catch employees getting off the early shift.
"We'll start with a great happy hour because we have to sustain ourselves with locals and become part of the community," said Donna Fahs, chief operating officer of Parasole.
The company received some pressure to build a Manny's steakhouse in Rochester instead, but Roberts said the idea was never seriously considered. "The average check for Manny's is $100 compared to about $60 at Pittsburgh Blue," he said. "There are definitely many people in Rochester who can afford Manny's, just not enough of them."
The menu for the new Pittsburgh Blue, still being tweaked, will include steaks for $30 to $60 and pasta at more modest price of under $20. Guests can come in wearing shorts and feel just fine in the tavern area with red-checkered tablecloths or visit the more formal dining-room side.
"This is a working man's steakhouse," Roberts said. "A brawny, sleeves-up kind of place."
