Being named the coordinator for your office holiday party can be like having a bull’s-eye painted on your forehead. Everyone has an opinion, and no one is shy about voicing it.
Post-Gazette Food comes to the rescue with suggestions for holiday party venues. We’ve considered only venues that offer food in-house, although there are other spaces where you can rent the hall and then get your own caterer.
Whatever style of party you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered.
Casual
The Foundry Table & Tap, North Shore: Co-owner Michelle Bugg says The Foundry stands out because there’s no charge for the party room and no minimum food-and-beverage charge per guest, “so it’s conducive for casual parties.”
The restaurant has a private dining room that can seat up to 100 and a small, private bar area that holds around 40 for cocktail parties or mingling. Party planners simply pay a deposit that then goes toward the final bill.
The party fare can be as simple as meat-and-cheese boards and veggie trays or as complete as full meals with three to four entree choices that need to be requested two weeks ahead of the event, as well as a starch, two vegetable sides, an appetizer or salad and dessert.
The Foundry also serves pub fare. By-the-piece hors d’oeuvres include sausage-stuffed mushrooms ($2.50), duck confit and red onion aioli salad ($2.75) and deep-fried coconut shrimp with sweet Thai chili sauce ($3.50). Entree choices include rosemary roasted rack of lamb with roasted garlic demi-glace ($28), braised beef brisket ($14) and grilled cauliflower steak with salsa verde ($7).
Both the private dining room and the front bar have audio, so parties can bring their own playlists, or hosts can hire live entertainment.
Call 412-930-0744 or go to thefoundrypgh.com.
Gianna Via’s, Whitehall: The casual Italian restaurant, located in the Caste Village Shoppes, has a banquet room that seats up to 70 and requires a 30-person minimum. Buffet menus range from $15 to $21 per person with the option to add a carving station with prime rib, ham and beef filet for $3 per person.
The Gianna’s Buffet ($19 per person) includes choices of one salad (garden, Caesar, potato or pasta), two main courses (such as Italian meatballs, penne with marinara, hot Italian sausage, glazed ham and chicken Parmesan) and one accompaniment (fries, roasted potatoes or risotto).
Call 412-882-6500 or go to giannavia.com.
Newest hot spots
Duncan St, Millvale: Duncan St has been hosting in-home and pop-up dinners for the past four years, but owners Kendyl Ryan and Dan Rodriguez upped their game in September by opening a sandwich shop.
Their space is suitable for a small sit-down dinner for up to 12 people. The duo can provide almost anything a host wants. “We have probably 35 menus people can look through and pick out things they like,” Ms. Ryan said.
They typically serve a family-style entree, while the other courses are plated. At a recent dinner, they served a Cajun Thanksgiving spinoff with Cajun braised turkey legs, dirty rice and sweet potatoes. One of their popular entrees is tacos with dishes of ropa vieja, pickled onions, cilantro crema, tortillas, rice and beans that diners can share.
Pricing is dependent on the menu.
Call 412-252-2940 or go to duncanst.com.
Sugar and Smoke, Bloomfield: Director Gary White says Sugar and Smoke’s cuisine is inspired by New Orleans, South Carolina and Texas. The restaurant has two event rooms, each with a private bar. The Blue Room holds 25 to 50 guests, both seated and standing for mingling, while the event lounge holds 125 to 140.
In both rooms, buffet tables are set up with small bite plates for entrees such as brisket, smoked chicken, salmon and smoked meatballs, Southern-style sides such as sweet potato casserole and fried green tomatoes, appetizer platters such as vegetables or fruit, and chocolate fudge bites or lemon bars for dessert.
There’s no room rental fee, but there’s a minimum food-and-beverage charge of $1,000 for a three-hour party before 8 p.m. on weekdays. At other times, the minimum is $2,500 for a three-hour party.
Sugar and Smoke opened in September in the former Del’s space in Bloomfield. Call 412-251-0240 or go to sugarandsmokepgh.com.
Wow factor
Union Standard, Downtown: Event planner Ceema Issa says the standout for parties at chef Derek Stevens’ restaurant is the atmosphere. The Union Trust Building lobby has a stunning rotunda and floor-to-ceiling windows with some stained-glass panels. Semi-private parties on Union Standard’s second floor look out over Mellon Square as well as the restaurant’s bar and open kitchen. Groups of 15 to 65 can be accommodated, with curtains separating smaller groups in the event space. There’s no charge for the room usage, but there’s a food-and-beverage minimum that varies by group size.
Menus are customizable and can include anything from appetizers to full meals, with special arrangements made for allergy-free options. Appetizers are priced individually; dinner can be served for $55 or $65 per guest.
E-mail info@unionstandard.com, call 412-281-0738 or visit unionstandardpgh.com.
La Maison, South Side: Chef Garnett Livingston says he specializes in “giving people a Michelin star dining experience in a private setting.” He can cater in your home or office, but he also has a building on the South Side and describes the space there as “elegant, with high-quality midcentury furniture, quiet, private and exclusive.”
At the South Side location, Mr. Livingston can serve smaller sit-down dinners for around 10 to 12 guests, or sometimes a few more. He can also do more casual parties where guests mingle. For those, he can serve between 25 and 30.
Most people who schedule larger parties ask for heavy hors d’oeuvres, he said, noting he creates them “in a refined and meticulous way.” Examples include gougeres, steak tartare, soup in demitasse cups, lamb rack platters, smoked salmon, and passed single-bite desserts later in the evening.
Dinners can include nearly anything the planner wants. “What makes me different is that I don’t have a menu,” he said. “Every dinner is unique and different.” Some guests have a strict budget; others want caviar, foie gras, lobster and truffles, he said. He describes his cuisine as “French technique with local ingredients” and “on the formal side.”
Dinners start at $85 per person, while buffet parties start at $40 per guest. Call 412-608-2266, e-mail lamaisondining@gmail.com or visit lamaisondining.
Fun and games
Topgolf Pittsburgh, Bridgeville: Entertainment is built in at Topgolf Pittsburgh, where partygoers can play a variety of golf games as they eat. Sales director Christine Knapik says the venue can accommodate parties of anywhere from 12 to 1,200.
A popular option at this time of the year is the Festive Bites food package ($30 per person) with appetizers such as cheese and charcuterie boards, warm pretzel bites, meatballs and shrimp cocktail. Full meals also are available with prime rib, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and Parmesan, smashed red potatoes and other options, ranging from $36 to $44 per person. Various add-ons are available as well.
You can either reserve bays, which hold six guests per bay, or rent a private event space and bring in your own entertainment. There’s an outdoor space on the upper level with heaters for wintertime and outdoor games, and there’s a lower level with pool and shuffleboard tables.
Go to topgolf.com/us/Pittsburgh and click on Plan Your Next Party or Event.
Dave & Buster’s, West Homestead: Corporate sales manager Allyson Ceccini said many people don’t realize Dave & Buster’s has private, fully decorated rooms that groups can rent and even bring in their own entertainment such as ice carvers, caricature artists or musicians. There’s a small room rental fee as well as a food-and-beverage minimum that starts at $200 for the party, depending on the room and the size of the group. Guests get a buffet package that includes food, non-alcoholic drinks and a “power card” that operates the arcade games.
Buffet packages include appetizer spreads or full meals, with design-your-own options as well as pre-designed menus. For example, the Buster’s Best buffet includes glazed short ribs, lemon grilled chicken, grilled shrimp skewers, sweet and sour meatballs, spinach dip with tortilla chips, several vegetable sides, mini cheesecakes, chocolate eclairs and a $30 power card for each guest.
Call 412-462-1500 or go to daveandbusters.com/locations/homestead.
Large groups
Heinz Field, North Shore: The Steelers home game space has a variety of halls and clubs available for rental. For instance, the UPMC Club and Hyundai Club both can accommodate up to 800 people for a sit-down dinner or 2,000 people for a mingling reception. Each costs $3,000 to rent, plus a total charge of at least $12,500 for food and drinks for a five-hour event. To rent both spaces at the same time, the room rental is $5,000 and food-and-beverage minimum is $20,000.
There are three other larger halls, plus two smaller spaces — the Press Box Dining Room and North Club Lounge — which have varying, smaller costs based on day and time of the event.
Aramark’s plated dinner options include seared Angus tenderloin, mushroom strudel and black pepper prawns. Buffet dinners also are available; a sample is the Rivers menu, which includes baby iceberg wedge salads, spinach salad, broccolini with roasted red peppers and pine nuts, risotto, soy-glazed salmon, herbed chicken and grilled pound cake with Heath crunch.
Hosts can also choose from passed cold and hot hors d’oeuvres, display stations, carving stations and action stations such as taco, pasta and baked potato bars. A 45-minute stadium tour can be added on, too.
Go to heinzfield.com and click on Book a Private Event.
Rebecca Sodergren: pgfoodevents@hotmail.com; @pgfoodevents.
Correction, posted Nov. 29, 2018: In an earlier version of this story, the phone number for La Maison was incorrect.
First Published: November 27, 2018, 5:00 p.m.
