INGOOD TASTE
Candid conversations with the dining scene’s most engaging chefs
Mike Barrett, General Manager, Gateway Grill
Gateway Grill
4251 Northern Pike, Monroeville;
412.372.2977, gatewaygrill.net
On the Menu:
Americana fare offering a variety of burgers,
steaks, baby back ribs, seafood and pizza.
Everything is house made and by scratch. For
lunch there’s the Atomic Burger, Beef Brisket
Sandwich, Turkey Club, Steak Fajita Wrap,
Tuna Melt, Chili Burger and Personal Pizza.
The specialty lunch dishes include a Turkey
Devonshire and Steak Stir Fry, to name a few.
Daily dinner specials range from prime rib
slow roasted and cut-to-order, served with
au jus and horseradish; a Land & Sea 10 oz.
center cut choice NY strip steak, grilled and
served with five jumbo shrimp; to wings,
and a full rack of baby back ribs with two
sides. There are more than 700 bottled beer
selections, plus 34 draft beers. Breakfast is
now served, too. Favorites include Mac’s-Style
Breakfast, which is a choice of Sam’s Country
Fried Steak, Steak & Eggs, Ham, or a Broiled
Cod & Eggs. Other selections are a choice
of omelets, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast
specials, made-to-order eggs and hot-off-
the-griddle waffles, French toast, pancakes or
Stackhouse cakes.
What led you to work at
Gateway Grill?
One of my friends knew Kevin
McFadden, owner of Gateway
Grill. He said he was looking for
help at his restaurant. I worked something out
Q A
The staff at Gateway Grill (front row, l-r): Erin, Stefanee and Dasha; (back row, l-r): Joey, Rich, Matt, Mike, Rob and Roland.
with Mr. McFadden and I was hired in 2000. We
developed a really good working relationship.
Gateway Grill actually started as a pizza shop and
then we converted it into a full-service restaurant,
which is what you see today. The restaurant has
been changed or refurbished about four or five
times over the past 17 years. We keep growing and
we’re still being discovered.
Our restaurant embodies all that is teamwork—it
is what it is because the staff has pulled together for
so long. We take pride in all of our jobs and what’s
even more remarkable is that 70 percent of us are
still here from when I started, almost two decades
ago. This is what makes our place unique—there
are not a lot of restaurants that can say that. It’s
run by a collaboration of everybody that’s been
here. The success is the team that we’ve created,
and everyone from the bartender who comes up
with drink ideas, to the cook who comes up with a
menu item, we all work together—the restaurant
is a team concept. Our goal is to always provide a
delicious product that is locally sourced, including
produce—the majority of our vendors are from
Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. We try not
to get too many frozen products in and everything
we produce is labor intensive. At the end of the
day, we all work together to make a place where the
community can come, gather and eat well.
What’s a unique kitchen feature at Gateway
Grill?
We are the only wood fire grill in Monroeville.
What kitchen tools can’t you live without?
I’m the general manager, but I have my hands in
everything, so everything in the kitchen I really
can’t live without. My staff being the most valuable.
They are essential and I can’t do any of this without
them. They allow me to do my job while they do
theirs.
What is your favorite quick meal to make at
home?
Anything on the grill.
Where is your favorite place to eat in Pitts-
burgh when you’re not eating at Gateway
Grill?
Bella Luna.
Best advice for a novice?
Take good care of other people. By doing this
you’re going to make people happy—and that’s
what this business is all about.
What’s the next big food or dining trend?
I believe it’s more of the same trend we’ve
experienced for a while now: Fresh ingredients
that are cooked to order. Most people want fresher
food with no preservatives—and the more locally
sourced the food, the better. n
—Reese Randall
The Baby Back Ribs (whole).
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