text: I feel bad about doing this but that is what Yelp is all about Real uptodate reviews I have visited the James Street twice since my first review and have been underwhelmed each time Tonight was not a great experience It was meh at bestnnEither I did not see the full menu on my first visit or they have changed it up While all seemed fine on the surface I was not thrilled about receiving a tiny meatloaf that cost on top of a whole plate of what amounted to garbage potatoes and corn sauce accompanied by two tiny corn fritters The meatloaf was tasty but that price is ridiculous for what you get Meatloaf is not expensive and it is easy to make If you are going to charge for it it had better be in a posh establishment with a menu not consisting mainly of sandwiches and bar food a larger portion that I can take home for another meal which is what I was expecting or the most amazing meatloaf I have ever put in my mouth In this case the corn fritters were my favorite part of the meal This would have been a star review except thatnnMy friend ordered the buttermilk chicken It was a tasty breast I tried it But the same problem persisted teeny tiny portions You cannot charge for a tiny chicken breast and grits Everyone knows how much a chicken breast costs and grits are the cheapest food on the planet Also as we were driving home we realized that the corn bread had been left off the platennLook here is the general problem The James Street is in a slowly gentrifying area It is pretty run down but getting better That attracts hipstertypes Which is cool But your clientele is still a Pittsburgh clientele In my last review I compared the James Street to something you would find in Philadelphia or NYC And that is true as far as the vibe the hipsters and live music goes But we are not in those places Everything costs more in Philly and New York Food costs more in the markets than it does in Pittsburgh and people also generally take home bigger paychecks and thus can spend more on food It offends my Pittsburgh sensibilities that a restaurant like this charges these kinds of prices for let us face it typical bar food Tasty but your bottom line is inexpensive It feels like a major rip offnnWhen you switch over to local and sustainable food and alert us all that we are eating organic then you can up the price and I will be happy to pay for healthier food Same goes when this establishment ceases to be in part a loud sports bar and converts into a romantic restaurant that serves elevated fare If the price is upped bc of the live music maybe you should considering having a separate menu for the speakeasy since I have yet to hear live music But until then I will head over to any other area restaurant that serves meatloaf and or fried chicken for at least less for a larger portion and be happier with my purchase