We were just in Pittsburgh for the first time. Reading through recent threads and their associated links has been a great help. Although we appreciate that there are a number of finer dining experiences to be had, our goal was to sample local specialties. We know that our choices were at times outrightly touristy or clichéed, but we were happy with our picks and most dishes we had were unlike anything we’ve sampled before.
We started off at Primanti Bros., choosing the Strip location as it is apparently the original. We sampled 3 sandwiches: pastrami and cheese, capicollo and cheese, and the Pittsburgher. All were very enjoyable, with the fistful of coleslaw nicely offsetting the richness of everything else. We also really like the pillowy, very thick bread slices. Extra cheese and a fried egg were lost in the enormity of the sandwiches. The fries were well done, double-fried at least, with crisp edges and not oily.
Continuing in the giant sandwich vein, we went to Robert Wholey and Co. Inc. for their fried Icelandic cod version. The fish was crispily fried, and just-done on the inside. One pound is a lot of fish, so we got two buns to better handle the largesse (a soft, sweet one and a Mancini roll). I don’t know if adding hot sauce is heresy, but since it was in the dining area, we used it liberally.
Right next door was Mancini’s, where we sampled a warm pepperoni roll - lovely dough and a satisfying mix of sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. And just beside that was Peppi’s where we had our first Pittsburgh salad, covered in fries, steak, and grated cheese - enjoyable but not a must-repeat option.
We tried breakfast at P&G’s Pamela’s Diner, Strip location. The “crepe-style” hotcakes (we had them stuffed with strawberries) and the kielbasa and eggs were both very good, though perhaps not justifying the line-up and wait. And seeing that Polish food is a local strength, we sampled pierogies from S&D Polish Deli. Both the sauerkraut and the potato cheddar versions were great, with soft supple wrappers and a buttery sauce with sweet onions. For a quick dessert, we had biscotti from Enrico Biscotti. We really enjoyed the fig and pecan version and picked up several bags of other flavours for future research purposes.
A little further afield, we visited Prantl’s on Walnut St. for their burnt almond torte. We thought it was a little sweet for us, although the toastiness of the almonds helped to offset this. We also had never tried Ohio Valley-style pizza and went to Beto’s for our initiation. We were impressed - good crust, nice tangy sauce, cooked cold toppings (mushrooms, green peppers), and lots of grated cheese over top. And it’s very messy to eat by hand because there is nothing holding the ingredients together.
Our biggest challenge was to find a place that served a chipped chopped ham sandwich. There appeared to be almost no places in the area that served this standard from a bygone era. Everyone we asked suggested we go buy the ingredients from a store and make a sandwich ourselves. Eventually we were able to confirm that the Isaly’s in West View still served The Slammer, a half pound of ham with fried onions and American cheese. While definitely on the salty side, it was lots of fun and worth the trip.
We also tried cocktails at 3 places. We hit The Summit while sightseeing on Mt. Washington. Phantom’s Revenge (Ketel Grapefruit and Rose, dry Curaçao, beet, grape, lemon, Absinthe) was nice and earthy, though a little sweet. Thunderbolt (bourbon, lavender, orange, arbol chile, lemon, ginger beer) was pleasant, but mainly sweet with no chile evident.
Back downtown, we stopped in at Con Alma and enjoyed the live jazz. Lullaby of the Leaves (Thrashers green spiced rum, Maggie’s Farm falernum, lemon, ginger, pistachio orgeat, pineapple, Cardamaro float, basil) was particularly impressive, with its complex mix of fruit and herbs. Lush Life (Leblon Cachaca, cardamom, vanilla, black pepper, lime) was nice, but a little sweet. Unfortunately we were too unhungry to sample their food menu, which we understand is quite good (the dishes we saw looked very appetizing).
We also stopped in at Bridges & Bourbon, which took the win for both presentation and flavours in their cocktails. Island Heat (dark rum, mezcal, basil brandy, toasted sesame coconut orgeat, passion fruit, pineapple juice, lime juice) arrived smoking in a cute copper pineapple cup; it was like a campfire-smoked piña colada. Even better was the Haka (vodka, honey syrup, kiwi juice, green chartreuse, banana tincture), with the kiwi coming through prominently. We figured we should also try a local bourbon and were impressed by the Liberty Pole Peated Bourbon - lots of smoky vanilla and some banana on the finish.
Next time we’ll have to try some of the other restaurants (Eleven looked particularly intriguing from a locavore perspective), plus explore local beers.
