Mel Altenderfer

I believe you are thinking of BreadWorks, which supplies bread for many, many restaurants in the Pgh area. They also have a store on Brighton Rd. on the North Side. My recommendations for this weekend would be either Vivo in Bellevue or Bona Terra in Sharpsburg. Enjoy!

Shadyside is overrated, IMHO. My car was broken into repeatedly when I lived there and the rents were much to high for the quality of housing. I would prefer Squirrel Hill or Greenfield or maybe even Highland Park over Shadyside. I lived in Friendship for a long time and LOVED it. I was in a family-and-young-professionals neighborhood but within a fifteen minute walk to the restaurants of Bloomfield, the markets in Shadyside, and the cheap bars of Oakland. The bus ride to my job in Oakland at one of the Universities was under ten minutes as was the bus ride to the Strip on Saturdays to stock up on cheese and ethnic ingredients. Welcome to the 'Burgh!

Excellent choices! If you are here for only a short while I recommend that you voyage out to Bellevue for a meal at Vivo on Lincoln Ave. (be forewarned, however, that Bellevue is a dry township so BYOB) and Bona Terra in Sharpsburg (also BYOB). You will not be disappointed. Pittsburgh gets such a bad rap here it is nice to hear about someone having a positive experience in the 'Burgh.

Bona Terra in Sharpsburg and Vivo in Bellevue are two of the best restaurants in town AND they are BYOB. There was an article not too long ago in the P-G that listed most of the BYOB restaurants in town. I would be up for a Pittsburgh eGullet evening. ← I'm from Philly, but will be in Pittsburg in a few weeks. What is the "P-G" so I may look up the BYOB's. Thanks ← The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. www.post-gazette.com Here's the list: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05195/537323.stm

Bona Terra in Sharpsburg and Vivo in Bellevue are two of the best restaurants in town AND they are BYOB. There was an article not too long ago in the P-G that listed most of the BYOB restaurants in town. I would be up for a Pittsburgh eGullet evening.

Funny, just yesterday I was just bemoaning the complete lack of Pittsburgh posts here. Since you'll be back, a couple of other places to try: Eleven is the first restaurant you'll run into on your way up Smallman St. It's worth it. It is also a Big Burrito property, probably their most upscale to date. Although we've always enjoyed it there we've heard of some FOH issues lately. Also new and near is Nine on Ninth, which is co-owned by the guy who owns the eclectic Cafe Richard in the Strip. Haven't been yet, but initial reviews are very positive. Lots starting to happen in that area, finally. But if you really want to eat well and cheap, go to the cart on Penn Ave. that's just before Sunseri Bros. and load up on pad thai ($1.75 for about a pint and a half's worth) and spring rolls ($1 each). You can't miss it. It's extremely good for the price. ← So have you tried Nine on Ninth yet? Cafe Richard is right next door to where I work, so I eat their delicious sandwiches for lunch almost every week. I've been wanting to try a new restaurant, so I'm curious to see what people think. Funny you mention FOH at Eleven, because I just applied to work there! Two managers interviewed me yesterday, and one of them kept talking about how they are in a 'transitional period,' so maybe that means they've had to fire someone! ← I read this in the P-G yesterday-- may help explain things. "There have been some major staff changes at Big Burrito Group restaurants in the past few weeks. The chain reaction began with the departure of Greg Alauzen, who was executive chef at Eleven. He has been replaced by Derek Stevens, formerly of Casbah. Alan Peet has replaced Stevens at Casbah."

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Deep Fried Double Bacon Cheeseburger. http://www.danamania.com/burger/

Max's Allegheny Tavern on the North Side is the best if you are in search of wurst. Penn Brewery (also on the North Side) also has German food, but I think Max's is better. For a night of truly authentic Hungarian food, go to Jozsa in Hazelwood. It's only open when Alex, the owner and chef, feels like it. You must call ahead and tell him you are coming. He will serve you whatever he feels like cooking, and it will be good. The atmosphere is a little less than elegant (you enter through the kitchen, for example), but the food more than makes up for it. I went there with Edward Teller's grandson, who knows from Hungarian food. Jozsa Corner Hungarian Restaurant 4800-4804 2d Ave. Pittsburgh PA 15207 412.422.1886 I also really like Old Europe on the South Side. They have a mix of Eastern European and Russian dishes. The rabbit I had there a couple of months ago wasa sublime. Old Europe 1209 E Carson St Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412.488.1700

What's he looking for? I am happy to provide guidance and suggestions. ← Steak. His boss is a big steak guy. I guess he's looking for something on the South Side/Region, but he said they'll head downtown if they have to. ← Pittsburgh Rare at Station Square (South Side) is pretty good for steak, but I would recommend Mantini's Woodfired Grill on East Carson above them. For a really tasty steak, head over to East Liberty and go to the Red Room.

There are some great lunch places in Oakland. I highly recommend Oishii Bento for bento box and sushi, Baba D's for Middle Eastern, and Spice Island Tea House for pan-asian and exotic tea. The dinner choices are more limited, but Lucca for Italian is excellent, and Mad Mex has great cheap food and yummy margaritas. If you are willing to take the bus or walk a little further, Shadyside is very close and is chock-a-block with good eats. Soba is excellent, as is Umi. I like La Feria for Peruvian/Cuban and Harris Grill for really high-quality bar grub.

What's he looking for? I am happy to provide guidance and suggestions.

Upon reviewing the Pennsylvania threads, it appears that we Pittsburghers are perceived as culinary savages, gnawing on our Primanti's sandwiches and Roethlisburgers and swilling Iron City Light in dank bars under a haze of coal dust. I think there are a lot of wonderful culinary resources in Pittsburgh and some fabulous restaurants. Let's talk about them! I love: The chicken-on-a-stick from Sam-Bok in the Strip. Kaya Bona Terra Veggies from Farmers @ the Firehouse Roberto's Pizza in Bellevue (RIP, sadly) Prestogeorge sausages Corned beef sandwiches and a pitcher of Railbender at the Park House on the North Side Wursts at Max's Allegheny Tavern Burgers at Tessaro's Polish Platter at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern Vivo in Bellevue Ma Provence in Squirrel Hill Please add your faves. Yinz know you want to.

Not sure I understand your post. "Too bad there is no way to search based on route..." Yes there is. As you go on to point out. The only thing listed on the route from Dallas to Lubbock is in Ft. Worth. ← It costs money to get the maps, and there really is no convenient way to figure out if any of the places you can see on-line are actually along your route of travel. If you poke around in your state or a state you are familar with, you'll notice that some places don't really meet one important definition of "road food". Close to the highway. What I'd like to see is to combine route planning with an option that says how far you are willing to deviate from that route to get to a place (i.e. 1 mile, 2 miles, etc.) That would make it more useful. ← You can, however, post for free in the Forums-- there is a thread called "Where Should I Eat?" wherein you can post your route and ask for suggestions from locals in the area. I have had great luck with this method-- especially when you cross reference the suggestions with the restaurant directory.

You might consult the guides and forums at www.roadfood.com. They specialize in finding the best non-chain "roadfood" in the USA. Also, check www.thesplendidtable.org and check the recommendations of Jane & Michael Stern. Life's too short to eat at Olive Garden!

Bananas are repugnant in every way to me unless mashed and cooked into banana bread. I can't even stand to peel one because the smell makes me retch. Canned tuna. It is a testament to how much I love my dogs that I can bear to open a can and feed it to them. Mayo is good when mixed with other things (chicken salad or a creamy dip) but is noxious on sandwiches and (especially) hamburgers. There is one restaurant where I will eat frites with basil mayo on the side but nowhere else in the world will I consume mayo solo. Ketchup. For a while I feared they would kick me out of Pittsburgh (home of Heinz) for this. It looks like congealed blood and tastes like crap. Lima beans. There is no reason for them to exist, period.