Any Pittsburgh Gulleters?

[hndapwrman]

I am fairly new to this site and have been enjoying it greatly. Are there any Pittsburghers that frequesnt this site?

Have a great weekend!!

[mjg]

I have been lurking for an awful long time but have really not posted. I live in Pittsburgh. Anything in particular you'd like to discuss about the 'burgh?

[Holly Moore]

Welcome to both of you.

I have been lurking for an awful long time but have really not posted. I live in Pittsburgh. Anything in particular you'd like to discuss about the 'burgh?

Why not start with "The Strip." I was there in May, my first visit. Wow! Though I've heard that it's getting upscaled a bit of late.

What are the local secrets?

[herbacidal]

yes welcome to you both. we need more noise from the west.

keep it coming.

[Fresser]

I want to hear about the Pierogi Races.

[hndapwrman]

Thanks for the kind welcome. I really have been enjoying eGullet.

Ahhh...the Strip. One of my very favorite places! It started as a depot for food way back in the early 1900s. Produce, meat, eggs, etc would come from all around and restaurants would come and pick up their food. My Grandfather used to own a general store about 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, and he would travel down in his huckster wagon with eggs and dairy from "up north" and trade his way down and back to end up with the goods that he needed for the store.

Now it houses the some of the best stores for fresh food around. Nothing trendy, just down in the city with not nearly enough parking. Pennsylvania Macaroni has the greatest selection of cheeses, cured meats, olives, pastas, everything that is Italian. Breadworks, which makes awesome crusty bread. Parma Sausage Company sells homemade sausages; Presto George roasts their own peanuts and makes the best ham salad.

Pittsburgh is a very ethnic town with large Italian, Polish, German, Slovak etc populations. They are all well represented in the Strip. Very fresh and very good selection down there.

My favorite place to go for breakfast in the Strip is DeLuca's. Great diner with fantastic food. Pretty greasy, but just what the doctor ordered. FYI - order the sausage omlet with Italian toast!

What they are starting to do now is put more and more restaurants, bars and nightclubs in. They aren't moving the stores out (thankfully) because they have them on a parallel street. It works well, because the stores are busy in the AM and obviously the bars and clubs are busy during the PM. That area is a little young for me in the evening though.

[hndapwrman]

I want to hear about the Pierogi Races.

The Pierogi races.....a great rip off from the Brewers. We take our version less seriously though. Pierogis are a Pittsburgh staple. So what else should we do other than race them? We have Cheese Chester, Oliver Onion, Sauerkraut Saul and Jalapeno Hannah running a race every day. Unlike Milwaukee, there is usually some tripping and hitting going on down the stretch. Hannah has been known to use her purse to hit the guys in order to win. They keep a running tally on the scoreboard of the winners. It's pretty funny. Something has to keep us smiling, the play of the Pirates sure doesn't!

Here is a quick clip of the end of a race:

Pierogi Race

[mjg]

Great synopsis of the Strip, hndapwrman. Lately I've been going to the Strip every Saturday morning. In addition to all of the ethnic markets, they've recently started hosting a farmers market down there on Saturday mornings with some excellent local organic (and otherwise) farmers represented.

For breakfast I prefer to grab a biscotti at Enrico Biscotti (side note: if you haven't seen the movie "The Bread, My Sweet" you ought to check it out; filmed in Pittsburgh and written, I think, by the wife of the owner of Enrico Biscotti. It's a great foodie type movie starring, of all people, Scott Baio.)

I'm really just starting to learn about all of the variety available down there. Walking into a Mexican or Asian market is like Christmas morning for me. And now I know what everyone on this site means when they say you can get great deals at Asian markets. At a place like Whole Foods you can get a couple little pieces of lemongrass for $5. At one of the Asian markets down in the Strip, two huge stalks cost 50 cents.

Anyway, the Strip is really the heart of the food world here in Pittsburgh. Glad to have it.

[beans]

I want to hear about the Pierogi Races.  

The Pierogi races.....a great rip off from the Brewers. We take our version less seriously though. Pierogis are a Pittsburgh staple. So what else should we do other than race them? We have Cheese Chester, Oliver Onion, Sauerkraut Saul and Jalapeno Hannah running a race every day. Unlike Milwaukee, there is usually some tripping and hitting going on down the stretch. Hannah has been known to use her purse to hit the guys in order to win. They keep a running tally on the scoreboard of the winners. It's pretty funny. Something has to keep us smiling, the play of the Pirates sure doesn't!

Here is a quick clip of the end of a race:

Pierogi Race

I love my trips to Pittsburgh. At first it was to catch Penguins games. I'd always get lost going over a bridge or through a tunnel.

Now I visit to catch an occasional Steelers game or a much needed jaunt to IKEA. (And I still get lost driving around!)

Yum. Pierogis and IC light. And late night panini's. Can't forget those!

[hndapwrman]

Beans, it is easy to get lost in Pittsburgh - all the tunnels, bridges, one-way streets and CONSTRUCTION!!

A late night sandwich at Primanti's is something everyone should taste! I always get the corned beef and cheese: grilled corned beef, cheese, tomato, vinaigrette cole slaw and fries sandwiched between 2 slices of Italian bread. Always better with beer!

And mjd - Enrico Biscotti is very good. That is what is so great about the Strip - there are so many places to choose from that a group can go down and everyone can be happy! The selection and ability to buy a little or a lot of something is one of the things I have always enjoyed about the strip. I will have to hit the farmers markets down there. I have a nice local farm close to where I live and the "our own" products are no comparison to the stuff you get in stores. Gotta take advantage of it now.....in a few months it will be back to so-so produce.

[mjg]

Strip District

You'll have to pick up a National Geographic for the whole article. Nice to see the Strip getting some national exposure.

[hndapwrman]

That's a great article. I'll have to dig up the whole one. It looks like it is going to be a fantastic weekend to go down there!

[=Mark]

My wife and Kids live down near Washington, Pa. Unfortunately she and her family are food challenged and consider a pot of rigatoni or a trip to Kings to be haught cuisine. They even have my kids squirting catsup on their hotdogs .

Any places worth checking out (Small, privately owned ethnic places preferred) in the southern regions around Washington/Cannonsburg would be appreciated. Decent pizza seems hard to come by also...

[mjg]

Down in Canonsburg you should check out Sarris Candies. Excellent chocolate and some pretty tasty ice cream too.

Sarris Candies

Not a whole lot else down that way from what I know of.

It looks like it is going to be a fantastic weekend to go down there!

Unfortunately I won't be able to go down to the Strip this weekend. However, I will be enjoying many too many microbrews at the State College Microbrewery Festival. Heading back to the alma mater to relive the college experience for one night...only classed up quite considerably from the warm cans of Natty Light we used to drink to excess.

[cinghiale]

Hi mjg & hndapwrman:

I used Pittsburgh last year as a base for seeing Fallingwater. I had De Luca's so high on my list that I was out the door of the hotel at 7AM to make sure I didn't have to wait. Cool place, great breakfast, terrific neighborhood, from the little I saw of the Strip on an early Sunday morning.

I did two dinners: Isabela, which, despite the kinda boring decor, served very tasty, contemp-American food (e.g., Jamison Farms lamb). Went back up to Grandview the next night and tried LeMont, which appeared to be a sorta landmark restaurant (right?). Very pricey, food only OK. Both restaurants offer splendid view of the river.

Didn't get a chance to try a Primanti Brothers sandwich. And BTW: I assume those sandwiches haven't been labelled a security threat at Heinz Field, right? Almost makes it worth changing allegiances...

[mjg]

My meal at Isabela was one of the best meals I've ever eaten. Had the pleasure of helping the chef with a class at a local cooking school/specialty cookware store. Immediately my now fiance and I saved up some cash to visit his restaurant and it was well worth it. Quite pricey by Pittsburgh standards (I think the prix fixe was $65 per person when I went), but they do a lot of stuff that nobody else in town is really doing.

I guess this leads into a discussion about favorite Pittsburgh restaurants. So, anyone want to toss any names out?

Some on my list: Girasole, Cafe Zinho, Il Pizzaiolo, Namaste

[jshufelt]

We've been fond of Casbah (mediterranean) and Soba (Pan-Asian) for a while. I think Soba actually got better after the fire that burned down its first incarnation; the menus are a bit more experimental than before, and they were already experimental by Pittsburgh standards.

Fajita Grill is a winner when you're craving mole sauce. The service has always been questionable, but on most nights, your patience will be rewarded. Bring a few bottles of beer to pass the time, and you'll be fine.

[mjg]

I went to Soba for the first and only time the day before it burned down. Guess I should head back there one of these days.

I'm quite happy to hear you can get a good mole at Fajita Grill. That is something that I see on TV all the time and figured I couldn't find in Pittsburgh.