Restaurant Review: Brunch at Gullifty’s
Posted by mike | Filed under Reviews
My parents were in town this weekend for my Birthday, and going out for breakfast is one of their favorite weekend activities. In keeping up the tradition, we walked from my house up to Squirrel Hill this morning and ended up at Gullifty’s for brunch.
Gullifty’s Eatery
1922 Murray Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Brunch: Sunday’s from 10am to 2pm
Gullifty’s wasn’t our first choice. We were actually hoping to be a little adventurous and try Mr. Willie’s Barbecue. My family isn’t really that big on meat (my mother’s a vegetarian, and I lean that way), so breakfast seemed like a great opportunity to try Mr. Willie’s. I like Mr. Willie’s story and would really like to give him a chance. Sadly, they don’t seem to be open for breakfast on the weekends anymore. I don’t think that was always the case, but no more. They’re only open for lunch and dinner on the weekend (and just dinner on Sunday).
Now. Let me get back on track with Gullifty’s. The history here is that I used to be somewhat indifferent to Gullifty’s. I used to make the trip out there exactly once a year for the Kiltie Band end-of-year banquet. Then I moved to Squirrel Hill and started going there more often. There were nothing to write about about. The beer selection is so-so, and the food could definitely be worse. The only thing they’re really known for is dessert, and I’m not about to go to some restaurant based purely on a dessert menu–a posture which must send shiver’s down the spine of the marketing department over at The Cheesecake Factory.
In the spirit of giving anything a try, I was hopeful that they would prove themselves with a good breakfast menu. My official report: still not fantastic, but a little better than I expected.
Here’s what we ordered:
- Brett — spinach quiche
- Mom — omelette with green peppers, mushrooms, cheddar, and salsa
- Dad — Pittsburgh breakfast (kielbasa with scrambled eggs and “potato pancakes”)
- Me — Breakfast quesadilla (with no bacon)
My first comment would have to be that the salsa was surprisingly good. I don’t think it came straight out of a vat (like many salsa’s at a restaurant like Guliffty’s). I get the feeling that it started as canned tomatoes and was complemented by a decent dose of hot sauce and diced onions. That’s certainly nothing to write home about, but it was a welcome flavor for both my quesadilla and my mom’s omlette.
My second comment, what they call a “potato pancake” is really a dry, overcooked hash brown.
How was the quesadilla. Well, it was a quesadilla. The shell was fried to a nice crisp texture around an appropriate balance of eggs and cheese. The salsa was served in a little cup made from a hard corn tortilla shell, and that was served along side a mound of sour cream and a pile of shredded lettuce. I’m not sure what they expected me to do with the lettuce, as it certainly didn’t stack on top of the quesadilla, so I tossed a little salsa on top and ate it like a salad. I poured what salsa I could on the quesadilla pieces that I ate (about half of them). I would have liked more salsa (and prettymuch needed it if I was going to eat more of the quesadilla). Then again, I wasn’t really hungry enough to finish it, so it wasn’t a big deal.
My mom and Brett got a muffin with their breakfast, and I tried a little piece of my mother’s. The muffin was actually surprisingly good. It wasn’t an oversized “factory produced” muffin that you would buy in a 24-pack at Sam’s Club, either. It was a standard muffin size and carried a nice crunch–giving the impression that it had actually been baked by Gullifty’s. That seems to make sense, given their penchant for making decadant desserts. Most surprisingly, the muffin had a unique flavor. It was a blueberry muffin with what tasted like a cardamom seasoning. The spice addition was an unexpectedly good flavor to appear in a blueberry muffin.
So what’s the bottom line? If you don’t like Gullifty’s, don’t go out of your way for their breakfast. It’s more of the same. That said, if you’re looking for something different or just happen to really like Gullifty’s food, it’s probably worth a try.
