Though you can find a veggie option or two, the pickings on that side of the menu are somewhat slim. That drove me to drop my veggie-leaning goal on both visits. The first trip was marred in failure—mostly because I avoided the sandwiches and went for a salad. For the second trip, I corrected myself and was quite pleased.

Stoke’s Grill (West View)
www.stokesgrill.net

4771 McKnight Rd
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
(412) 369-5380

Like most establishments on McKnight, Stoke’s is in a strip mall. They’re actually right next door to the North Hills instance of El Campesino—down in the southern section of McKnight. The City Paper review calls them a sandwich shop, but I don’t really think that does them justice. Between the BYOB option and deeply independent status, I think they fall into a slightly different category—though it’s hard to think of a good label. On the other hand, they do put considerable thought in their sandwiches and even avoid the sandwich shop tendency to go overboard on portioning. Basically, I’m a somewhat hesitant fan of the place.

The mixed bag of the strip mall. Despite the often negative perception, that strip mall location does give them the benefit of easy parking and an un-cramped space; they even do a good job of keeping the interior interesting. The walls all get a treatment of alternating dark and light greens behind a spattering of some visually interesting (though eclectic) artwork. That keeps the setting interesting and helps establish their own look. The look actually reminds me of a Juice Box Cafe with higher ceilings.

The dining area is constrained to a single room with booths along the walls, smaller tables on the interior, and a single large-ish round table squeezed somewhere in there near the register. The first time I went (a Friday after work), the round table was completely filled with a dinner group taking full advantage of the BYOB. Even on my second visit (a Wednesday), another group took the larger table (though not quite filling it). Despite the groups on each visit, it was still easy to find a place to sit—though I suspect lunch might be a different story.

Colorful, clean, and in severe need of mustard on the table.

Place your order, pay, and they bring it out to you.

Standard menu with some notable additions. The menu hits on everything you might expect: focussing on sandwiches and wraps but quickly expanding outward to include salads, soups, pretzel sandwiches, and even quesadillas. The soup list is always in motion but was notable in it’s length and diversity—especially given the claim that soups are made daily.

When fried food catches my attention. Though they didn’t catch my eye on either visit, the City Paper’s comments on fries caught my attention. They’re far from a healthy option, but I’d definitely share the green (pesto/artichoke/brie!) fries with a friend or two.

Again, not very healthy, but on my second visit they mistakenly tried to deliver an order of the Flaming Zúcs to my table. The Stoke’s preparation gave a renewed fresh look to an often tired and boring dish. I really wish I had a photo of the lightly breaded rounds from a small (and likely tasty) zucchini. If someone twisted my arm, I might share an order of that as well.

At first glance, not so veggie friendly. The biggest problem with Stokes is the apparent disregard for the veggie crowd. The only vegetarian salads: Caesar and a large dinner salad. The only vegetarian wrap: the Elmer. That said, they do have a build-your-own sandwich option and a vegetarian quesadilla. Plus, I only recently noticed an option to convert sandwiches into salads (for an extra $1.50). It seems the so-so stance on veggies is a little better than it first appears—though another vegetarian specialty sandwich could dramatically improve that appearance.

On my first visit, I was afraid the sandwiches and wraps might be huge and overwhelmed with cheese and meat, but I clearly didn’t give Stoke’s enough credit. On my second trip, I corrected my course by trying a wrap.

Testing the water: large side salad and a cup of chili. I have no one to blame on this visit but myself. I showed up, interested enough to give the place a shot but feeling like being healthy. The lack of interesting vegetarian salads drove me to the large side salad—which had some positive notes (crisp lettuce and a nice house dressing), but lacked much of anything on top: some carrot peals, red onion, and a sparse sprinkle of diced tomato—and some big homemade croutons. For a salad, I would have definitely liked to see more lettuce (and more stuff on top!), but I think this might have been an issue limited to the dinner salad. I saw a Chef Salad go by that looked pretty good.

Ironically, the chili was decidedly non-veg—though it felt necessary given the light salad. Stoke’s actually serves up a fairly large list of soups all prepared in-house and hitting on a variety of different styles. The chili was a pretty good rendition of a particular chili type: ground beef tempered with tomato and beans. You can’t tell from the photo, but the balance of beans to meat is actually fairly decent. With a thin sprinkle of cheese and a nice medium-spicy bite, it was actually pretty good. On that basis, I suspect their other soups are worth trying as well.

Large dinner salad and a cup of chili.

Extreme closeup of the chili

Going for it: the Lucas Wrap. For my second trip, I felt a little more exploratory. The vegetarian wrap option (The Elmer) didn’t spark any enthusiasm so I went non-veg again with a Lucas Wrap. This one includes chicken, lettuce, salsa, and roasted red pepper and was served in just the right portion size. Even with the lettuce in place, it appeared in tight little rolls with a nice balance of veggie to meat. The Lucas also packed a surprising amount of flavor with minimal sloppiness.

I only ate half that night but only because I wasn’t all that hungry. Really, the full potion size felt just right. It wasn’t huge, but felt in control. I might have even eaten the whole thing without feeling too guilty (okay, maybe a little bit). Overall, the wrap was a surprisingly good meal and I suspect far more indicative of Stoke’s Grill.

Lucas Wrap—actually smaller than the perspective suggestions.

I have mixed feelings about Stoke’s Grill. They fall into the category of being exactly the kind of place I’d love to support but just not serving the kind of food I normally eat. I enjoyed some of the food, and I love the BYOB option, and I could have ranted for a full paragraph how exciting it was to get a Diet A&W when I wasn’t planning on a beer. That places it squarely into the category of worth a shot, but not a must try from the FoodBurgh perspective.

It’s been a few (busy) weeks, but I’ll take a stab at writing down some of my thoughts. Consider this post a starting point. I tend to be biased against the food at any Sharp Edge just because they lack much in the way of healthy options or veggie-centric dishes. The new place has some new options, but I still had a somewhat negative food experience in this trip. My hope (and expectation) is that I can write that off to the new kitchen still finding it’s way. A trip back will likely be a better indicator.

The Sharp Edge Bistro on Penn
www.sharpedgebeer.com

922 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-338-2437

For anyone who doesn’t follow the local beer scene, The Sharp Edge now has 5 locations throughout the city. Long before interest in craft beer really started to explode, The Sharp Edge was serving up a huge variety of hard-to-come-by Belgian beers—starting from their original location in East Liberty, the “Beer Emporium.” The menu very much follows suit: plenty of Belgian-inspired dishes along side some individually prepared pizzas that I’m told are quite a hit (and half price during happy hour). Also half price during happy hour: Belgian Drafts. If you can show up before 6:30, you probably won’t be disappointed.

Two categories, one beer market. Now let me back up a bit: “rare imported Belgians” is very much distinct from “American Craft Beer,” but they capture a very similar spirit (and almost the same market). Starting not too long ago, the two scenes even started to merge as craft brewers grew an interest in playing with Belgian styles and even cooperating with Belgian brewers. The Sharp Edge own Over the Edge, contracted through a Belgian brewer is evidence of that cross pollination: a Belgian IPA.

Fits right in with Penn Ave. The most striking aspect of the new setting is the fact that it melds in quite well in a row of somewhat upscale establishments in the cultural district. I’ve read that the downtown location most closely resembles the Bistro in Sewickley, which is also supposed to be a higher end place. In this case, their Penn Avenue neighbors include the likes of Nine on Nine, Sonoma Grille, and Seviche—all on the up-scale side of the fence. I tend to think of any Sharp Edge as far more approachable than any of those; if you ignore the rather expensive beer, the new location lists prices in line with other Sharp Edge locations—probably less than their Penn Avenue neighbors.

Key to fitting in is clearly the enormous array of windows in front, which shows off an inviting sitting area beside the bar. On the Friday evening I stopped by, there was little chance of finding a spot on the couch or up at the bar, but I’ve been told (and would have to expect) that’s not always the case. I hear that a little earlier on Friday (4pm) and even on week nights, it’s not very hard to find a spot at either.

The Cozy Seating Area (with a friend waving me in)

One of Several 5-Tap Units

Impressive bar area. In comparison to other locations, the bar area was quite impressive—more so than the section of the dining area that I sat in. Several clusters of 5-tap fixture were spread out evenly across the whole bar area with a backdrop containing both a visual bottle list and (faux?) brick backdrop. With plenty of space behind for the bar tenders and wait staff and a dark marble countertop, the whole thing looked quite impressive.

Familiar dining area. The dining area had a completely different feel from the bar. In fact, it reminds me a lot of some of the other new-ish Sharp Edge locations—Brasserie being a good example. Separated by a partial wall, the dining is clean with orderly tables (and plenty of space between). With nearly half the width of the restaurant dedicated to the bar, the downtown dining area seemed a little bit “thin” but not really small. The separator between dining room and bar actually did that did a pretty good job of isolating noise.

Looks familiar, doesn't it?

Some (new?) veggie-friendly salads. In terms of the menu, I had heard about a new menu for the new location—one that will possibly be pushed out to the remaining locations. I’d say the format looked completely different, but the contents were somewhat familiar. In their defense, The salad section did seem to see more revisions and even included many veggie-friendly options. There’s even a portobello option on the “deluxe salad,” which I don’t recall from the previous menu. Other veggie-friendly salad options: House, Field Greens, Spinach, and The Edge Stack Salad. Of those, I seem to remember only the house and spinach option. The others may or may not be new.

A disappointing but optimistic look at the food. Despite the new salad options, I wanted to avoid actually try something more typical of the typical Sharp Edge fare: I went with a panini/soup combo. The panini: a grilled veggie option that has actually existed for a while; the soup: a crab chowder that happened to be in rotation that night. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very thrilled with either.

The Panini. The panini wasn’t really what I was looking for. The flavor was good, but the quantity of veggies within was relatively small. I would have liked to see more. The goat cheese could have been a nice touch with a lighter hand, but it was oozing and dripping like crazy while I tried to eat. Personally, I think goat cheese should have a texture, so heating to the point of melting (though easy), isn’t what I would want. Beyond that, it was far too much cheese to be considered a light option (which I always hope the veggie options can turn out to be).

The crab chowder. First, be warned that this particular chowder included bacon. I have no problem with that, but some probably might. Beyond the bacon, the crab chowder looked like a pretty good cup of soup: plenty of texture from a fairly dense treatment of crab and a decent mix of potato and corn to complement. The only problem I ran into is something that was fairly easy to correct (and I’m guessing they will): it was tremendously salty. It was really so salty that I ended up leaving most of it behind, which was a shame. I’m hoping I can write that experience off with the fact that they had only opened up that week.

Crab Chowder and a Grilled Veggie Panini

A Well-Received Buffalo Burger

Burger form across the table. My friend across the table ordered a buffalo burger, which has always been a favorite of several friends. It looked to me like a solid burger, and he confirmed that it was indeed quite good. He was even a little surprised by my own somewhat negative experience. From what I’ve heard, the burger option is always a good choice after the appetizer specials end and pizza is no longer a cheap option.

A typical Sharp Edge beer list. In terms of beer, there’s not much to say. The selection is very similar to any existing Sharp Edge: plenty of imported Belgian drafts along side a handful of american craft beers and an enormous bottle selection. It’s a great place for imports, but can sometimes be hard to find a more sessionable option: there are plenty of ABV’s floating around throughout the list.

Sad to see beer behind bars, but that's Downtown

Cautious optimism. Despite the fact that I didn’t have much success with the food, I have pretty high hopes for the downtown Sharp Edge. I’m a big supporter of re-vitalizing the downtown area, and it seems that a Sharp Edge entrant could entice an audience that otherwise might not spend time downtown. Downtown is really hurting for a good beer destination. With the Market Street Ale House long since gone (and replaced by a less beer-focused Las Velas), there’s really wasn’t a notable beer option anywhere downtown. The Sharp Edge is a good beer option and then some, and I’ll definitely be heading back to give the food another try.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I first noticed ongoing work behind paper-covered windows. When a vinyl sign replaced the window’s paper, the sign and seemed a little to nice—like it had come out of an actual marketing department. It was just “too professional” to be an independent place. That, of course, triggered concern: what if all that filled the space was a boring chain? Then last week, I received a glowing report from a FoodBurgh reader. Not only was Sababa’s open but they reportedly served up some of the best Falafel in the ‘Burgh. That push renewed my interest and inspired a walk over that way. Thanks Melanie!

Sababa’s Middle Eastern Grill
www.sababapgh.com

2121 Murray Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
(412) 422-8000

Contrary to my fears, Sababa’s is an entirely family owned Middle Eastern restaurant—not some big chain. From a brief chat with the family-members behind the counter, it sounds like bringing their take on Middle Eastern cuisine to Pittsburgh has been a family dream for some time. When Mr. Willies closed and the space opened up, they went for it. As far as I know, they opened for business in early June.

In an after dinner conversation with the owner owner/founder/chef, I was told that the new restaurants style leans toward a more Turkish/Syrian take on cuisine. He explained that category as a contrast to the Lebanese stylings of Aladdins. I should have probed further to get a read on where that category falls relative to Taza 21 or Mediterranean Grill, but I didn’t. Regardless of the stylistic trend, I’m glad to see a new place pop up. It seems to have its own niche—similar to Aladins in terms of setting but serving up a different take on Middle Eastern cuisine.

Similar layout with herby accents. If you remember the layout in Mr. Willies, then you already know the general structure of the restaurant. A prep counter sits opposite the entrance with a big open space for tables everywhere else (some near the front window, and some in a pocket near the back). Maintaining similar layout doesn’t mean the new place resembles the old: the look has been polished up quite a bit. A nice sign near the entrance explains the meaning of “sababa,” and potted herb centerpieces sit on every single table. The tables themselves are covered first with white, cloth tablecloths and then with large sheets of white butcher paper (much like Avenue B). In general, I can’t say I’m a fan of the white tablecloth look, but the feel at Sababas is sufficiently laid back to feel be comfortable regardless. Besides, those well-trimmed, deeply green potted herbs—they make quite an impact agains the white.

The front, window-side dining area.

Ever wonder about the meaning of Sababa?

The big (and somewhat empty) display counter.

The display counter is huge but filled with only a single layer of pre-made dishes. I believe it’s the same counter from Mr. Willies, but actually fits in the redecorated Sababa fairly well. This time around, the food in the diplay counter looks far more exciting, but the sparse single layer of bowls makes the food seem tiny and limited. That’s quite unfortunate but true. Despite the better-looking food below the glass, the single layer makes it look somewhat empty (which was actually a problem at Mr. Willies as well). Plus, it’s almost too big a counter to fit the space, but it’s a nice piece an would have been a shame to get rid of. I just worry that it gives the impression of an ordering station. For dine-in guests, I’m not sure that’s what they want to present.

Highly focussed but veggie-friendly menu. The tri-fold paper menu is pretty simple: appetizers (mostly vegetarian), vegetarian dishes, and main courses (mostly grilled meat). The appetizers all sounded familiar—with the exception of an roasted eggplant salad dressed in tomato-sauce (which has since been recommended by friends). The vegetarian entrees are a little more interesting—most notably the Shakshuka, which I should probably order next time I go. In general, the menu is tiny—miniscule in comparison to, say, Alladins, but the reduced footprint is okay. It’s probably better to start small, nail down the basics, and then branch out. I’m just hoping we’ll see a few more options as they find their footing.

The complete menu ... BYOB-support and all (click for a closer shot)

Proudly encouraging BYOB. As is common for a family owned upstart, they don’t have a liquor license. They do, however, seem to fully embrace BYOB: it’s clearly promoted on their front door. It’s clear that you’re more than welcome to bring your own wine or beer. For a group outing, I’m a big fan of bringing along a growler from East End. Actually, a growler of Penn Gold might go even petter with the cuisine.

For lunch, a salad (of course). After some internal debate, I order a Sababa Salad. That’s was at least partially motivated by having walked over on a hot and humid day: I didn’t feel up to a hot lunch. Of course, the primary concern with ordering a salad is really that it might not be a good representative of the place. In this case, that didn’t prove to be a problem at all. The presentation was beautiful, and the flavors balanced one another quite well. It came pre-dressed, but very lightly so.

Topping the salad, I found avocado, thinly sliced tomato, navy beans, hard-boiled egg and hearts of palm—all over top a nice be of field greens. The salad came pre-dressed with a house-made lime dressing and sprinkled over with flaked sea salt. The salt balanced out any sweetness that might have otherwise come from the lime, but it managed to come across just a tad too strong. If it were my call, I’d opt for just a little bit less of the sea salt—though the potency was primarily concentrated on the first several bites.

The Sababa Salad

For take-out, some couscous. I couldn’t handle writing about the place after experiencing only a bit of an outlier from the menu, so I ordered something else on my way out: the Morocan Couscous. I carried that dish home in a Mad-Mex style tin tray and pulled part of it out for dinner. The format on this one was actually a little surprising: roasted root vegetables served over top flavorful couscous. Given that couscous is really just tiny pieces of pasta, that seems like a hugely starch-oriented dish.

For the sake of balance alone, I would have liked to see it paired with a salad or some greens, but it was quite flavorful for what it was. I detected loads of roasted garlic flavor, but there was some additional depth that I couldn’t quite place. Turmeric, perhaps? And, for the record: I did pair my take-home with some greens.

To close: Complementary turkish Coffee. As I paid my check, my server brought out a tiny cup of complementary Turkish coffee (I’ll call it espresso—or very nearly so—with subtle spicy notes). I’m a fan of coffee, so this was very much an enjoyable treat—though I was trying not to fumble too much with my camera and ended up with 3 or 4 different lousy shots. Sorry.

Turkish Coffee and a Fig (horrible because I didn't readjust camera settings)

Couscous with Roasted Veggies (small portion re-plated later at home)

For next time: Shaksuka or possibly Falafel. Melanie (the reader who pushed me to give Sababa a try) had great things to say about the Falafel. I’ve had far too much mediocre falafel in Pittsburgh (and even some that pulled out of a freezer and reheated), so I’m looking forward to trying the Sababa interpretation. And that Shaksuka, it just sounds interesting—and right up my ally.

Overall, a big win for the neighborhood. Sababa is definitely the kind of place that I like to support: something different and even unique brought to the ‘Burgh by an inspired family. The new place is also fairly vegetarian friendly—though I’d like to see a slightly larger menu over time (and not just the veggie section). They may still working out a few kinks but seem to have all the basics down cold and the enthusiasm to keep pushing. If you’re looking for Middle Eastern in Squirrel Hill, it’s definitely worth a try! If you like supporting Pittsburgh’s local businesses, well then you better just get yourself over that that way.

There’s a funny story in this one: I was so intent on showing it in the right light that I went twice. As I arrived for my first post, I noticed a smudge on my camera lens. Despite my best effort to clean it off there, the photos were horrible. With a trusty Cue-Tip™ and a dab of a laptop display cleaner, I cleaned off the lens. A week later, I went back. Turns out, one of the girls running the show was feeling a little self-conscious about my first trip anyway: it seems she left the tomato out of my greek salad. For at least three different reasons, I’d say it’s good I went back.

The Juice Box Cafe
www.juiceboxpitt.com

735 Copeland
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
(412) 802-7070

Located in Shadyside in the same little cove as Mercurio’s and Girasole, Juice Box Cafe is definitely a new Shadyside addition: they just opened in April 2010. You’ll find them in the hard-to-spot lowest level of the cove, but they certainly don’t seem to have any trouble getting the word out. They’ve already made the pages of the City Paper, Post Gazette, and Pop City—plus mention in at least one other local blog. Also worth noting, the person behind their marketing arm (Sarah) is rocking it on Twitter the right way by really participating in the conversation (though it’s clear she does most of her Twitter processing after Juice Box closes in the late afternoon).

I usually try to avoid writing up places that just about everyone else is already posting about, but really…I couldn’t skip this one.

The theme can only be summarized as healthy eating. They specialize in salads, panini and fresh-squeezed juice, with one of the most veggie-friendly and health-conscious menus in Pittsburgh. Half the menu being veggie-friendly and the other half promises to swap meat for tofu upon request. According to a rather inspiring pre-opening post on their blog, half the employees are vegetarians, and they’ve made it their goal to provide decent benefits for their employees. That post is definitely worth reading if it sounds like your kind of place.

Bright colors, changing artwork. Despite being buried underground, Juice Box seems to have a large space that they brighten up effectively with brightly colored walls. To lining the walls, they’ve chosen to follow the example of Square Cafe and 61C with artwork from local artists. The notable difference at Juice Box: they’re replacing every last piece about once a month. It’s unclear if they’ll keep the source within a small group of artists or try to move all over the place. This month, they’re hosting a series from James Schaffer.

The "Lower Cove" Area

The Right Side of the Restaurant

Seating on the Patio

Keeping it healthy: wraps, panini. salads, and…juice. When I pick up a menu, I start by looking for something that catches my eye as particular exciting. Depending on my mood, I might go wild and let go of Calorie counting, but I’m more likely to glance through again for all the somewhat healthy (and typically vegetarian) options. Depending on my mood, I’ll pick something from one of those sweeps. With Juice Box, my life is easy. Just about everything on the menu is at least reasonably healthy. Some items are better than others, but healthy eating is really their goal. There’s a great post on their blog with a bit of a mission statement. It’s worth a read.

You can look though the menu on your own, but I’ll call attention to a few items that catch my interest. First off, there’s a prominent photo of the Garden Salad on the web site. It’s beautiful and everything I would want in a salad—not your average garden salad. The Mediterranean Salad is a little bit lighter and catches my interest. It’s probably the most lightweight of their salads…for those who aren’t incredibly hungry (like me on my first visit). Another eye-catcher: the Smoked Tofu and Curry Salad. The Panini and remaining wraps are pretty self explanatory other than a brief comment on the tofu option: it exists. Any non-veg item on the menu can be magically made without meat by substituting tofu.

Behind the Counter (sort of)

First trip: Mediterranean Salad (sans Tomato…and dressing). The toppings on this one include artichokes, hearts of palm, olives, cucumber, feta cheese…and typically tomatoes…all over top green leaf lettuce. On this trip, I watched them hand-washing the fresh lettuce—which was all bright green and bright green all the way through. I would say the ingredients were all top notch, and the acidity of the toppings made it almost unnecessary to use any dressing. Almost, in this case, was the problem. I’m typically a big advocate of little to no dressing over a salad, especially one with some exciting and flavorful veggie toppings. In this case, it would have been nice to have a splash of olive oil coating the lettuce. Based on watching salad prep at Enrico’s, I’ve actually started to do exactly that in salads I make at home: spritz the lettuce with a bit of good olive oil, then toss with a pinch of salad and pepper before moving forward. I certainly don’t fault them for missing the tomatoes, but that might have added enough extra flavor to render any oil unnecessary.

Second trip: Amazing Garden Salad. It seems this was the salad I should have ordered from teh get-go: it’s basically my ideal salad preparation. With avocado, carrot, red ionion, tomato, broccoli, red pepper, sunflower seeds, chick peas and cilantro all riding atop green leaf lettuce. I tasted a faint hint of some type of dressing or extra topping that I suspect might be either soy sauce or a soy sauce based dressing. Whatever it was, it added an great (but still subtle) touch. It even took me a little while to figure out what it was.

From Visit #1: The Mediterranean Salad (with lens smudge)

From Visit #2: The Garden Salad

A complaint: smaller bites or a knife…please. My biggest (and probably only) complaint with Juice Box cafe is over the large pieces I found in both salads. On both visits, I thought the lettuce pieces were ever so slightly too big. Lacking a knife, there were a few bites for which I felt a little silly shoving into my mouth. The problem could easily be resolved with smaller pieces in the salad and/or a knife in addition to the fork that they stick in your salad bowl. I really hope they pick up one or the other. The knife option is probably more flexible (and therefore preferable).

On juice: don’t write it off. I try to avoid smoothies, shakes, and juice-based drinks at most establishments. I’d rather pick up my daily calories from food (and, well, beer). Except, that’s almost not necessary at Juice Box. They have a juicer behind the counter, and many of the juice options include just as much vegetable as fruit—I’m guessing they never add sugar, either. Plus, they offer a 12 ounce serving that’s probably pretty low-cal. On my second visit, I tried the slice of life with no ice (to maximize flavor) and really enjoyed it. Even if you’re a health nut, be sure to at least glance over the list. I recommend focusing on juice before smoothies.

Juice: Slice of Life (12 oz. with no ice)

A final take: I love Juice Box Cafe. This one is definitely a must try (for the health not). Though they are open for dinner, it has the feel of lunch stop, so there’s no beer too be found. That’s just what they are. With that caveats aside, it’s exactly my kind of place. If you’re looking for a healthy lunch or dinner in Shadyside, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. If you identify at all with the tastes I lean toward in this blog, then you’ll probably love the place just as much as I do.

Penn Brewery & Restaurant
www.pennbrew.com

800 Vinial St
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 237-9400

If you haven’t read my preview post from growler hours the week before they opened, go catch up. After that preview post, I went back—twice. Once with some friends during the soft opening, and again with the Pittsburgh Beer Meetup. Both visits were on week nights, so there was still quite a bit of open space at the tables around us. It will be interesting to see how crowded things get now that they’re back in full swing (or on the weekends).

In the beer hall. One thing to note about Penn Brewery is that it’s a big place: the main room is really a big German beer hall—very much like the main hall at Hofbräuhaus (without the frat party). Penn Brewery’s hall is smaller (less than half the size), but has quite a bit more character and plenty of history. I like to think of the place as the bier hall for those looking to avoid bouncers and skip the shots served off skis. I’ll opt for beer over bouncers any day. Plus, they offer plenty of parking in a somewhat dilapidated but still completely functional two story garage.

German food with a bit of ‘Burgh flare. Much of you see on the new menu will look familiar (both lunch and dinner). There’s no shortage of sausage, sauerkraut, and plenty of big hearty sandwiches (fear not, I have photos). What’s new is a little bit more interesting to me: a lighter side with even a few veggie options—though I still think those options could use some work.

Really, some healthy options? Yep. In addition to the very German and very Pittsburgh appetizers/entrees/sandwiches, they now have a salad section of the menu (though even it includes a <em>Pittsburgh Salad</em>). They even open up a salad bar at lunch, but I’ve never seen it in action to really comment on it. The brewery even seems to be opening up to veggie-friendly options outside the restaurant: the offered up vegetarian sloppy Joes that I completely missed at their annual Microbrew Festival. The reports I’ve heard so far are that they were actually pretty good.

Still not a health-nut-haven, but that’s okay. Though it’s refreshing to see a classic Pittsburgh establishment open up a little bit to a more health-conscious dining public, it is still a German restaurant—not a haven for healthy eating. I’m fine with that status, but I still don’t want to give the wrong impression in this post. Outside the salad section, the whole menu is both starch heavy and calorie dense. That’s what German food tends to be, and, for many people, that’s exactly the draw.

One annoyance to note: every freakin’ salad included bacon by default (short of the Gurkensalat, with cucumbers and dill). If the bacon offends you, don’t forget to ask them to hold it.

Seriously authentic sourdough rye. While you’re waiting for food, they bring out a very traditional Rye sourdough bread. I don’t normally comment on table bread, but this one has a great story. According to Mary Beth Pastorious (the brewer’s wife and who I would call the restaurant organizer), she and Tom brought a sample loaf back from a trip out to Deutschland. They bought a loaf at the airport and, immediately after arriving in Pittsburgh, made their way to Breadworks for their bakers to sample and create a recipe of their own. As I would expect from Breadworks, the results were quite notable: lots of sourdough and rye flavor, and definitely worth trying.

Some authentic Sourdough Rye

For my dinner, I ordered the Brewhouse Salad.I’m a bit of an advocate for skipping special requests when ordering, so I didn’t ask them to hold the bacon (showing once again, that I’m not really a vegetarian). I’m thinking I’d put in the request for future visits—I’ll eat it, but it’s more than worth avoiding. Other than bacon, I’d say the salad was quite good. I noted mixed greens, diced tomato, red onion, hard boiled egg, toasted sunflower seeds and a fairly light dusting of shredded cheddar cheese. That all makes for a pretty good mix, plus that was just a big version of the Grüner Salat. That’s the side salad, so there’s a convenient smaller option to pair with something else: a big win from my perspective.

Going around the table. I didn’t capture the complete spread of entrees at my table, but I did capture some of the highlights when I went out with friends. First off, both the Braumeister Steak and Über-big Schnitzel sandwiches were well-presented and huge, if that’s what you’re looking for. It’s been so long that I can’t quite remember comments from the ones ordering. The Braumeister is really just a cheese steak, with Gouda replacing a more traditional cheese topping. The schnitzel looks a little more interesting, but I still wouldn’t call it very German. Both sandwiches appeared on what looked like a high quality roll, which I’m guessing was a huge plus.

The Braumeister Steak Sandwich

The Über-big Schnitzel Sandwich (isn't that redundant?)

For the more traditional entrees, I have photos for the Wurst Platte, the Hungarian Goulash and the Käsespätzle. The wurst is self explanatory, but Goulash could really go anwhere. It looks like Penn served up an extremely thick variant—more like a gravy than a stew, served over homemade egg noodle.

Some Thick Hungarian Goulash

The Obligatory Wurst and Saurkraut Plate

While the Käsespätzel does come with a side salad, the menu decides to call it “a vegetarian favorite,” which I find a little irritating. Though the dish doesn’t include meat, I find that most vegetarians are exceptionally health-conscious. With the exception of religion-inspired vegetarianism, a healthy lifestyle is usually a big part of the rational for going veg. A big plate of cheese drenched dumplings is…anything but. My take, it’s vegetarian, but I suspect not one of that crowd’s favorites. It’d also be nice to have the salad in a separate dish from the hot portion of the entree.

Meat free but not so healthy Käsespätzel

The beer is what’s drawing me in. Obviously, beer is a major draw for Penn Brewery. That alone is really what keeps me interested (and posting more about them than I ought to). Much like Höfbrau, they focus on German styles and keep the list relatively small: I imagine that the number of lager’s on the list. Unlike Fat Heads, they serve up only their own beer.

To avoid repeating myself, I’ll just quote my beer discussion from my growler hours visit:

Because it’s really all about the beer. At least, that’s where I stand. If you’ve ever followed Penn in the past, the beer options will look familiar—with the exception of the newly established Allegheny Pale Ale (their first American stylebeer). The traditional options all represent classic German styles: a Dunkel (Penn Dark), a Helles (Penn Gold), a Märzen (Pen Pilsner), and a German Pilsner (Kaiser Pils).

Also worth noting; Jeff Bearer, of Craft Beer Radio fame, is a continual advocate for their Penn Weizen Hefeweizen—though it hasn’t yet returned to the rotation. If you like the style, be sure to keep an eye out for it’s return.

Some pale ale improvement. The first time I tried the Allegheny Pale Ale, at their very first public event in the fall, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Penn’s first attempt at an Ale tasted…well, a little rough around the edges. The bitterness seemed very much out of balance relative to the malt body of the beer and I detected far too little hop flavor/aroma to really call it an American (or maybe even India?) Pale Ale I think they’re aiming for. This time, I had a chance to sample some more of pale ale from someone else’s pint and came away with a slight better impression. I’m guessing that’s at least partially due to aging, but I’m hopeful there’s also some recipe work taking place.

What’s my final take? Penn Brewery is clearly a Pittsburgh standard. The strong focus on quality beer and a vastly superior atmosphere to some other local beer halls keep me going back, but the menu is still quite a ways from my preferred culinary themes, but I’m probably an outlier and they can’t be all things to all people. Even so, they’re at least trying to serve up a lighter side with a new offering of some quality salads (if they ditch the bacon on at least one of them). Basically, they’re now the type place where you could go even if you have a vegetarian friend in your group. Honestly, that leaves my feelings for the place all over the map.

If someone asked me what I thought, I’d almost have different answers for different people—more so than another place I review. If you’re a beer enthusiast, I’d say they’re a must try. If you’re just a foodie or maybe a health nut, then Penn Brewery is still worth a shot but probably not the top of your list. If you’re into big plates of well-prepared German food, they probably shoot right back to the top. I tend to be the foodie/health nut, but the beer guy in me means I’ll always be a big supporter.

Anyway, sounds like a good destination for a FoodBurgh Meetup, right?

Dinette
www.dinette-pgh.com

5996 Penn Cir S
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
(412) 362-0202

I’ll classify Dinette as kind of an upscale-ish, locally inspired pizza destination. Just don’t read too much into the upscale: they’re actually quite casual. China Millman called it “casual fine dining,” and I’ll wholeheartedly agree. You get all the quality and high expectations of fine dining, without a hint of stuffiness. Better yet, they seem to really deliver, which isn’t always the case for straight up “fine dining.” As appropriate for the local sourcing, the menu changes frequently (daily, in fact) but always features pizza with a spattering of Italian-themed appetizers and salads. They also sport a small but generally high quality beer list (all bottled) and what looks like a wine list of similar quality (actually,  probably better).

Clean, bright, tiny. The first thing to note about Dinette is that it’s full of large windows. Add to that an uncluttered, modern look and a small open kitchen and you get a very inviting space. Though the wide windows help, the place is still tiny; there are serious limits to the number of people they can sustain at once. The good news: they hold an outdoor liquor license, so you can order a beer and hang out in front while you wait for a table. On the night we happened to go, that was a welcome opportunity for a beer while we let them find space for the group.

Beyond just accommodating. When I called to make plans for the Meetup outing, I was told they didn’t take reservations. We were going on a week night, so the hope was that we’d be able to wing it and get a table without too much of a wait. That would have worked wonderfully if I didn’t run up against my first ever 100% turnout (usually, I run 75%). We had a huge number of people sign up list, and no one dropping out at the last minute (which would have been more typical of our group).

The staff at Dinette reacted quite graciously to our size—splitting us in two and letting us crowd up both behind the bar and on a bench out front while we waited for a spot. The nice weather outside made the outside option that much better, but I seemed to move back and forth between the crowds more than just chill in one place. Basically, as long as we were patient, they were pleasant and accepting. I would normally feel far more guilty about inundating such a small place, but the staff at Dinette handled it so well that even I didn’t feel all that bad.

The moving target menu. Because the menu changes daily, you really do have to check it the day you head out. You’ll always find the same structure, but pizza toppings and salad definitions change just about every day. Chef (and owner) Sonja Finn seems to take great care in defining each 3-4 topping arrangement: they’re really all interesting and somewhat lively combinations—though never with so many ingredients as to muddy the flavor profile. Some arrangements work on a veggie diet, others don’t, but they’re all fairly light and probably even reasonably healthy. I don’t think I’d really feel guilty about eating anything on the menu—except maybe that fritto option in the appetizer’s list that seems to appear in some form every night.

Fritto Misto w/ Wild Shrimp and Sweet Potatos

Art on a plate. Imagine a pizza with toppings gently placed into just the right pattern. When basil leaves appear, they’re even carefully arranged in an outwardly radiating star. Other toppings are more coarsely distributed, but always seem to be well distributed and in exactly the right ratio. Basically, they’re paying close attention to each pie. The pizzas come to the table basically as they come out of the oven—rather than all at once, and the staff encourages sharing of pizza as it arrives. In my loosely connected group, the sharing was somewhat limited but picked up at the end of the meal.

Prosciutto Pizza

Wild Nettles Pizza

Fresh Mozzarella Pizza

Don’t re-configure the artwork. One menu aspect worth noting: substitutions run against the rules. It’s not clearly whether that’s an operational efficiency issue or just an “enjoy the art as it is” issue, but some in the group found it problematic. Personally, I’m all for it–regardless of the rational. If a restaurant chooses to construct a dish in a particular way, who am I as a consumer to tell them how it could have been better? You could argue that I’m right, but only on the grounds of being a customer–certainly not on the grounds of actually being right.

One the greener side. Because I’m me, I ordered a salad–thinking it might be more of a dinner salad than it was. Just like the pizza, the salad was nicely plated, though the lettuce pieces were large enough to require some careful knife work. As with the pizza, The salads come pre-defined: this time with an associated dressing (Green Goddess Dressing, in this case). That said, they gladly brought it on the side.

Caesar Salad

Lola Rosa Lettuce w/ Dates, Red Onion, and Gorgonzola

Beer: thinly spread but well selected. It’s worth discussing drinks, though only briefly as that’s really not the focus. The beer list included about 5 different bottled options that were surprisingly well distributed across different styles. I ordered Stoudt’s Scarlett Lady (an American Brown Ale), though other options included Blackout Stout from Great Lakes (a Russian Imperial Stout) and a regional IPA (though which one completely eludes me right now…maybe Nugget Nectar?). It feels like the wine list deserves some treatment as well, but I honestly know very little about specific wineries. Anyone who cares should just look directly at the online list (updated daily, of course). Now if only they would publish a current beer list on a similar page.

You pretty much need to give it a try. From my perspective, just about everyone should try Dinette at least once: it’s just a must-try kind of place. Some of my friends have called it a little pricey (and the City Paper agrees), but I think that price is well worth it. If I were to go again, I’d split a pizza with a friend and pair it with the garden salad of the evening. That combo without any drinks would run me about $16, so it’s a few dollars more than a number of other casual establishments—though, in my opinion, that’s a couple extra dollars well spent.

Penn Brewery & Restaurant
www.pennbrew.com

800 Vinial St
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 237-9400

For those of you that need a little context, Penn Brewery lead a fairly stable local existence from 1989 to 2003. At that point, a private equity firm purchased a controlling stake, then 6 years later shut down all brewing operations and very nearly closed down the restaurant. At that point, all Penn brews were outsourced to the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre. 6 months later, the restaurant closed. 6 months after that (this past December), the original owner (Tom Pastorious) and a small group of local investors bought back the brewery and immediately began preparations for a reopening. That pretty much takes us up to today.

Now get ready. The official re-opening is now scheduled for May 5. If you’re looking for an opportunity to go, the Pittsburgh Beer Meetup is planning to head over the following week: on May 11. I know I’ll be there (after all, I’m organizing the outing).

So how was growler hours? So far, growler hours have been fun. The vibe is a little different from the only other growler hours I know at East End (okay, enormously different)—mostly because you can grab a table and order a pint. It also takes place in a restaurant setting rather than Scott’s warehouse brewery. I made use of the former for both my visits: I ordered a pint and hung out for a bit (okay, I ordered two). I only filled up a growler after the second visit. I kind of like the setting, though the timing is a little rough. My only real complaint is that the WiFi doesn’t yet seem to be working. I get a signal but no actual gateway to the Internet.

Some old standards with a promise of something healthy. Like I said in my intro, Penn’s most recent growler hours offered a preview of a few appetizers from the menu. The partial menu came along with full table service and featured several of the heavy German appetizers that the brewery has traditionally been known for. Those are a little heartier that what I am typically up for, but sources within the brew crew tell me they will actually expand into some lighter options once the restaurant opens. I’m looking forward to that. When I do experience the full menu, I’m hoping I’ll have some quality veggie dishes to report on. In the mean time, I gave some old standards a try.

Sampler Menu during Growler Hours

Buffalo Chicken Pierogi (apologies for the lousy photo)

Buffalo Chicken Pierogi. I’ll admit, that falls way outside of my usual diet. But really, I’ll try anything in moderation (I only ended up eating one). The basic idea is pierogi filled with shredded (buffalo flavored?) chicken. The pierogi are served on a plate of three with caramelized onions–all doused with first buffalo wing sauce, then blue cheese dressing.

They taste better than they look. Really, they do. The blue cheese dressing feels a little excessive, and makes the whole plate look sloppy and less appetizing than it really was. If I were plating it, I’d opt for crumbled blue cheese. That said, they tasted far better than they look and seemed to succeed in being both a buffalo chicken dish and a pierogi dish. The major flavors were well balanced and the slightly chewy pierogi texture was definitely there. If you’re into that sort of thing (and not counting calories or keeping vegetarian), I’d say they’re worth a try. Just ask for the blue cheese on the side.

A pretty bad photo of Sauerkraut Soup

Sauerkraut Soup. Aiming to try more than a single option, and hoping to have something a little more restrained than the pierogi, I went for a cup of the sauerkraut soup as well. This option was was straight up traditional sauerkraut soup—really the standard recipe. My photo is horrible, but the basic theme is cubed sausage links, sauerkraut, and potato floating in clear broth. Classic German food all thrown in a bowl.

Could have been a little brighter. I’m by no means expert on sauerkraut soup, but this one seemed just a little flat. I could have used more of the acidity from the sauerkraut and maybe some fresh black pepper. I’ve even seen some recipes that throw in caraway seeds (which really bring some complexity). On the bright side, the major ingredients seemed to be well balanced. Not too thin, and about equal proportions on sausage and potato with a slightly lesser portion of sauerkraut.

Because it’s really all about the beer. At least, that’s where I stand. If you’ve ever followed Penn in the past, the beer options will look familiar—with the exception of the newly established Allegheny Pale Ale (their first American stylebeer). The traditional options all represent classic German styles: a Dunkel (Penn Dark), a Helles (Penn Gold), a Märzen (Pen Pilsner), and a German Pilsner (Kaiser Pils). If you’re looking for German beer and a beer hall that doesn’t feel like a frat party, then skip the Hofbräuhaus; the restaurant at Penn is where you need to go. Both the beer and the atmosphere is vastly superior. Plus, you’re earning some feel-good 3/50 points and supporting a locally owned operation.

A Full Growler of Penn Dark

Hopeful expectations. Now, you may have read my commentary on the food and thought I was disappointed. I wasn’t. Neither option was really something I’d normally order; neither was vegetarian or particularly healthy. It makes sense that I didn’t think either was perfect.

I’m actually quite hopeful for some of the upcoming veggie options and expect that a great many people will be thrilled with the more traditional items on the menu—just not me. Keep in mind: the restaurant hasn’t even opened; I’m certain it will continue to improve over time. Plus, it will always be a good place for beer. I’m just thrilled to see a great local business emerging from the ashes and looking forward to seeing the full new menu.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I’ve been to Duke’s a total of three times: once for my pre-Easter parental bar crawl, and twice for dinner. That means I’ve managed to see several different parts of the menu.

Duke’s Upper Deck Cafe

122 W 8th Ave
Homestead, PA 15120
(412) 461-8124

Duke’s is yet another Homestead find—just to the right of where the Homestead Grays Bridge hits 8th (and across the street from the Walgreens). If you pay attention, you can even see them from the bridge.

Being so close to Blue Dust, it seems like I walk or drive by fairly frequently and always wondered what to expect. From talking around, it sounds like some of my friends feel the same way. That uncertainty makes it exactly the kind of place I like to write up for FoodBurgh. Remember, even Blue Dust started out that way.

Traditional bar, quiet dining room, and even a patio. Okay, so the the patio is still in the works, but a quick peek outside tells me they’re close—maybe just waiting for the right weather. For now, your options are either the bar or an offset (and elevated) dining area. The bar is filled with all the visual noise you might expect: neon lights, hanging glassware, and…oh yeah, Steelers paraphernalia.

The dining area is a little bit more quiet—along multiple sensory dimensions. From the separate room, the sometimes loud music and conversation of the bar is pretty well muted, and the assorted visual kitsch drops from view—replaced by bare brick and a few chalk boards for specials and beer lists.

Almost-Ready Patio Area

The Bar at Duke's

Beyond just the menu exploration, my multiple visits allowed for some exploration in seating. I spent my first visit in the bar and subsequent visits in the dining room—where I picked up some free WiFi the the purpose of finishing up my Molly Brannigan’s post. It’s worth noting that there was really no host table at the front. The policy seems to be just walk in and find a table—bar or dining area.

Who knew Homestead had more good beer? Because Duke’s is really a bar, I’ll move on to the beer. I count 12 or so tap handles with 3-4 macro beers, a couple of European imports and pretty much finished out with some quality craft options. You’re not going to find the huge craft beer focus and rapidly evolving beer list as Blue Dust, but they do carry at least one option from East End. For both my visits, that was Big Hop, though Scott tells me they’re big EEBC supporters—sometimes with 3 of his brews on tap at once.

Here are some of the non-macro notables I found on draft over the course of my visits:

• Flying Dog Pale Ale
• East End Big Hop
• Sam Adams Noble Pils
• Magic Hat No. 9 (not my favorite, but I’ll mention them)
• McSorley’s Irish Black Lager (actually from Lion Brewing)
• Rogue Dead Guy Ale

As you might expect, the bottle selection is quite a bit more extensive. I was particularly pleased to find 4 different Samuel Smith options—Nut Brown Ale, Old Brewery Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout, and India Ale. I think I enjoyed at least one of those every time I stopped by. If you haven’t had one yourself, each one is a primary example of the British style it represents. My favorite: the pale ale (a.k.a extra special bitter).

A Lousy iPhone Shot

Beer Styles at Duke's

Fantastic…in the world not revolving around beer. Overall, I like to think of Dukes’ beer options as top notch among establishments that don’t hold craft beer as part of their DNA. You can’t really compare them to D’s, Blue Dust, the Sharp Edge, or even Mad Mex—but they do rate pretty highly against just about any place else. In the context of their own weight class, they present an outstanding beer list.

Vegetarians beware: this is a Pittsburgh food. Let me start off by saying that I love the atmosphere at Duke’s. Part of what drove me to return so many times was  just menu exploration. I wanted to find some food that aligned with my tastes. Sadly, I didn’t find it.

While the beer gave me something to be excited about, the number of veggie options on the menu are limited. The options for reasonably healthy veggie items on the menu are exactly nil. Overall, I count just a veggie “riverboat” (a big hoagie) and a veggie calzone as the only two options—besides deep fried bar food.

A Chef Salad. Putting the veggie trend aside—for lack of alternatives, my second visit involved a chef’s salad. On balance, I was pleased: leaf lettuce, red onion, cherry tomato, and a hard boiled egg. The bowl was even filled out with a nice thick layer of lettuce in the bottom—which is somehow rare among restaurant salads. My chosen dressing, a balsamic vinaigrette, was emulsified and probably not made in house.

Chef's Salad (dinner attempt 1)

For the remaining toppings: the meat and cheese, I found cheddar, Swiss, provolone, roasted turkey breast, and ham. Actually, the whole mix produced a pretty thick layer that covered nearly all the lettuce. From my perspective, the proportions were off: I’d rather smaller amounts of meat/cheese over mostly lettuce. That basically just meant that I ended up sweeping most of the pile to the side and eating around. I’m sure the proportions were pleasing to someone, but that someone wasn’t me.

A Corned Beef and Turkey Rachel. The second time I went back, I went completely insane: I dove straight into the heart of the sandwich list with the Rachel: turkey, corned beef, coleslaw, and American cheese. I suppose that’s exactly the kind of item that Duke’s carries itself on, which should have made it a great place for me to dive in. Sadly this one seemed like a miss as well. The bread was really more of a marbled soft Italian than a marbled rye, and the cole slaw biffed an opportunity for texture. The American cheese didn’t really help either. Again, I’m sure the sandwich was spot on for somebody—it just wasn’t me.

Rachel Sandwich (dinner attempt #2)

Brett's Fettucini Alfredo

On the plus side: the waitstaff. A fun and interactive wait staff was one place where Duke’s really succeeded. Though there was some initial uncertainty over waiting for a seat versus sitting down anywhere, I was more than happy with the three different servers I had across three different visits. None of them were fully in tune with the beer list, but all three quickly jumped in with friendly banter and quickly established a positive customer-server rapport. On my last visit, I even got a quick visit from my pre-Easter server—who immediately asked about my parents. Definitely friendly and attentive.

Worth a shot. Overall, Duke’s is worth a shot—assuming you’re okay with the menu. Though the veggie options are slim and the food isn’t really my style, I still love the atmosphere, and appreciate the well-rounded beer list. Plus, their support of East End is always a welcome trend. The way I see it, a trip out there is just another way to do your part for the 3/50 project.

Molly Brannigan’s
www.mollybrannigans.com

660 Washington Rd
Mt Lebanon, PA 15228
(412) 341-7827

Molly Brannigan’s is a chain—local in scale but regional in dispersion. They have exactly three locations, but they’re all spread out around Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh location is in Mt Lebanon—right on Washington Rd, while the others are in Erie and Harrisburg. This was actually my first visit. Prior to a vew weeks ago, I had driven by a number of times but never really made my way out there. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but had moderately high hopes.

Big Irish-looking space—only newer. While zipping past on Washington Rd, you can see a name and know they’re an Irish-themed pub, but it’s hard to see much else. Having actually made my way inside, I should note the interior looks nicer than I expected. It’s a big space with a rather high ceiling. A sign somewhere says the masonry was actually brought in in from Ireland, but they probably could have done just as well staying local. While tasteful, the whole decor looks too new and too clean cut to really remind me of Ireland. That’s not a bad thing…just an observation.

A nice little fireplace/lounge in the main room

Attentive, highly interactive server. Our waitress was excellent. From the time I showed up (somewhat late, but certainly not last to the table), she was both on top of our orders and willing to banter. This was an instance of very good waitstaff rapport. Based on comments from Meetup.com, it sounds like others in the group agree.

The 67% Irish-themed menu. Okay, so 67% is a guess; I didn’t actually run any numbers. The full Molly B’s menu is available online, so it’s worth taking a look if you’re on the fence. Based on menu content, the food feels like a bit of an American grill with Irish options interspersed throughout. That’s not to say there’s no Irish food, it’s probably 67% of the menu. It’s just funny to see plenty of options I don’t tend to think of as Irish—notably a Santa Fe Salad and series of pasta dishes with an Alredo Sauce. Think of it like the “gringos” section of your favorite Mexican place.

Limited veggie options. The veggie options were a little sparse, but some could be found. The veggie wrap and roasted veggie boxty are probably the most notable options, though I went with a spinach salad and some (non-veg) seafood chowder. In retrospect, I’d be interested in giving the veggie wrap a try—though it seems decidedly un-Irish.

Traditional Salad. Okay, so it was the least exciting thing on the menu. I really felt like being health conscious for the evening, and with beets and hard boiled eggs, it did sound at least vaguely reminiscent of being Irish. The result was a worth salad by any measure, but not particularly noteworthy.

My Traditional Salad (with Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Here’s what I found in the salad…

• Fresh lettuce (mixed greens on top of iceberg)
• Small cucumber dice (to small, if you ask me)
• Beats, in 1/8″ slices
• Halved grape tomatoes (with a surprisingly amount of flavor)

For dressing, I went with the house balsamic vinaigrette, but found that it was a little too oily without enough vinegar

Soup: actually a little spicy. In addition to the salad, I ordered a cup of Seafood Chowder. I tend to really like seafood stews/chowders (especially stews), and that gave me a chance to sample something beyond just my salad. Somewhat surprisingly, the seafood chowder actually packed a modest little bit of heat. You really could call it spicy. It certainly wasn’t over the top, but it packed a larger punch than I anticipated—and I appreciate that. I would have liked to see a slightly chunkier chowder—more veggies, more shrimp, must stuff beyond just broth, but the flavor was excellent: a nice, well rounded heat with room for other flavors to coexist.

Seafood Chowder with a Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout

I often find that restaurants are driven to err on the side of avoiding food with much of a spice level. I suppose a complaint of “too spicy” is stronger than “not enough flavor.” In the latter case, the customer might not even speak up and can certainly still eat his dinner. When a restaurant serves something that’s more than a little warming, I think they deserve some respect for sticking to their guns. I have a similar rant about the inevitable growth of portion sizes, but I’ll hold back.

From elsewhere around the table. Some of the other highlights going around the table were probably Colcannon (a side you really ought to order) and the Reuben Sandwich on Marble Rye (which looked awesome even to me). The Roasted Vegetable Boxty is notable in being availalbe, but doesn’t being to compare with the Piper’s Pub interpretation.

Black and Bleu Burger

A Colcannon Side

Grilled Vegetable Boxty

St. James Guinness Stew

The Reuben

Spinach Salad???

Beer wise, a bit of a mixed bag. Molly Brannigan’s has some of the more notable craft beer on tap, two fairly surprising options, and a good mix of european imports. Still, the selection pales in comparison to a restaurant that really “does” craft beer. Basically, you’ll find a beer you can be happy with, but the selection is sufficiently sparse that you might find not find exactly what you’re looking for.

Tap Handles: Not So Bad

On the bright side, the two most notable craft beer options included Snow Melt Winter Warmer from East End, and Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. Both are pretty “big” (high alcohol/calorie) beers, but that could actually make sense if you think of them as balancing out the comparatively smaller brews behind most of the other tap handles.

In general, I enjoyed my trip to Molly Brannigans. The waitstaff was excellent, and parking wasn’t really all that bad—though they don’t have a dedicated lot. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like the restaurant leaned more in the direction of chain/family restaurant—if an Irish Pub can even take that form. The food certainly wasn’t bad, but nobody in my group claimed it was particularly noteworthy either. At the same time, the Reuben across the table looked good even to someone who hasn’t had a Reuben in 8 or so years. In the end, it really depends on what you order and what you’re looking for.

Would I go back? If I was in the area, I probably would—but probably not until I’ve at least given a few other Washington Rd joints a try. Should you go? If you’re in the area, I’d say they’re at least worth a shot.

Monterey Pub
www.montereypub.com

1211 Monterey St
Pittsburgh , PA 15212
(412) 322-6535

Tucked up in the Mexican War Streets on the North Shore, you probably aren’t going to come across the Monterey Pub without trying. The front door opens onto an otherwise residential street in an otherwise residential part of Monterey Street. I like to think of it as kind of a brittish pub. When I went, the place was packed–in part because a large group was holding a happy hour event a little earlier. Space is tight in general, so it seems like a better place for one or two than a full crowd. It’d be a great destination to catch up with a friend over a beer.

A quaint British pub. More than anything, Monterey Pub reminds me of a quaint neighborhood bar you might expect to find in Ireland, or, if you rather, your own favorite British isle; aside from an Irish flag out front and a handful of old Guinness ads, the pub is pretty neutral.

A single tender maintained the bar, while a server handled individual tables. Despite my feeling a little guilty, both were quite cool about trying to squeeze in a big group. They even managed to round up a table sooner than I expected. In general, they were laid back but on the ball.

Black bean everything! Quite honestly, I expected a menu full of pub grub and only sparse veggies. Turns out, I was way off: Monterey Pub had a vegetarian option on every section of their menu. Most (but not all) options feature black bean burger—basically the best commercial patty around.

Here’s what I found:

• Black Bean Quesadilla
• Ploughman’s Lunch (just cheese/bread/apples/chutney)
• Black Bean Salad (really, any salad with black bean)
• Pub Salad Wrap (w/ black bean)
• Mango-Ginger Salad Wrap (w/ black bean)
• Grilled Veggie Wrap
• Vegetarian Black Bean Burger

Not too bad—especially for a pub!

Pub Salad with Black Bean Burger (crumbled)

Pub Salad with Black Bean Burger. When I whip up a salad for dinner, black bean (or sometimes just veggie) is my favored approach. Sadly, you don’t see the option called out on too many menus. When I saw the option on the Monterey Pub menu, I went for it.

Fresh veggies and good balsamic. I really can’t complain about the salad. I found cherry tomato, red onion, sliced cucumber, and crumbled pieces of black bean burger–all over mixed greens. The veggies were packed with flavor, and lettuce mound was pretty well-sized. If I were to make one comment, it might be that the red onions were sliced a little thick: I would have stuck with half the width. I especially appreciated the black bean texture: there’s often a tendency to throw a sliced up burger patty on top of a salad. I think the semi-distributed crumbles are just a better presentation.

Going around the table. Others around the table placed some other orders, so I’ll show off what photos I captures. You’ll have to give me a break on the quality. As you almost expect for a pub setting, lighting was somewhat limited.

Monterey Burger (maybe?)

Black Bean Quesadilla

Solid session beer. A bottle shop with every beer imaginable is certainly fun, but I think most nights call for a nice balanced session beer. Think English pale ale, various red and brown ales, or perhaps even a dry Irish stout. Monterey Pub seems to nail that list with their draft list. The options sway more toward European imports than American craft beer, but they did throw in at least two American options—including one from East End (Snow Melt, I believe). The full list included about 8 different options, plus a bottle list they defined with a row of empty bottles resting above the bar.

Well worth a shot. Plus. Depending on what you’re looking for, I wouldn’t tag Monterey Pub as a “must try,” but I am a big fan. It’s definitely worth a shot. After all, my “must try” list does have to mean something. That said, Monterey Pub does make for an excellent destination if you’re looking to grab a drink with a friend—especially if you’re already on the North Shore. If you’re like me, and like to rock the veggie thing along with you’re beer, then you’re edging closer yet to the must try realm. You probably have a good reason to venture across town and try it out.