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| Pittsburgh is a surprisingly frequent destination for Kentuckians. They come to watch the Reds battle the Pirates in their century old baseball rivalry. They come to watch the Bengals take on the Steelers. They use Pittsburgh as a halfway stop en route to New York City. They come for Kennywood Park, the 120 year old amusement park that is the long time "roller coaster capital of the world." (Cedar Point has surpassed it in total coasters, but Kennywood still has the historic rides that pioneered coaster technology, and was the park Walt Disney brought his imagineers to for a week when they were planning Disneyland.) And on the business side, Kentuckians involved in coal, steel or railroading find themselves in Pittsburgh often because of all the corporate headquarters here. |  |
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Our first recommendation for Pittsburgh lodging is always the Sheraton at Station Square. You're right on the river, directly across from the Golden Triangle (the downtown). Pirate and Steeler stadiums are within a reasonable walk or a very short bus, trolley or taxi ride. Carson Street and the South Side restaurant and nightlife scene begin at Station Square. Riverboats load at the far end of the parking lot. The Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines start just across the street and take passengers up to Mount Washington. And the hotel itself is the city's best. It's been there since 1970, so it has a certain historic charm, but the rooms and facilities have been updated several times. Getting to Station Square is easy. You come through the tunnel on the Parkway (the hotel will be below you to the right), cross the river, and turn off at the first ramp. Recross the Monongahela River on the Smithfield Street Bridge and turn right into Station Square. |
| Pittsburgh has long been famous for its ethnic cuisine. Because of its railroads, steel mills and coal mines, Western Pennsylvania was attracting immigrants even before the Civil War. Italians, Greeks, Germans, Russians, Hungarians, Poles, Czechs, Chinese and others settled in various neighborhoods : Polish Hill, The Bottoms, Old Allegheny, Hunkie Flats, East End, Troy Hill, The Strip, South Side, etc. Eventually, children of these families turned away from the mills, mines and rails and opened restaurants. When you open an Italian or Hungarian restaurant in a community of Italians or Hungarians, you better be good. The ones who were are still here. Pittsburgh can boast several of the top ethnic restaurants in the country : Mallorca's, Max's, Jozsa's, Primanti's and others. Hyeholde is generally considered the top restaurant in Pennsylvania and one of the nation's top 20, and the Grand Concourse is at least in the state's top 10 (all this according to Gourmet Magazine). If you're here for a weekend, or for a Sunday afternoon Pirate or Steeler game, you MUST eat Sunday Brunch at The Concourse. For the rest of your life you'll probably judge brunches by the Concourse standard. LeMont and The Tin Angel are pricey and the food has slipped a bit, but the views are breathtaking.That's where those inclines pictured at right are taking passengers. |  |
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Mario's is the best upscale family Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh (which has a strong Italian population and numerous outstanding Italian restaurants), with emphasis on poultry and seafood entrees. Signature items include Chicken Primavera and Chicken Cacciatore, but there's an excellent wine list and good Tira Misu, Limoncello and Cheesecake. 935 Beaver Grade Road, Moon Township. To get there, drive out of Pittsburgh on the Parkway West and pass the Airport Exit. Turn right onto Coraopolis Heights Road, then turn left onto Beaver Grade Road. Look for Mario's about a mile on the right. |
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Hyeholde is still the number one rated restaurant in Pennsylvania and listed among the nation's top 21 by Gourmet Magazine. If you're going to eat at one restaurant while you're in town, this should be it, for the Medieval ambience and the French influenced cuisine. Barbara McKenna, daughter of the couple who founded it, still owns and runs it. Chef Chris O'Brien offers a Stuffed Quail, Grilled Boar, Turnips Chestnut Verjus, Grilled Moon Township Mushrooms, Elk, Lamb, and Pennsylvania Rainbow Trout with Roast Squash in Sunflower Sauce. The Seasonal Soup is tempting but resist it and take the standard Sherry Bisque. Of the Salads, we recommend the Red Oak Lettuce in Vodka Dressing. Heavy overhead beams, stained glass windows, slate floors and tapestried walls give Hyeholde a distinct Saxony feel. Their wine list tilts French but is exquisite. Let your waiter select your wine for you. Hyeholde is on Coraopolis Heights Road just before Beaver Grade Road. Bring your camera. 264-3116. Make Reservations. |
| If you want a culinary adventure, you need to meet Alex Jozsa Bodnar. Alex was born and raised in Hungary and became a Freedom Fighter during the Soviet Invasion. Trapped, he escaped across a minefield into Austria, then to England and on to America. He bought an 1880 hotel & tavern building in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh to save it as the entire neighborhood was being demolished. He converted the top floor to his own residence, three middle floors into facilities for making sausage, bread and pasta, and the ground floor into a restaurant. One unlike any you've seen. Most of the ground floor is the kitchen. There's a small lobby and a small dining room with two long tables. Alex serves one party at a time by appointment only (412-422-1886). You are a guest in his home. With dinner you get his conversation. Alex has also built Jozsa's Corner into the Pittsburgh Center for Hungarian Culture and Resources, which extends to music, dance, folklore, art and history. But Hazlewood has been a neighborhood in decline for decades, and when Alex moved in, his lone building amid blocks of rubble and vacant lots became a target of an urban gang. After several nights of broken windows, gunfire and calls to the police going ignored, he opened his trunk of Hungarian Freedom Fighter equipment and propped himself in a lawn chair on the sidewalk at dusk. When the gang moved in, Alex opened fire with his Soviet machine gun. They carried several gang members off, but he hasn't been bothered once in the 20 years since. |  |
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Jozsa's Corner is at Hazlewood and Second Avenues, the only building standing on the 4800 block. From Station Square, cross the Fort Pitt Bridge and follow I-379 (Parkway East) to the Homestead/Squirrel Hill Exit. Take Beechwood Avenue up the hill, turn right on Hazlewood, go to the top of the hill and down the other side to the restaurant on your left along the railroad tracks. Jozsa's has no menu. You eat what Alex fixes. You need four for a reservation, and you'll pay about $20 each. But it will be a feast, and the food is wonderful. Every item is made from scratch on site that day. You start with Langos, a fire bread made from special dough, quick dipped in hot oil until crispy golden brown, topped with garlic salt, spices and grated cheese. With it comes a tray of cheese and various vegetable sticks. Soup includes fresh vegetables and beef, chicken, or pork. Salad usually includes Marinated Red Cabbage and Onions. The Warmup Entree is Noodles & Mushrooms, a delicious concoction which in any other restaurant would be an award winner. The two main courses are usually Transylvania Gulyas (Goulash) and Chicken Paprikas. The Gulyas is the star of the show. There's not an item on a menu anywhere in America which beats Alex's Gulyas. His Sauerkraut is milder and sweeter than the German version and the pork is slow cooked all day until it falls apart in your mouth. The noodles in the Paprikas are superb, made upstairs just that afternoon. There's Braided Bread; refills on any bowl you empty, and dessert chosen from Nut Rolls, Apricot Rolls, Kiflis or Palacsinta. Alex does not have a liquor license so you need to bring a bottle of your favorite wine. With only one party at a time and him being the only employee, dishwashing is a problem. To solve it, he serves on paper plates. So you get food fit for a king served picnic style. Jozsa's Corner is cash only. If you're into ethnic cuisine, this eccentric little place is an absolute must. |
The Sewickley Hotel is still the gathering place for the real and wannabe gentry of the Sewickley area. Not one piece of furniture has changed. It still has that long polished bar and all the tables and booths, with the lighting still low for that sort of romantic mood. The menu, once you move past the basic milkshake, fries and cheeseburger, is still nicely upscale. You have to put up with the usual pretentiousness ("Our velvety mousse truffle pate includes black olives, cornichons and crostini garnish") but that has always been part of the fun, kind of like stepping onto the set of The Great Gatsby. The House Salad is a cranberry-gorgonzola-orange creation much appreciated by the local Volvo set. Their Turtle Soup is the best in Pennsylvania. The Seared Sea Trout is currently the big hit. It comes crusted with pecans in an orange basil cream. Then there's the Grilled Cobia, seasoned South Carolina style ("on the mellow side of lively") in a Squash and Sun Dried Tomato Chutney. It's not unanimous, but about half the restaurant goers in the area think the Hotel offers the best Crab Cakes and Steaks in Western Allegheny County. Save room for dessert, because they serve a great Coconut Creme Pie. In one more bow to the 1950s, they still include all the cute spelling mistakes on the menu. So you have Caesar Saddle, Scared Sea Trout, Grilled Cobra, and other malapropisms to try and decipher before you can place your order. But at only 20 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, it's definitely worth a visit. They're open from 11 to 3 and 5-10. Coming down Ohio River Boulevard, turn right to the Sewickley Business District, then turn right onto Beaver Street and the Sewickley Hotel is immediately on your left. |
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The Speakeasy is patterned after the speakeasies of the Al Capone era. This theme is maintained by the off in the woods location and barely noticeable driveway. Head West on Ohio River Boulevard and after the I-75 bridge look for the driveway cutting sharply uphill, announced by the Jazz Age billboard. Once there you'll love the brick walls, Jazz Age decor, sheet music display, and picture windows looking down on the river through a break in the trees. Once past the ambience, this is a very good restaurant. Of the appetizers we like the Frog Legs, Crabmeat Hoelzel and Fried Zucchini in Marinara Sauce. You MUST try the Three Cheese Five Onion Soup. No where else has it and it's great. Of the entrees, they offer 10 seafood items, 14 steak, veal and chop items, and eight classics. Of these, we like the Orange Glaze Duck, Pecan Breaded Lamb in Bourbon, Scallops and Spot, both broiled in a sauce beurra blanc. Spot is too rarely offered in restaurants. It's delicious and The Speakeasy prepares it very, very well. The wine list is not extensive but contains some outstanding mostly American choices. |
| Bahama Breeze is a Caribbean restaurant with decor and music to match. Of their appetizers, we like the Crab Claws, Roast Cuban Bread, and Fire Roasted Jerked Shrimp. The Bahama Seafood Chowder and Cuban Black Bean Soup are both excellent. Among the entrees, we think their Paella is their finest creation. It's a heaping skillet of assorted seafood, chicken, sausage and vegetables on a bed of yellow rice. We've eaten this all over the U.S. and the Caribbean and this is a very good interpretation. However, the Calypso Shrimp Linguine, Salmon Pasta (in passion fruit sauce with spinach, basil, tomato and mushrooms), Chicken Santiago and Chicken Kebabs are definitely worth the drive out the Parkway West to Robinson Centre. |  |
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Mad Mex is Mexican food on steroids. The atmosphere is pretty zany, and the menu features some of the more creative Mexican dishes you've ever imagined. They're not too concerned with Authentic. This is entertainment. It starts with the traditional salsa. You get to pick your three. We're pretty impressed with the Avocado Tomatillo, Fire Roasted Tomato Chipotle and Pico de Gallo, but if you like heat, you'll want the Pineapple Habanero. They have great soups : Red Bean Turkey Chili, Black Bean, Chickpea Chili and Tortilla. There are five salads and 13 Burritos, of which we like the Veggie (pico de gallo, roast corn, zucchini, portabellos, grilled peppers and onions). If you're an Enchilada fan, try the Red Velvet (grilled chicken, spinach, pico de gallo, zucchini, cheese, red and green sauces on a corn tortilla). They take great pride in their $10 Chicken Chimichanga (marinated chicken, peppers, mushrooms, onions, Monterey Jack, red pepper sauce, rice, and black beans, all sealed in a corn tortilla and fried). Our Quesadilla expert high fives their concoction of black beans, pineapple, cheese and grilled steak. Robinson Town Centre. |
| Buca di Beppo markets itself as Immigrant Italian. The walls are heavy with photos of Italian American families in New York, Boston, and Pittsburgh, celebrating weddings, baptisms, and other occasions. Meals are served family style in two sizes : small (for two or three) and large (for five or six). In addition to the usual booths and tables, there are The Pope's Room, and The Kitchen. You can sit around a large table with a statue of the Pope in the middle and Vatican photos all around, or you can sit in the kitchen and eat while all around you the staff prepares the meals. The food here, despite their claims to being authentic, is corporate Italian. It is, however, pretty good. We're particularly impressed with their Ravioli, Canneloni, Manicotti, Rigatoni, and Eggplant Parmigiana. If you want adventure, their menu is more extensive than other Pittsburgh Italian restaurants, and some items are quite creative. Keep in mind, however, that you cannot have each person order something different. You need two or three people to agree on one bowl of whatever. Several outstanding Italian wines, especially the Tuscany Chianti and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Citra. The desserts are outstanding. Try to save room. Robinson Town Centre, left at the T then right. |  |
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Max's Allegheny Tavern is a treasure that goes all the way back to before Allegheny was part of Pittsburgh. Max's doesn't look too impressive from the outside---this is the original 1800s location---but inside the place is a wonderland of polished wood. The bar is the most impressive in Pittsburgh. The solid oak icebox has been keeping German beers cold since 1891. The cast iron stove and brass and stained glass chandaliers trace back to when this neighborhood was called Dutchtown. This was actually the original Max & Erma's. The national chain took the name, became famous, then sued this restaurant to make them remove the Erma's. They did, but kept the authentic German food. There are sausages, schnitzels, cabbages, spatzle, dumplings, sauerkrauts, potato pancakes, . If you go, at least one of your party MUST order the Hasenpfeffer (braised rabbit in spicy pepper sauce) and somebody else has to order the Ghoulash. The German Potato Side has the great mustard bite you expect. Don't overdo it, because you have to leave room for dessert, and don't be distracted by the others. There's only one : The Strudel. As a matter of fact, it would be worth stopping in after a game just for the Strudel. Max's offers some very good German wines, but of course the pride and joy of any good German restaurant is its beers. Max's has an impressive array of German beers. Our beer conneisseur, who runs the American Beer Museum, says the dark varieties are Max's best. It's on Suissmon Street. Find East Ohio Street, follow it toward Etna, turn left on Middle Street, and left on Suissmon. |
| Pittsburgh's South Shore has been totally revitalized. The old steel mills, the South Side Works and Homestead Works, are gone. So are the railroads that served them. The land was cleared, and restaurants, shops and theatres have come in. Carson Street from Station Square to Kennywood Park has become Pittsburgh's party district. A local version of San Antonio's Riverwalk, Baltimore's Inner Harbor or New Orleans' Bourbon Street, Carson Street is now considered one of America's finest remaining examples of late 1800s Federalist Business District architecture. A dozen Hollywood movies have been filmed there. A drive along Carson Street when the place is in full after dark urban party mode is a memorable experience, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. If you're in Pittsburgh, you really ought to consider one or two of the restaurants. |  |
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Mallorca's is the second best Spanish / Portugese restaurant in America, surpassed only by the Lobster Pot in Provincetown on Cape Cod. But no wonder : the owner and chef are from Portugal and the manager from Spain. Mallorca's is on Carson Street, a red brick building on your right across from the Birmingham Bridge, half a block past South 22nd Street, as you drive toward Kennywood from Station Square. It's been here since 1992. You can eat either inside or out in the courtyard (to the right in the photo at left). Mallorca's has great soups, salads, desserts, fish items and wines, but what they're famous for is their Paella, the national dish of Spain, a saffron seasoned mix of seafood and rice. Our favorite version, Paella Velencia, mixes seafood, chicken and Spanish sausage. When it's available, the Flounder is great. If you're here in the Summer, you might try the cold vegetable gazpacho soup. Portions are huge and the food is delicious. They use only olive oil --- no butter. If you're just not a seafood fan, they have excellent veal, chicken and prime rib dishes. Wine Spectator Magazine gave Mallorca's its Award of Excellence for its collection of 300 kinds of wine, mostly Spanish, Portugese and French. |
| Mitchell's Seafood is on The Waterfront. Mitchell's does a great job considering its location 500 miles from saltwater. They fly everything in fresh daily from the Chesapeake, Cape Cod, and the Gulf. The menu reflects what's available. If they have the seafood gumbo, order a cup. If the Georges Bank Scallops or Blue Crab are in, order them.They fix the scallops with spinach, mushrooms, potatoes and sea salt, and the crab with a simple alfredo sauce. Try the Chilean Sea Bass or Yellowfin Tuna with stir fry vegetables. Or you might try one of their platters, which run about $20-23, but would be plenty for two. We like the Combo Platter, which includes shrimp, scallops, cod, fries, hush puppies and coleslaw. The atmosphere is quiet and relaxing : polished wood, soft red leather, glass, and a patio overlooking the river with plenty of trees. The wine list leans heavily toward whites. A lunch stop might include a bowl of chowder or bisque, a salad, and an $8 order of pan roasted wild blue mussels with white wine, garlic and tomatoes. |  |
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Bravo Italian Kitchen (Waterfront) is a 21st Century updating of Northern Italian cooking. Kids love the Wood Grilled Chicken Pizza with seared peppers, basil, tomatoes, mozzarella and feta cheese. If you're into Lasagna, Mama's Lasagna Bolognese has three thick layers and drowns in meat sauce. The best entree is Twin Filets Scampi, topped with shrimp, asparagus, mashed potatoes and scampi butter. Among salads, we like Insalata Mista, a pile of field greens, bacon, tomatoes, gorgonzo and balsam. The Caesar dressing is better than the house Italian. The Italian wine list is excellent. Owners call this "white table casual," $12 - 20 per person. |
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If you're arriving or departing around lunch, you really should stop at The Double Wide Grill on Carson Street. It will be one of your wackiest eating experiences. The Double Wide is a gas station converted to a restaurant. The outside still looks like the old gas station, but inside they've built the bar around the base of the hoist and left most of the tools and equipment hanging on the walls and a green pickup up on the hoist(see top right). They're only open 11-3. Some of the items are just fun, like the Hubcap Potatoes (hand breaded garlic and herb seasoned red potatoes served on a hubcap), Build Your Own TV Dinner, or 7 Up Pancakes. But don't let it fool you. There's some serious cooking here. The Crab Black Bean & Corn Fritters, Brie & Spinach Stuffed Portabello, Avocado Sandwich, Portabello Reuben, Beef Chile Omolette, Rebel Yell Jalapeno, and Tilapia Taco are very creative, unique and delicious. If weather permits, you really need to sit outside and soak up the Carson Street ambience, this being one of the great streets of Pittsburgh and America, every bit the equal of the French Quarter, Greenwich Village or the Riverwalk. |
| Primanti Brothers is on your left halfway up Carson Street. It's not a big place but it doesn't need to be. It is one of the city's most famous restaurants and they only serve one thing : a sandwich that has come to be called The Primanti. Joe Primanti and his brothers started the business in 1933 with a wooden lunch stand serving produce workers and truck drivers over in the Strip District across the river. Now there are 16 locations around the city and The Primanti is recognized as an American Culinary Classic by the James Beard Foundation. The famous sandwich recipe is grilled meat, fried potatoes, sliced tomato, coleslaw and provolone cheese between two thick pieces of Italian bread. There are a few options, such as onion or fried egg, but most fans take their Primanti straight. Any deviation and it's not a Primanti. No rye bread, no wheat bread, no other cheese, no lettuce. And the fan base is huge. The Food Channel, Travel Channel and ESPN drop by when they're in town. Native Pittsburghers now living elsewhere drop by for their once a year Primanti when they come home for a visit. Tourists drop by. Kennywood fans consider Primanti's as much a part of their annual visit as the Jackrabbit or Noah's Ark. Even KW staffers frequent the place. |  |
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Nakama is Pittsburgh's most famous Japanese steak house and sushi bar. Located halfway up Carson Street, it has been named not only the best Asian restaurant in town, but the best overall restaurant, by the Post Gazette, Pittsburgh Magazine, and even several airline magazines. The Sushi Bar features the Spider Roll (soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, kaiware and crabstick) and Hanelai (eel, crab, avocado, cream cheese and tobika). We're not huge sushi fans, but these two items are the best sushi we've ever tasted. Among the appetizers, we like the Onion Soup, Squid Salad, Seaweed Salad, and Tai Maki Rolls (two crispy rolls filled with vegetables and served with duck sauce). Our favorite dinners are the Seafood Combination (lobster, shrimp, scallops), Hibachi Scallops, and Seafood Diablo (shrimp and scallops over udon noodles). Nakama offers six fine steak and three chicken entrees, plus a column of combination dinners, mixing and matching steak, chicken, scallops, shrimp and tuna. It is easy for this menu to focus attention entirely on the food, but in truth, Nakama's is as much about entertainment as about the taste buds. The chefs who perform at your table, fixing your meal right in front of you, are at least half the total experience. Their flamboyance and dexterity with all those knives and flames are worth the visit. |
| Hofbrauhaus is on the river, two blocks from Joseph Beth Bookstore. Expect a wait to sit inside, but you can walk through to the riverfront patio. Hofbrauhaus was founded in 1589 in Germany as a royal beer hall and opened to the public in 1828. In 1937 John F. Kennedy was caught trying to smuggle out one of their famous mugs. If you're a beer conneisseur this is The Place, but the food's great, too. Among appetizers, the Soft Dough Pretzels, Fried Pickles, Potato Pancakes and Sauerkraut Balls are the best, although the Southside Combo is almost a meal in itself with four cheeses, cold cuts, basil, tomatoes and chive bread. Hungarian Goulash is a MUST. This is one of Pittsburgh's greatest items. Order only the small bowl. The large is a meal in itself. Entrees are a German lover's Paradise : Mettwurst, Bierwurst, Sauer braten, Schnitzel, Bratwurst and Kasseler Rippchen. We especially recommend the Wurstlteller, a sampler of three wursts with sauerkraut and potatoes. For a couple or party of three there is the Schmankerlplatte, a Bavarian Sampler Plate of schweinbraten, smoked pork chops, three wursts, sauerkraut, fried cabbage and potatoes. There's Oktoberfest Schweinshaxe, a slow roasted pork shank with crackling, sauerkraut and bread dumpling. Classic sides start with red apple kraut, sptazle with cheese or haxen sauce, and German potato salad. Apfel Strudel is the Dessert de Rigeur, but there's Black Forest Chocolate Cake or Windbeutel. |  |
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If your idea of sampling local cuisine is Pizza, just cross the bridges to the North Side, get on the Ohio River Boulevard and go to Ambridge (the next town past Sewickley). The best Pizza in Pennsylvania is available at The Pizza House, which everybody in three states calls Police Station Pizza because it's in the old police station. It's a carry out only operation but people drive in from all over Western Pennsylvania to get it. This is Original Sicilian, Square Cut, Thin Crust, Medium Sauce Pizza. They bake it right in front sof you to your specificiations. You can also get it to take home and bake yourself, or you can buy their famous homemade sauce. Friday and Saturday nights you'll see crowds and lines, but they're pretty efficient and you'll get served fairly fast. |
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