Category Archives: Traditional

The Franktuary truck.

Posted on October 12, 2011 by

Sure, it’s a hotdog. That’s its heart, its essence. Even hyphenated it remains simple. Call it all-beef or all-beef and grass-fed and remains a humble thing. A Pittsburgh thing, even. As much as wings and fries-and-slaw are stereotypes around this … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Cheap eats, Downtown, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, Nontraditional, Oakland, Presentation, Seasonal, South Side, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Caruso Beer Distributor.

Posted on September 18, 2011 by

Sam Caruso started out as a teacher. Grew up on the North Side in Mexican War Streets, where his Sicilian father opened a beer store in 1933, right after the end of Prohibition. Maybe the first one in Pittsburgh after … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Beer, Family, Neighborhoods, North Side, Service, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Golden Pig.

Posted on September 18, 2011 by

Yes, Korean food. In li’l ol’ Cecil on Route 50. The whole restaurant has just 10 seats and is subtle enough to drive by twice before pulling in. Even shares a building with a used-car dealership. Like you do. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Cheap eats, Family, Ingredients, Presentation, Recipes, Service, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You have been warned.

Posted on August 2, 2011 by

Taken at PennMac in the Strip.

Posted in Ingredients, Neighborhoods, Strip District, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Lee.

Posted on June 6, 2011 by

Never been to China. Rural, urban – nope. Not even Hong Kong. And when it comes to the language, Wayne Campbell outdoes me. I am clearly not the person to tell anybody what authentic Chinese food is. So grab yourself … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Family, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, Service, Squirrel Hill, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Wilson’s.

Posted on June 2, 2011 by

Publishing can be a strange beast. I wrote a piece on the North Side barbecue joint Wilson’s in January for a magazine in Arkansas. It finally hit print — yesterday. (Flip to page 17 and zoom in if you’re so … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Cheap eats, Family, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, North Side, Recipes, Techniques and tools, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yinz privileges.

Posted on May 21, 2011 by

Almost seven months in Pittsburgh now. I’m still new. It’s my city but it’s not my city. As much as I have embraced this city and it me, I am not of this place. I still have something to earn, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Family, Meta, Nontraditional, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Bloomfield.

Posted on February 24, 2011 by

For some reason, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was crazy enough to pay me to write this story for them. No accounting for taste, I suppose. But there is one thing you won’t know from reading it. My favorite paragraphs are the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloomfield, Family, Meta, Neighborhoods, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Southside Steaks.

Posted on January 26, 2011 by

Fatty, oozy, meaty, cheesy, bready — cheesesteaks are a thing close to my heart. There’s a joke there somewhere. It’s about a cardiologist. I’m not from Philly, but the place still feels like home on the rare occasions I get … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Cheap eats, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, Service, South Side, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Frankie’s.

Posted on January 3, 2011 by

Places like this make me nervous. Old-school like there are no newer schools, Frankie’s is where you can get a more-than-solid hot sausage sandwich and two bottled Yuenglings for less than seven bucks. But it’s just down the street from … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Cheap eats, Lawrenceville, Neighborhoods, Service, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Salt of the Earth.

Posted on January 2, 2011 by

This is probably a little backward. The first time I went to the one Pittsburgh restaurant everyone — everyone — is talking about and it’s on a night it’s not serving any of its regular menu. It’s on a night … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Beer, Garfield, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, Presentation, Service, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Deer jerky.

Posted on November 30, 2010 by

Almost sounds like a diary entry. Or an ode. Some kind of deer-hunting season started yesterday. I read that somewhere. For me, it means one thing: my in-laws’ deer jerky. My father-in-law has heads on the the walls of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Beaver County, Family, Ingredients, Seasonal, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yuengling.

Posted on November 30, 2010 by

My first job out of college was in Philadelphia. The only time before that I’d been east of Arizona was the summer before, when I had an internship in New York. So everything East was still very new. I lived … Continue reading →

Posted in Beer, Traditional | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Peppi’s.

Posted on November 17, 2010 by

Help me out here. When a certain Steelers quarterback was in deep trouble he got himself into, I kept hearing people disown him. It’s about the team, they’d say. The team has integrity. The team has class. That’s what’s important. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ambience, Cheap eats, Ingredients, Neighborhoods, North Side, Traditional | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mancini’s.

Posted on October 22, 2010 by

This is probably sacrilege for my second post: Not a huge fan of pepperoni rolls. Except. Yeah. That. I’d heard of Mancini’s but had never been until a trip to Pittsburgh in April. One of my usual stops is the … Continue reading →

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