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While in the Pittsburgh area on business, I had occasion to meet a client at Sharp Edge Brasserie in McMurray, PA, a small town south of Pittsburgh. Probably 50 handles on the bar offering an extensive array of Belgian draft brews, craft brews from around the US and a huge bottle-filled cooler behind the bar. Add a full menu of excellent pub grub and you have a winning combination in my book. Apparently, this is one of several Sharp Edge establishments in the area:

http://www.sharpedgebeer.com/

They have a namesake Belgian on tap for a very reasonable price. And God love 'em - Happy Hour from 4:30 - 6:30 with half-price drinks. Why can't Illinois be so enlightened

Cheers,
Davooda

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Life is a garden, Dude - DIG IT!
-- anonymous Colorado snowboarder whizzing past me March 2010

I found something new (to me) during a recent trip to Pittsburgh. An old friend of mine moved to a close-in suburb called Verona. I was planning to visit him and suggested that I could bring over a pizza. So, I did a little digging on the Web and found that not only was Della Sala's Pizza only a few block from my friend's new home, but that many rank it up there with my long time favorites Vincent's and Mineo's as one of the best pizzas in Pittsburgh. So, I decided to give it a shot.

I placed my order over the phone and drove by the place twice before I found it.
Here's why:


Della Sala's pizza with sausage, onion, and hot peppers

In terms of both toppings and crust, this is a very unique pizza.

The crust is more like a crusty Italian bread than a typical pizza crust. Thick, crunchy crust covering light, airy bread. The sauce soaks into the bread, leading to very interesting textural contrast. It kinda reminded me of those old frozen French bread pizzas that I used to eat as a kid, only much, much better. The lightness of the crust made it easy to eat way too many slices of this stuff.

The sausage topping, a housemade, very spicy and delicious Italian sausage, is precooked and thinly sliced before being added to the pizza and baked. This double cooking leads to a deep flavor and crispy texture on the sausage that I really enjoyed. Though I did not expect pickled hot banana peppers when I ordered, they worked terrifically on this pie. Finally, they use a whole milk mozzarella that picks up an almost Burt's like caramelization on the edges of the square slices.



Della Sala's isn't conveniently located for someone visiting Pittsburgh proper, but it a quintessential hole-in-the-wall with so much local character that I strongly recommend it if you find yourself nearby.

--Rich


Della Sala's Pizza
5527 Verona Road
Verona, PA 15147
(412) 793-5656 ‎

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I don't know what you think about dinner, but there must be a relation between the breakfast and the happiness. --Cemal Süreyya

Love the look of the place, slap a couple of rusting oil drum smokers in front of Della Sala's and you have a BBQ joint. Pizza sounds tasty, I liked the frozen French bread pizzas as a kid, love to try Della Sala's upgraded version.

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Just saw this thread, and, since I spent most of my life in Pittsburgh, wanted to let any pastry fan fortunate enough to visit, to make sure that you go to Chatellier's French Bakery in Millvale. He is from Brittany, France, and makes the best croissants and brioche that I have ever had ( better than any I've had in Paris or the rest of France, for that matter - I kid you not ). Honestly - the brioche is simply to die for. You should also try his homemade truffles. And if you are able to, order a Lemon-Raspberry cake - that thing is so rich that you can only eat a tiny sliver of it.

When I lived in Pittsburgh, I used to go there all the time. Millvale is just across the river from the city, off of Route 28. I'll be going back home in June, and will probably make several stops at Chatellier's!

Jean-Marc Chatellier's French Bakery
213 North Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15209

Good call jpa! The Other Dr. Gale has drug me there a zillion times. She used to live just up 28, in Aspinwall, so it was just a quick ride.

But here's the surprising thing: his baguette was lousy. Go figger. But the croissants more than made up for that lack.

Geo
PS. Just sayin', but the lack of good bread in Pgh back in the day always surprised me. I know things are better now, but I don't know how *much* better...

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Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!

Geo,

I agree with you on the baguettes. I 'm not a big fan of his bread, but I agree - the other things make up for it. In France they say that bakers can't be good at both pastries and bread, and I guess it holds true in this case.

On the topic of bread in Pittsburgh, I've always found the quality of it lacking, as well. Breadworks is decent ( their ciabatta used to be great waaaay back in the day ) and Enrico's Biscotti in the Strip makes a decent loaf of bread, also, but I never really found a place that had outstanding bread, like say, Amy's in New York. On the other hand, I've yet to find a place in Chicago with outstanding ( or even really good ) bread, either...

TODG just reminded me: does he still do his little Pittsburgh Penguins? Those were impossibly good.
And his Breton....

Geo

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Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!

Just returned from a Pittsburgh trip. Made it several times to Chatellier's I didn't see any Pgh Penguins there, but didn't ask about them, either. I managed to indulge in numerous croissonts, brioche ( only on the second trip, as they were all sold out by 10:30am the first time ), a mini chocolate tart, and his heavenly macaroons. The salted caramel and rose ( a light type of raspberry flavor ) were incredible. Brought back a pack of his dark chocolate truffles, as well.

Always love going there. Man, I really miss that place...

I forgot to mention that I also brought home a bunch of awesome cheese from Penn-Mac, including a unique northern Italian cheese that is more like the Swiss cheeses than the Italians. If you're into cheese at all, you absolutely HAVE to stop there. The best cheesemonger I've ever been to ( including Murray's in NYC, but I'm biased, being from Pittsburgh ).

PS. Wholey's fish sandwich is still tops, too!

Ahhhh, man, you're *killin'* me jpa! The very smell in the cheese room at Penn Mac is enough to put one into ecstasy. Really. Jeez.

OK, here's my 'woolie' fish story. One warmish May day, my fave pal and I each got the fish sand and wandered out into the parking lot to enjoy. We found a couple of upturned milk crates, upon which we settled our two glutei maximuses. Whilst enjoying the wonderfulness of the sandwiches, a middle-aged gentleman approached us, halted, and asked "What are you doing?". "Eating fish sandwiches" we responded. "And how are they?" he asked. "WONDERFUL, as ever" we answered, basically in unison. "Good", he said, "I'm Robert Wholey and this is my store."

Wow!! What's the chances on that?? Eh?

Geo

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Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!

Geo,

I know what you mean! Every time I walk into Penn-Mac the smell just makes me feel so content - like I'm in some small town in Italy and all my friends and relatives are there and there's a great big party going on. I easily brought back 50 bucks worth of cheese, and it's a TON ( no Whole Foods or Pastoral prices there ). I got so much with the intention of having a small get together with like-minded cheese-loving friends in Chicago to enjoy ( next Friday, as a matter of fact ). Penn-Mac never gets old, and it's always great. I've been going there since I was in high school back in the early '80's, and used to go every week for about 12 years until I moved away a few years ago. Definitely a gem!

Your Wholey's story is awesome! Something that you'll never forget. The old man used to be around a lot back in the day, but it's been awhile since he passed. I remember when the place was tiny and they had saw dust all over the floor ( early to mid '70's ) and you had to eat your fish sandwich standing up at the small counter they had or in the parking lot next door. We used to go there before Steeler and Pirate games. Another Pittsburgh gem!

Going to Pittsburgh 2 weekends in a row in November, SO happy I found this thread. Thanks.

Any recommendations on a steak house in P-burgh?

Da 'Burgh's not really a steak kind of town, at least that's been my experience over the last 25 yrs. You'd be better off going to one of the dependable chains--Morton's, Ruth's Chris--than look for a local place. On the other hand, some of the better Pgh restos do a good steak, even if that's not what they're all about. Some folks say Mantini's does a good steak.

But me, if I had only one night in Pgh, I'd go to Casbah and get some of the best grilled lamb I've ever had. But then, that's just me...

Geo

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Sooo, you like wine and are looking for something good to read? Maybe *this* will do the trick!

Sadly, a great Pittsburgh tradition has come to an end. Vincent's is out of business.

Edited to add: There's hope it could reopen.

Last week I took an out of towner (from NYC) to the Strip on Saturday morning. Ended up at Deluca's for breakfast as when we drove up to Jojo's it was boarded up

Last week I took my client and her new husband out to celebrate their recent wedding. After asking around, we wound up at Salt of the Earth for their tasting menu. They offer a tasting Mon-Wed. There are two options; the first is a five course tasting at $75/person and the other is an 8 course tasting at $100/person. You may add a wine and beverage pairing as well, our standard package is $35/person and the premium is $55/person. The menu is chef's choice and the entire party must participate in the tasting. The restaurant was ~20 minutes from downtown, in an area that my client described as "transitional".

We arrived for our 6pm reservation a few minutes late and we were immediately seated at the kitchen bar.
Our menu, 8 course tasting with pairing:
Amuse: scallop, radish, chie, olive oil, lemon


Soup: canteloupe broth, melon, mint, oregano, jalapeno
Before the pour:


After the pour:

nectarine, lardo, cress, correl, cucumber


foie gras, fig, fried garlic, pink peppercorn, balsamic vinegar


Fish: black bass, uni, potato, carrot, basil


meat: lamb, beet, musroom, beets, black garlic


cheese: blue cheese, plum, honey, cocoa, celery

dessert: peach, chocolate, hazelnut, pound cake


My favorites:
1) the lamb, by far. simply amazing, especially with the wine pairing
2) sea bass. I like fish, but this was sublime.
3) foie gras. I can't believe that foie only made it to number 3, but numbers 1 and 2 were that good

Overall summary: I'd go back in a heartbeat. The tasting menu was pricey, but I thought delivered value as well. I wouldn't recommend this for a serious business discussion due to the 4-across seating (picture sitting next to each other at a bar), but with some flexibility in how you position your chairs you can manage.

Full pictures, including the menu, some shots of the kitchen, etc, can be found on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25025207@N04/tags/salt/

My second trip to Da 'Burgh, the first was a 6 day business trip 18 years ago, which I really enjoyed. This time, another visit for work and arrived yesteday morning and leave tomorrow. Consider me a fan. Love the forrested hills. While I stayed in the 'burbs, as soon as work was over I was in the city. Easy to get in the city after work.

Last night's dinner was at Dinette, which I'm told is near the East Liberty/Shadyside border. The appetizer was simple, but killer. Grilled shishito peppers (which I am told were grown up on the roof top garden), with chevre, fried almonds, drizzled with EVOO and sprinkled with fleur de sel. I could eat this every day. Hard to choose a pizza, so many nice options, but I went with the local dry-cured chorizo, romesco, thinly sliced sweet potatoes, sweet onion, and fresh mozzarella. Nice Neapolitan style crust. Decent wine choices.

Tonight was even better at Piccolo Forno in the hip LoLa (Lower Lawrenceville) 'hood. Would love to wander the neighborhood when the galleries are open.

As a wine lover with a fairly deep cellar, I seek restaurants who allow me to BYO. In the present, uncivilized era of air travel, my days of bringing wine with me are over. Even without my cellar handy, a BYO beckons. How do oenophiles survive in this backwater called Pennsylvania? Illinois is at the pinnacle of corruption, but this fiasco called the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is ridiculous. I grabbed what was the 'best' option in the Italian section, but unbelievably may have been the best wine in this wine lovers nightmare, a 2007 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro! Not a wine I would purchase unless it was the 'best' option available.

Piccolo Forno provided the opposite with options. Roasted red pepper and parmigiano sfomato was wonderful. An enjoyable salad was very similar to one that we make, mandoline cut fennel, red onion, and oranges with kalamata olives dressed with a viniagarette. The best was last, braised rabbit and vegetables in the au jus over al dente pappardelle. Soul soothing. I wish I could claim to cooking that dish... Food and wine are meant to be shared with friends and loved ones, but I was engrossed in this solo meal.

I'm not sure all of the many Pittsburgh ex-pats value what they had back home.

Dinette
5996 Penn Circle South #5
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412.362.0202
http://www.dinette-pgh.com

Piccolo Forno
3801 Butler St
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
412.622.0111
http://www.piccolo-forno.com

Here is one Pittsburgh ex-pat who values a hell of a lot of what the 'burgh has to offer.

I never made it to either place when I lived there, but they might not have been there at the time ( been gone awhile now ). However, I'm glad for the info on both of them - I'm definitely going to try one of them the next time I go back home.

And about the wine - PA is a backwater for booze, especially wine. If you want to get any kind of decent wine there, you have to go to a "specialty" State Store. They carry more ( and better ) wine. The nearest one to both of those restaurants is probably the one in East Liberty, by the Whole Foods. It's actually a decent place to get wine, with some good buys ( look for the Chairman's selections, especially ). I've been there many times before, as it is located relatively close to where I used to live.

JP