Del's in Bloomfield (Pittsburgh, Butler, Mars: transplants, neighborhood, compensation)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I don't know where to procure any around here, but would gelato be more yuppie-esque?
It would at least fit 'little Italy' better

Mercurio's on Walnut Street.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by WhoIsStanwix?

Not to be a jerk, but I would contend that there aren't enough vegan/vegetarian choices in town. Eden is only open for dinner and on weekends for brunch, other options are more or less limited to restaurants that have options on their menu, but they are not necessarily serving primarily healthy food options. You can't, on one hand, complain about overweight cigarette smoking yinzers and on the other hand categorize places that you deem to be smug as bad additions to the fold.

There are others, but not many.

All Vegan:
Big Idea Bookstore Cafe (food only, they do have regular milk for coffee, IIRC)
Randita's (Just outside the city in Aspinwall)
Amazing Cafe (South Side - never been here, but the menu is pretty similar to Eden. Only open for breakfast/lunch though)
Loving Hut (all the way out in Robinson Town Center - worth it just to go to the weekend buffet sometime, but certainly not very healthy)

All Vegetarian:
Zenith (all vegan besides the egg dish, but not really a full-service restaurant, since they're only open three nights a week and for Sunday brunch)
Tin Front Cafe (Homestead)
ARTspace & Coffeehouse (Point Breeze - only open till five, and not on Sundays, IIRC)
Mixtape - Just opened up in Garfield. They have a small menu which appears to be all vegetarian

Most of these spaces admittedly are not full-service restaurants open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I dunno why this is such a hard concept to get down.

This fall, the guy who runs Allegro Hearth Bakery and the people behind the Vegan pirogi dinners will have restaurants opening in Upper Lawrenceville and Garfield respectively.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Most of these spaces admittedly are not full-service restaurants open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I dunno why this is such a hard concept to get down.
.

Its a hard concept, because most Pittsburghers traditionally are pretty big carnivores. There are definitely veg alternatives in many places, but most people who the vegetarians would go with, still go for the meat, so not so many places are willing to go all in on the idea.



Have you seen the Hare Krishna storefront near Frankie's in Lawrenceville? They say they serve strictly vegetarian meals a night or two a week. The Krishnas used to have a facility across from the Panther Hollow Inn back in the day, I ate their once but thought it was too sweet to really be anything I'd want to eat on a regular basis.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Its a hard concept, because most Pittsburghers traditionally are pretty big carnivores. There are definitely veg alternatives in many places, but most people who the vegetarians would go with, still go for the meat, so not so many places are willing to go all in on the idea.

I admit we're a small market, but given there's so few places which actually cater to this market in Pittsburgh it's pretty much a captive audience (particularly for dinner).

Honestly, I'm just looking for someplace which is reasonably similar to what the Quiet Storm did before they went downhill and ultimately closed. A no-frills vegetarian restaurant which is casual enough you don't feel awkward ending up there a few times a week. It seems like most of the places which do exist like that are either strictly breakfast/brunch spots, or semi snooty/upscale places where it's really not a good idea to bring kids.

[DaisyDaisy]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I admit we're a small market, but given there's so few places which actually cater to this market in Pittsburgh it's pretty much a captive audience (particularly for dinner).

Honestly, I'm just looking for someplace which is reasonably similar to what the Quiet Storm did before they went downhill and ultimately closed. A no-frills vegetarian restaurant which is casual enough you don't feel awkward ending up there a few times a week. It seems like most of the places which do exist like that are either strictly breakfast/brunch spots, or semi snooty/upscale places where it's really not a good idea to bring kids.

I know it's not a true restaurant but the East End Food Coop is a great place to get lunch and dinner, too. Would be great if there was a new casual veg restaurant in Bloomfield or somewhere over there.

[Rocket88]

Originally Posted by MamieRose

Piccadilly is delicious and fun, lots of unique flavors and different toppings. But be warned, it can get expensive quickly.

And like others above, I agree this area (and specifically the South Hills) could do with more healthy/ vegan/vegetarian options.

Sounds Great. Maybe I'll heed to the advice of Squeeze and meet up in Picadilly. http://www.google.com/url?q=http://w...shgqpU3u1EpLFw

[SteelCityRising]

It just seems like with the addition of every establishment that focuses on the words "artisinal"; "farm-to-table"; "vegan"; "fair-trade"; "organic"; "gluten-free"; etc. our median rent shoots up. This is fine for those of you on here who have great-paying jobs with perks and annual compensation increases. What about the rest of us? I'm about to take on a second job, actually, so I'll be working 70 hours per week to afford the rising cost-of-living here.

Homes on my block are going for crazy amounts now. This ugly as sin place is listed for $369,900, and other "ugly flip" homes in the neighborhood are going for ~$250,000. I could do with less "Seattlization" of Pittsburgh, thank you very much.

http://www.northwood.com/Real_Estate...571-1-1077319/

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

It just seems like with the addition of every establishment that focuses on the words "artisinal"; "farm-to-table"; "vegan"; "fair-trade"; "organic"; "gluten-free"; etc. our median rent shoots up. This is fine for those of you on here who have great-paying jobs with perks and annual compensation increases. What about the rest of us? I'm about to take on a second job, actually, so I'll be working 70 hours per week to afford the rising cost-of-living here.

Homes on my block are going for crazy amounts now. This ugly as sin place is listed for $369,900, and other "ugly flip" homes in the neighborhood are going for ~$250,000. I could do with less "Seattlization" of Pittsburgh, thank you very much.

http://www.northwood.com/Real_Estate...571-1-1077319/

Not to head down the dark road of this conversation like we have all traveled before, but I prioritize my life in a way that allows me to eat at these "Seattlized" places. I would rather spend money on food and drinks, than live in the trendiest areas. I agree that there should be options for everyone, and hopefully more and more keep coming, but these kind of places are options that are currently lacking in the area, and some of us can afford them, and enjoy them, so why not?

[sealie]

The high paying jobs don't follow the fancy restaurants. The fancy restaurants follow the high paying jobs.

And to ILS's point, the traditional tastes of the city may not matter that much; even Omaha (practically synonymous with beef) has some vegan places. Because the new residents will support them. Cities are fluid. If new residents are making 80k+ and have money to blow on five courses paired with wine, or fresh pasta, or fancy charcuterie plates, none of them care that much about the blue collar history of the place.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by sealie

The high paying jobs don't follow the fancy restaurants. The fancy restaurants follow the high paying jobs.

And to ILS's point, the traditional tastes of the city may not matter that much; even Omaha (practically synonymous with beef) has some vegan places. Because the new residents will support them. Cities are fluid. If new residents are making 80k+ and have money to blow on five courses paired with wine, or fresh pasta, or fancy charcuterie plates, none of them care that much about the blue collar history of the place.

Old residents will support them too. Not everyone making 80k+ and who enjoys these new restaurants is a recent transplant. Some of us have just been hungry for this type of food for a while. Also, blue collar history is respectable in terms of a solid work ethic and grounded beliefs, but if it means a life of only turkey devonshires and chicken Marsala, then just kill me now.