Pittsburgh Foodies Thread (Crafton, Milford: island, working, bakery)

[pman]

the article doesnt mention it but they have other toppings from pickled jalapenos (my pick) to habaneros and a few others that i cant remember.

[phatty5011]

I wish we had a restaurant similar to El Vez in Philadelphia. The atmosphere is fun and lively, the food is good and the drinks are great. A place like this would be a great addition.

[eschaton]

Maybe the forumites would know this - is there anywhere in Pittsburgh to get some good veggie sushi?

Every single place I've been to in Pittsburgh has limited vegetarian sushi choices to the typical oshinko/cucumber/avacado. Inari is pretty rare. I can't say I've seen natto, yamagobo, kampyo, or ume siso anywhere.

[Stijl Council]

Eschaton: Chaya (Squirrel Hill) has everything you're looking for! They have kampyo, umeshiso, and yamagobo plus a veggie tempura roll. Several of their appetizers include natto so I'll bet they'd make you a natto maki on request even if it's not on the menu. And they have inari and several vegetarian appetizers (tsukemono, seaweed salad, rice balls with plum paste, chilled tofu). We aren't vegetarian but we often get at least one of the vegetarian rolls because they do a good job with them.

[sskink]

I've been in CT on a project for the past month. And while I've been really happy with most of the progress in the Pgh food scene over the past decade, being back in CT where I grew up made me realize we're still missing a few things (or at least I am).

1. "Hard rolls."
I guess I never realized these might be a CT/Northeast thing. But IMO, these beauties make a deli sandwich.
2. Better delis. Goes hand-in-hand with #1.
3. A place like Brasitas (but less expensive). Alma gets close, but we're not there yet.
4. More ethnic in the burbs. Seems every single mid-sized town of 20K-50K has at least one indie place for Mex, Japanese, Thai, regional Chinese, Brazil/Argentinian, Central American, Malaysian, Vietnamese/Cambodian. And even some of the tinier towns have some of these covered.
5. The antithesis of Betos/Police Station Pizza: Colony. I'd love to buy in on a Pgh location if I had the $. These guys print money. Your anorexic niece could eat a whole one and then some. IMO, the ultimate bar pie.

I think if I had those things in addition to what Pgh now offers, life would be perfect!

[FreightTrainRunning]

You had to mention hard rolls, now I'm sad and craving them. I've been waiting for my entire time in Pittsburgh for someone here to start making hard rolls with no luck. I try to grab a bag of them whenever I'm back in Jersey but then I eat them all in two days.

[sskink]

Originally Posted by GeneW

You had to mention hard rolls, now I'm sad and craving them. I've been waiting for my entire time in Pittsburgh for someone here to start making hard rolls with no luck. I try to grab a bag of them whenever I'm back in Jersey but then I eat them all in two days.

I wonder where the hard roll border is? I swear I could get them in Philly and in the Allentown area, although I think the generic 'hoagie roll' is more prevalent closer to Philly. I've seen small poppy seed rolls in Pgh, but those are more like dinner rolls. Then again, the combo of flakier crusts with a tight crumb inside doesn't seem to be a thing in Pgh, given popularity of Mancinis.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by sskink

I've been in CT on a project for the past month. And while I've been really happy with most of the progress in the Pgh food scene over the past decade, being back in CT where I grew up made me realize we're still missing a few things (or at least I am).

1. "Hard rolls."
I guess I never realized these might be a CT/Northeast thing. But IMO, these beauties make a deli sandwich.
2. Better delis. Goes hand-in-hand with #1.
3. A place like Brasitas (but less expensive). Alma gets close, but we're not there yet.
4. More ethnic in the burbs. Seems every single mid-sized town of 20K-50K has at least one indie place for Mex, Japanese, Thai, regional Chinese, Brazil/Argentinian, Central American, Malaysian, Vietnamese/Cambodian. And even some of the tinier towns have some of these covered.
5. The antithesis of Betos/Police Station Pizza: Colony. I'd love to buy in on a Pgh location if I had the $. These guys print money. Your anorexic niece could eat a whole one and then some. IMO, the ultimate bar pie.

I think if I had those things in addition to what Pgh now offers, life would be perfect!

I'm back in SF right now and I'm experiencing something similar with my favorite ethnic foods, local specialities, etc. that Pittsburgh doesn't have. Love Pittsburgh, but the local dining options could be way better. I will say that Pittsburgh does seem to be moving in the right direction, but it has a long way to go.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by sskink

I've been in CT on a project for the past month. And while I've been really happy with most of the progress in the Pgh food scene over the past decade, being back in CT where I grew up made me realize we're still missing a few things (or at least I am).

1. "Hard rolls."
I guess I never realized these might be a CT/Northeast thing. But IMO, these beauties make a deli sandwich. ... I think if I had those things in addition to what Pgh now offers, life would be perfect!

The hard roll is such a thing of beauty. If you can't get it in CT, stop at some NJ diner and get a pork roll, scrambled egg, & cheese sandwich on a hard roll. You will want to move there.

[groar]

i remember thinking the hard rolls in ct were too squishy compared to the ones in new york.

but sskink is probably in fairfield county, which is a lot new yorkier than where i lived (the northwest corner of the state).

i also miss portugese rolls. they have them at whole foods but they are expensive and not as good.