Union Grill, Turkey Devonshire

The Union Grill on Craig Street in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh has been a long time favorite of mine.  It's informal, open air in the summer, they have a nice friendly bar in middle of the restaurant, but what attracts me to the Union is the food.  I've had a number of meals here over the years and they have always been good.

One of my favorite Pittsburgh foods is Turkey Devonshire.  For those of you that are not familiar, Turkey Devonshire is usually bread, turkey, slices of tomato, bacon and then topped with a light cheese sauce.  The Union Grill makes one of the best.  Fresh roasted turkey, fresh tomato's, and a fantastic cheese sauce recipe makes this devonshire terrific.

Pittsburgh Turkey Devonshire

I posted this several years ago, but get so much interest that I thought I'd post again. For those not familiar, the Turkey Devonshire Sandwich was a traditional Pittsburgh dish and can still be found on many local menus. Some restaurants also make Crab Devonshire, just substitute lump crab meat instead of turkey. Enjoy!

Frank Blandi's Original Devonshire Sandwich

Cream Sauce:
3/4 stick butter, melted,
1 cup flour
1/4 pound Cheddar cheese, grated
1 pint chicken broth
1 pint hot milk
1 teaspoon salt

Melt butter in deep pan and add flour, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and then hot milk, stirring all the while. Add cheese and salt. Bring to boil, then cook slowly for 20 minutes, still stirring. Cool to lukewarm. Beat with wire whip until smooth before using. This makes enough sauce for 6 Devonshire sandwiches.

For each sandwich you need:

1 slice toast, crusts trimmed off
3 slices crisp bacon
5 thin slices cooked turkey breast
Cream Sauce, recipe above
Melted butter Parmesan cheese and paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In each flat, individual oven-proof casserole dish, place 1 slice of toast and top with 3 slices bacon. Add 5 thin slices of cooked turkey breast. Cover completely with cream sauce. Sprinkle with a little melted butter, then with the combined Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Teddy's...My search for great Devonshire!

Just like my search for the best fish sandwich or pizza, I'm always on the lookout for a good Turkey Devonshire. For those of you not familiar with this great sandwich, it is usually toast points, turkey, a slice of tomato, and topped with a creamy cheese sauce then bacon, and baked or broiled. It's very similar to the Hot Brown sandwich which is famous in Kentucky.

This is a common menu offering in the Pittsburgh area, but like anything else, most of these are great and some not so much. A local Chowhound recommended that I try the Devonshire at Teddy's Restaurant which is just east of Pittsburgh on route 30. Stacy and I were traveling past that area last week and decided to give it a try.

Teddy's is an old-school type of place. The interior is pretty dated, but that's what gives this place it's charm. Stacy ordered a lunch special of talapia which was excellent and quite a large portion. I of course went for the devonshire, which at Teddy's is made from chicken, not the traditional turkey. Two large pieces of chicken sat on top of a thick slice of Texas toast. The cheese sauce was very good, and the bacon on top was thick and good, but there was no tomato. While I wouldn't call this one of the best, it was pretty good and a large enough portion that I could barely finish it.

Teddy's is by no means "fine dining", but its very acceptable for a casual meal. It hasn't ended my search for the best Turkey Devonshire though!

Teddy's is on route 30, just off of the Irwin exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Turkey Devonshire

Turkey, bacon, bread and cheese. I've been craving this for some reason. It's probably been 10 years or longer since I've had Turkey Devonshire. I don't even know where to get it anymore. This is pretty much a Pittsburgh food, at least I have never seen it anywhere else. There was a place in Oakland, (I think it was a hotel restaruant) that served great devonshire. Does anyone know any places that serve it now???

This is a recipe from the Post Gazette that is suppose to be the original.

Frank Blandi's Original Devonshire Sandwich
Cream Sauce:3/4 stick butter, melted1 cup flour1/4 pound Cheddar cheese, grated1 pint chicken broth1 pint hot milk1 teaspoon salt
Melt butter in deep pan and add flour, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and then hot milk, stirring all the while. Add cheese and salt. Bring to boil, then cook slowly for 20 minutes, still stirring. Cool to lukewarm. Beat with wire whip until smooth before using. This makes enough sauce for 6 Devonshire sandwiches.
For each sandwich:1 slice toast, crusts trimmed off3 slices crisp bacon5 thin slices cooked turkey breastCream Sauce, recipe aboveMelted butter Parmesan cheese and paprika
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In each flat, individual oven-proof casserole dish, place 1 slice of toast and top with 3 slices bacon. Add 5 thin slices of cooked turkey breast. Cover completely with cream sauce. Sprinkle with a little melted butter, then with the combined Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.