Rachael's Roadhouse

For many years my family owned a little cottage North of Pittsburgh, outside of Meadville Pa. The fastest route is the interstate, but I always liked to travel on Rt. 19, which runs parallel to Interstate 79. While the scenery is great, the food was a struggle until the Iron Bridge Inn, the Springfield Grill, and Rachel's Roadhouse popped up. All are owned by the same group so technically, I guess it's a chain, but it doesn't seem like it! My favorite of the three has always been the Iron Bridge, all are pretty good and comparable to each other.

Stacy and I were doing a little Christmas shopping, and headed to the Grove City outlets. By the way, I was a bit worried about the holiday crowds on the weekend before Christmas, but Sunday was our only opportunity to shop so we had to go then. We arrived just after opening time at 9:00. To my surprise, it was practically empty! After about three hours it started to really fill up, but it wasn't bad. Anyway, after our morning of shopping, I intended to head over to Rachael's.

The menu has a nice selection of salads, sandwiches, steaks, ribs and seafood, but one thing I really like is their variety of different Reuben's. Traditional of course, but they also have a Carolina Reuben, that is loaded with BBQ pork, also a Russian, a turkey, and even one with a fish fillet. I went with turkey on rye and it was very good. Stacy had a salmon salad which had a generous portion of salmon over mixed greens with a balsamic drizzle. Looked pretty tasty!

If you are want to go to any of these places, take 79 to the Grove City exit, turn left, and continue to route 19. Turn right on 19 and Rachael's is just ahead on your right. If you want, the Iron Bridge Inn is just a bit farther on the left hand side. Either one's a good choice!

As usual, just click on the title above to see their website.

The Hop House, Wood Fired Food and Ale

The Hop House has two locations, one on Noblestown Road in Greentree, and the other (formally the Barking Shark) on Three Degree Road in the North Hills. I've been to both several times and was always satisfied. As the name implies, The Hop House has 36 different draft beers and a nice selection of speciality bottles. The menu is also quite varied with choices from their wood fired pizza oven, to racks of ribs, cedar plank salmon, and my favorite, fresh ahi tuna, described on the menu as:

Fresh Ahi Tuna encrusted in a delicate mixture of coconut and sesame seeds and lightly seared to perfection. Further topped with our orange chili sauce.

The Noblestown Road location has live music on the weekends and a great outdoor patio for the summer months. Note that both of these locations permit smoking, but I never even noticed any smokers. I wouldn't really call them smoking bars.

Just click on the name above to go to their website.

The Pretzel Shop

The Pretzel Shop on Carson Street in the Southside is really one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. I can't stand the rubbery, cold pretzels that are typically sold at Steeler/Pirate games, but these are totally different. If you go in the morning they will be bringing them fresh and hot, right from the oven in the back. I usually get a couple of pretzels (only a buck for two) and some spicy dipping mustard. They also offer a number of pretzel sandwiches, but I'm partial to plain pretzels although right next to the register, they have pretzels with jalapenos and cheese...very tempting!

I've also tried the Philly Pretzel Factory a couple of times, but I don't think they can compare.

If you go, the Pretzel Shop is right on Carson Street, between the Double Wide Grill and the Birmingham bridge.

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.

Sweet Potato Pie!

Since it's Thanksgiving, I decided to repost this recipe. It really is good, and very easy to make. Hard to believe that I had never tried sweet potato pie. Now it's becomming a yearly tradition!

Desserts have never really been a big deal to me. To stay away from the "super-sweet" stuff, cakes and pies have been my choice. One that I always loved was traditional pumpkin pie. Rich and creamy, but not too sweet. Well, my favorite pie has been replaced! It's hard to believe, but I had never tried sweet potato pie until recent years...I just didn't know what I was missing!

Here is a recipe for a simple but great tasting sweet potato pie. I just use a frozen pie crust, but if you are talented enough to make home made, that's even better! Maybe I'll master that next year.


1 (1 pound) sweet potato
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions
Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.

Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in all the other crap. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. This is from scratch, so you need to mix it quite a bit to make it smooth. Just pick any stringy stuff off the beaters. Make sure it's smooth! Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie may puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

My Favorite Recipe!...Not really, but pretty good.

You know how you have a favorite recipe, then you get another one? Well this is my favorite one right now. This one's really good. I was in the mood for chicken soup, but wanted something other than the standard chicken noodle. It's very easy and really good!



Chicken Curry Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
1/4 cup white rice
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into cubes
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch of ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon parsley

Saute the onion, carrot and celery along with the butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and flour and mix. Add the broth, bring to a boil and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add the chicken, apple, rice and spices and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice is done.

Grandview Bakery

Bakery's aren't really something that I give much thought to. I'm just not a huge fan of desserts, doughnuts or other sweets, mainly because they are usually too sweet for my taste. That doesn't mean that I won't stuff a couple of doughnuts in my face on occasion.

The residents of Mount Washington have been quite vocal about the need for more local business ventures over the past couple of years and the idea of a bakery seemed to lead the pack on the wish list of the locals. The Grandview Bakery just opened a couple of weeks ago, and although it wasn't on my list of "must try" places, I kept hearing and reading such great things about this place, that I had to try it.

We stopped in Sunday morning around 10am, to find the cases about half full of a variety of baked goods. In addition they bake beautiful bread and have a large selection of cake and candy decorating supplies. I ordered a small nut roll and a coconut eclair and Stacy went for a cream filled donut. We decided to sit a one of the two small tables in front of the window to enjoy our treats. As we sat down, one of the nice women working there wondered out loud whether or not she should put the outdoor furniture on the sidewalk. Her dilemma, she explained, was that while they had just opened about an hour ago, she thought they might be totally out of product in another hour or so! That explains the half empty cases. That's also a pretty good sign.

All three of our selections were excellent. My nut roll was probably the best I've ever had. Aside from being top quality, the real reason that I love this place is that none of our choices were overly sweet. I could really start to enjoy baked sweets if they are made like this!

The Grandview Bakery is on Shiloh Street on Mt. Washington. If you go, make sure to get there early!

Click on the title above to see their website.

All Clad Sale

The All Clad factory is in Cannonsburg PA. Two times each year, they hold a sale of seconds where you can get pretty good deals on great quality cookware at deeply discounted prices. I've gone for many years and have been able to put together a pretty complete set of cookware without spending the kind of cash they want in the department stores. The pieces are seconds, but I've always been able to find pans where the imperfection is so minor you can barely see it. This years All Clad winter sale will be held on December 2nd and 3rd at the Washington county fairgrounds. The doors open at 9am and it does get crowded, especially on Saturday, so I'd recommend going early!

Primanti Brothers

I don't usually write about, or even go to chain restaurants but I really think that Primanti's deserves special attention. I've been going to the Strip District restaurant for decades. I recall that they were open for breakfast and all night long, and they would be closed each afternoon for a few hours. In those days, the waiters and waitress's would yell orders and insults at each other from across the dining room, as they impatiently waited for your order. You could request a sandwich without fries, the waiter would politely nod, and then show up at your table with the sandwich stuffed with fries. They would usually be holding a very large knife, and offer to cut your massive sandwich in half if you desire.

Since then, Primanti's has opened many other restaurants around Pittsburgh and also a few in Florida. I've been to several of the "newer" stores, but still gravitate to the Strip District location. Maybe it's memories from the past, or just the fact that I really enjoy a trip to the Strip, but it's still my favorite Primanti's.

For those of you that don't know, Primanti's offers a wide variety of sandwiches from my favorite, steak and cheese, to many others. Pastrami, kolbassi, capicola and jumbo, all with cheese of course, and also good choices. These are served on two slices of thick Italian bread, along with a big handful of french fries and topped with tasty coleslaw. The slaw is not mayo based, but gives the sandwich a good crunch with a taste of sweet vinegar. Tremendous!

This is the kind of place that many people love, and many just don't understand the attraction. I happen to think they make great sandwiches...with one exception. The cheese steak. The menu refers to the cheese steak as the #2 best seller, but it's the only sandwich that I despise! It should be labeled as a cheeseburger, not a cheese steak.

If you go, try to make it to the Strip District location, and don't be judgemental about fries and coleslaw on your sandwich, at least until ya try it!

Click on the title above to read about the history of Primanti's.

The Perrytowne Draft House

Perrytown is a small community that sits on route 19, just north of Westview. Years ago, the Perrytown Tavern was quite popular and always seemed to be packed for happy hour. On more recent visits, the place, now named the Perrytowne Draft House, has been practically empty. Last week, due to an appliance malfunction at home, Stacy and I were forced to find a laundromat and located one right next door to the Perrytowne.

I haven't been there for quite a while, and although it was lunch time, the place was practically empty. We both had sandwiches that were very good. In my quest for Pittsburgh's best fish sandwich, I found the Perrytowne's to be one of the better ones, and the proper size...Huge. Served with your choice of fries, coleslaw, or homemade chips, I found the chips to be very good, seasoned with a taste of Cajun flavors. Although I didn't try it, Stacy's Italian Hoagie really looked good, with generous portions of salami, pepperoni and provolone cheese.

Please note that the bar area is smoking, although it was so empty that didn't matter to us. I'm not sure why the Perrytowne no longer seems to attract the crowds it use to. Smoking could be a factor, but who knows.

Bigham Tavern

Mount Washington is known as a great place to view the city of Pittsburgh. Hard to believe, but USA Today actually chose it as the second best view in the entire country. The view makes the perfect setting for a number of glass walled, up-scale restaurants that sit on the edge of Grandview Avenue.

Those restaurants are great for tourists and special occasions, but it's always been a struggle to get an informal, moderate priced meal up here. Within the past couple of years, Redbeards Tavern and the Shiloh Inn have changed hands and both are greatly improved in both food and atmosphere. Now the Bigham Tavern (formally Kaibs) has done the same. I always liked Kaibs, but the food was just OK, the draft beer was slightly warm, and the TV's while large, were all placed in the corners of the room, making them hard to see. In addition, the place always had a big, irritating echo when the crowd was a bit noisy.

The new owners have really cleaned the place up and really improved the menu. While still pub-fare, the grub is a pleasant surprise. The burgers are great, and they offer some inventive toppings such as bologna, pepperoni, and capicola. And the curly fries are tremendous! Kaibs had great wings, and The Bigham smartly kept Wednesday as wing night, and I'm told they are using the same proven recipe. A bunch of new HD TV's makes it enjoyable to watch a Pens/Steeler game.

The Bigham Tavern is a great addition for Mount Washington. The crowd is friendly, the food is good and the TV's can be seen by the patrons, not just the bartenders. I only wish they would add some cloth wall hangings, and get rid of that damm echo!

If you would like to visit, take McArdle Roadway to the top, turn right on Grandview and make a left at the first stop sign.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp!

Oysters, muffaletta and po-boy sandwiches and BBQ shrimp are all great foods from New Orleans. I like all of them, and one of my favorite simple recipes is for BBQ Shrimp. BBQ shrimp from NO doesn't really have anything to do with BBQ...There's no sweet ketchup based sauce and no grill or smoker involved. Mr. B's Bistro and Pascal's Manale are a couple of restaurants that are famous for their BBQ Shrimp.

This recipe is one of my all time favorite recipes. It's very similar to the famous ones, and is real simple to prepare right on your cook top. Some use an entire stick of butter, but I prefer this one because it uses olive oil instead. If you want, just substitute a stick of butter in place of the olive oil...That will make it even better!!!

1 pound of shrimp, I like 21/25 count. Heads on or off, peeled or not, whatever you prefer.

1 tablespoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon butter

French bread

Measure out all of the ingredients. This cooks fast!
Wash the shrimp and pat dry. Put the shrimp and a little of the oil in a hot skillet. Add all of the dry ingredients and the Worcestershire and hot sauce.
Cook over medium high heat for about 4 minutes. Slowly add the remaining oil and wine, boil and cook a couple of minutes more until the shrimp is pink. Don't overcook!

Serve in bowls, pour some sauce over and eat with lot's of French bread for dipping!

The Shiloh Grill

The old Shiloh Inn on Mount Washington had been serving meals on Shiloh street for many years. I recall having several good meals there and a fun and lively piano bar on the weekends. In the last few years, it seemed to go downhill a bit.

Most of you that read this blog know that I don't often make negative comments about peoples restaurants...I don't consider myself a professional food critic, and don't want to affect the way these people make a living. Since the Shiloh INN is now gone, I can say that the last two meals that Stacy and I had there were awful!! On our last trip, everything from service to food, to cleanliness to service was a huge failure. That's why I was thrilled to see that the folks from the Harris Grill in Shadyside were taking over. They kept a similar name, the Shiloh Grill, but that's about it. The place is cleaned up, the bar area improved and the menu totally changed. Last week I had a business meeting on the outdoor deck with a few folks visiting our city from Atlanta. All four of them were nicely impressed, not only with the restaurant but also with our beautiful city.

The food here is not up-scale dining. I'd call it up-scale bar style. Very good and very reasonable. You can make a meal out of a variety of appetizers or choose from a selection of sandwiches or dinners. We went with a combo trying the fish tacos, calamari, chicken quesadilla, and a Buffalo chicken dip. All were big hits with my guests. The calamari was really good, described on the menu as "all dressed up in a seasoned breading and quickly flash-fried, then tossed in a sweet and spicy chile drizzle of Dutch and Indian influence". Yum!

Many selections are noted that they can be prepared vegetarian, not so much vegan though...Of course if you are vegan, you probably aren't reading this blog!

The Allegheny Mariner

Years ago, I would stay over night in the Kittanning area on occasion, and my favorite place to have a meal or just grab a drink and relax was the Allegheny Mariner. I was in the area the other day, and decided to stop. The restaurant is built on a steep hillside and actually hangs out over the Allegheny river, which creates a tremendous atmosphere and the view is beautiful. They also have a comfortable outside bar and a few tables on a deck that affords the same beautiful views.

While I didn't eat on this visit, I remember the food as being very good and the prices are very reasonable. This is a bit of a drive from the city, but it's a really nice trip for an afternoon and really worth it for such a unique place.

Coney Island Niko Lou's

I've been reading a lot about the Greek hot dog shops that seem to be prevalent North of Pittsburgh in the New Castle/Sharon area. Chowhound has a tread called "Coney Island Hot Dogs in the New Castle area" that has over a hundred replies, from all over the country!

We stopped in Sharon Pa to do a little shopping and have lunch and when I parked the car, I recognized Niko Lou's right across the street. Even though we were on our way to lunch, I decided that I had to at least try one of their famous Coney's! Stacy rolled her eyes, and went to the department store, while I went to the counter and ordered a dog the traditional way, which is with hot dog sauce (a type of chili sauce), yellow mustard and onion. I'm not even a big hot dog fan, but I really like these. The good quality Coney combined with the unique sauce make these a winner.

If you care to try this type of sauce at home, a couple of years back, I posted a similar recipe that you can access by clicking on the post title above.