by Gary Weinberg on July 28, 2010
Last week I had a quick in and out trip to Pittsburgh and during my visit I was invited to lunch at Tessaro’s in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy section of Bloomfield. Tessaro’s is exactly the type of joint I like to patron; inside the old red-bricked building lies a place that just oozes old school Pittsburgh at its finest. When I walked in, I immediately noticed a mixed crowd of hungry businessmen and firefighters sitting at the counter. Upon entry the sweet aroma of Tessaro’s grill hit my nostrils and I knew that this was wise dining selection for a quick visit to the ‘Burgh. The ambiance is great too – classic checker flooring, wooden booths, and denim table cloths. Clearly a timeless classic restaurant stemming from an era before the chain restaurants took over. One note – please excuse the quality of the photos… I didn’t have my camera with me the day I dined at Tessaro’s.
My dining companion told me that this is one of the best burgers in Pittsburgh. I thought to myself that he made a pretty bold statement but I was up for giving it the Pepsi challenge. As I looked over the menu, my suspicion was confirmed that I would not find any small plates of bruschetta or rabbit food in this place. It’s all typical pub selections on the menu, and they also include some Ribs and Kabob entrees as well. All the burgers are 1/2 pounders, and include a choice of sides – potato salad, cole slaw, home fries, white rice steamed broccoli/cauliflower, boiled red skin potatoes or chips. While I was eager to order, I couldn’t decide if I wanted the Bacon Bleu Cheeseburger or the Gourmet Burger – I decided on the latter: Gourmet Burger, medium, red skin potatoes. ($9.25)
The food arrived about 20 minutes later – the sweet smokey aroma of the burger, the bacon, and the grilled onions hit my olfactory senses like a crashing wave. My mouth began to water. Then like a blitzkrieg I dove into the burger faster than Lindsay Lohan going into the slammer. It was truly sublime. The burger itself seemed bigger than a 1/2 pounder – It was cooked exactly the way I ordered it and maintained its natural juices inside the meat, thus the bottom section of the bun was not a soggy mess. The meat was juicy, lightly seasoned, and the ratio of lean beef to fat was balanced very well. Now, the beef is the star of the show but I would like to give props to the bun. I don’t know where it came from, but it was delicious and the texture was nice and spongy. I suspect Tessaro’s uses a fresh baked bun judging by it’s unique shape and size.
Red skin potatoes fared well – they provide fresh melted butter with them, which is a nice touch. So in the end the verdict on Tessaro’s a positive one. I would classify this place as a burger destination joint if one were visiting Pittsburgh. One piece of advice – come hungry. Tessaro’s burgers are one of the finest burgers I have had anywhere. Period Final.
Tessaro’s
4601 Liberty Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
(412) 682-6809
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by Gary Weinberg on October 1, 2009
Back in August I reviewed Randy Walter’s restaurant, Pittsburgh Willy’s, located in Chandler, AZ. Pittsburgh Willy’s serves fantastic gourmet hot dogs, sandwiches, and desserts. What makes Pittsburgh Willy’s so special (besides the delicious home made food) is the the personal service that Randy provides to all his customers. How many restaurants have you visited where the chef/owner sits down and talks with you? On top of his regular menu, Randy and his wife offer an east coast favorite; made from scratch pierogi dinners every Wednesday evening. The dinner includes six potato and cheese stuffed pierogies sauteed in butter with sweet onions and a drink for $5.95. For a little more you can add mild or spicy kielbasa to your plate.
Beginning in September, Randy and his wife are serving homemade Italian dinners on the last Wednesday of the month. I visited Pittsburgh Willy’s this evening for the first Italian dinner night and it was spectacular. Randy and his wife displayed their east coast roots by reviving the traditional “Sunday dinner” and moving it to Wednesday nights at Pittsburgh Willy’s. They had prepared a delicious home made Italian meal consisting of Gnocchi and sweet Italian sausage, smothered in made from scratch marinara sauce, cheese, and served with toasted Italian bread. Delicious!
If you’re looking for a good home cooked dinner and good company, stop down at Pittsburgh Willy’s any Wednesday night. The next Italian dinner night will be October 28th.
Pittsburgh Willy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs and More
1509 N. Arizona Ave
Chandler, AZ 85225
(480) 857-2860
http://www.pittsburghwillys.com
Randy and Mrs. Willy
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by Gary Weinberg on August 23, 2009
Pancakes! Pancakes! And more Pancakes! It’s been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – I whole heartedly agree with that statement, nothing gets you moving like a good old fashioned greasy breakfast (especially after a night of drinking). While staying in Pittsburgh I asked around for the best cheap breakfast in the city, and received multiple recommendations for Pamela’s. In fact, when President Obama visited Pittsburgh he stopped at Pamela’s, and enjoyed it so much that he had the owners cater a White House event. But what does he know? It was time to put Pamela’s to the Good Greasy Eats test.
Pamela’s has 6 locations in the Pittsburgh area, I visited the location on Walnut Street in the Shadyside area. I liked the inside, 
it had that classic 50′s diner feel, checkered floor and everything. I went in on a Monday morning, so it wasn’t too crowded and it was just “seat yourself.” The menu was your typical diner breakfast menu, omelets, waffles, corned beef hash.. etc. But, what resided at the very top of the menu was my reason for coming in: Pamela’s Crepe Hotcakes.
They have a few varieties of these famous crepe style pancakes; banana walnut, blueberry, strawberry, and banana chocolate chip. The blueberry and strawberry pancakes have brown sugar and sour cream stuffed into them as well. I ordered the banana chocolate chip pancakes and coffee. The food came out lickety split, probably 5 minutes or less! Now, let me tell you this – if there is a way to inject crack in crepe style hotcakes, then Pamela’s has figured it out. First of all they were gigantic… Second, they were stuffed with chocolate chip and banana goodness; with whipped cream topping oozing out of each end… these things were awesome. Pamela’s crepe style pancakes also contain six mounds of butter, and they’re fluffy in the middle but get progressively crispy toward the edges.
The combination of chocolate chip and banana rolled up in a crepe pancake is totally divine! Prices are pretty good too – The crepe hotcakes were $6.75 plus another $1.50 for coffee. The only bummer about Pamela’s is that they take cash only.
Overall, Pamela’s is a standout. Lethally delicious, everything is prepared with butter, so leave your cholesterol numbers at the door and live a little. Their pancakes are just amazing and I would gather that they could not replicated anywhere else.
Pamela’s
5527 Walnut St
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
(412) 683-1003
http://www.pamelasrestaurants.com
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by Gary Weinberg on August 17, 2009
In Pittsburgh, enormous sandwiches loaded with different toppings such as cole slaw and fried egg rule the land. One can find a condiment stacked sandwich as easily as finding Steelers football gear in this city… they’re everywhere.
Fat Heads Saloon is nestled in a row of bars on the eclectic East Carson Street in Pittsburgh’s historic South Side neighborhood (a must see for any traveler passing through Pittsburgh). This place boasts 42 beers on tap (including one real “hand Pumped” ale) and an enormous menu that includes 17 “munchie” appetizers, 14 different salads, 25 different varieties of burgers, 20 sandwiches, 19 “Headwiches”, 15 styles of Buffalo wings, and 14 different subs. Do yourself a favor; if you are on a diet, it would be advisable not to come to Fat Heads.
Looking over the menu (which took a good 20 minutes), I could already tell that this place epitomizes good greasy food. Just to provide an example, they have a Headwich on the menu (they call them Headwiches because they’re about as big as your head) called the “Artery Clogger.” It’s two fried eggs topped with slices of tasty ham, crispy bacon, melted American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo. I think I felt my heart stop for a moment after I read this
menu item.
I started off with the cheese sticks “munchie” appetizer; they were 
pretty typical but the honey mustard they served with them was tasty.. a nice change from conventional marinara sauce. Selecting an entree was especially difficult today – I finally decided on the “South Side Slopes” Headwich. It includes Kielbasa, fried pierogies, onions, melted cheese, and a creamy Horsey sauce.
The food came out about 20 minutes later, and WOW.. this sandwich
looked like it was created by some Polish mad scientist! Biting into it, the taste of the kielbasa dominated the palate, but the melted cheese and creamy potato piergoies definitely complemented it nicely. Included with the sandwich were little homemade crispy potato chips that I would categorize as small bites of crispy potato goodness. Just 
phenomenal.
Service and prices were very good. My server Stephanie took good care of me and the sandwich was $9.95, cheese sticks were $5.95, plus $1.50 for an iced tea. Finishing the sandwich made me uncomfortably overstuffed, but it was worth it for such an enlightening experience. Fatheads could be described as greasy, meaty, fried, grilled, and filling. If you want a good taste of Steel City, stop in at Fat Head’s.
Fat Head’s Saloon
1805 E Carson St
Pittsburgh, PA 15203-1770
(412) 431-7433
http://www.fatheads.com
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by Garrett Treager on July 28, 2009
Yokoso! According to my good friend Google, Yokoso means, “Welcome,” in Japanese. Although it’s a “Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar,” – the whole idea for the night was sushi… raw… recently wriggling…
Upon entering, Yokoso! has a pretty nice and open atmosphere. You’re greeted by a roomy waiting area where you can see the entire establishment. A lone hostess stand is there to request your table (even if you’re just going to the sushi bar, you have to wait to be seated). Just beyond the waiting area is the focus of the establishment, the sushi bar. If you continue your gaze farther still, you’ll quickly identify several hibachi grilling areas – maybe some flames, too. To your right is a bar area set off by a slightly dimmer area with bar tables and chairs. Oh yeah, and the bar itself.
Alright, let’s get to our table already! A quick jaunt into the sushi bar area and you’re quickly and efficiently seated in a comfortable booth with a pretty good view of the restaurant. It still provides some privacy from the other patrons, however. Everything from the 
seats to the table and soy sauce containers, the floor, the walls next to your seat, everything was clean and didn’t have any noticeable blemishes. My dining companion noticed that some of the drywall joints and screws were still visible but I couldn’t see it. She has a better eye for that sort of thing than I do.
There are two different menus to look through. The first is the traditional restaurant menu with descriptions of everything that is available. I’ve been at Yokoso! at least once or twice before so
I skipped straight to the sushi menu on the table. You know the ones I’m talking about, the ones
that have the name of the sushi/sashimi and a couple boxes for numbers. We had to look up a couple items but decided on the following:
- seaweed salad
- one rainbow roll - a California roll with tuna, shrimp, salmon, and whitefish
- one Hana maki – a tuna and salmon roll (nori on the outside)
- one Paradise roll – spicy yellow tail, crab, avocado, and cucumber
- Spicy scallop nigiri – scallops finely chopped and mixed with spicy sauce served on kale leaf on top of grated radish strings
Our waitress was pleasant and helpful and made sure our drinks were full at all times. She even told us the difference between sushi and sashimi – but I forget already.
The succulent sweet but a slightly spicy seaweed salad was a nice starter and got my mouth watering for more. Once our plate of sushi/sashimi arrived, I realized I didn’t mix my wasabi and soy sauce for dipping. Both of us started to it and got each mix just how each of us like it. I started with two pieces of the hana maki – one each of the tuna and salmon. Nice, clean, nothing overpowering, resistant but not chewy. I realized the rolls and sushi are a bit bigger at Yokoso! than most other places because I almost had to cut my sushi… I figured I’d just concentrate a little more, talk a little less, and be happy.
Next bite, paradise roll. The best way to describe it was just that – paradise. Superb blend of
flavors. Note – I decided not to dip this one since it was so good. The spice on the yellow tail
perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the crab, creaminess of the avocado and coolness of the cucumber, heaven. Now I’m going for the rainbow roll starting with a piece with tuna on it – my personal favorite raw fish. Last but not least, the spicy scallop nigiri was simply elegant. A little spice, a little sweet, what a beautiful treat! I almost forgot that we ordered a little sushi rice on the side to eat with the scallops. Careful kids, sushi rice is like superglue, don’t get it on your hands.
So, you pick a piece here and snag a piece there and before you know it, your plate of sushi is gone. Normally, I feel like I still have some room after a sushi run. Today, I was utterly full. I had a couple bites of really fresh pickled ginger and voila! Done. We had the waitress bring the check and, another pleasant surprise; we had a salad, two rolls, some maki and some nigiri and we ended the night under $40.00.
I’m no Siskel and my dining companion is no Ebert, but when it comes to sushi in Pittsburgh, Yokoso! gets our two thumbs up any day of the week.
Would I go back? Yes, I already have.
Yokoso! Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar
The Water Front
153 East Bridge Street
Homestead , PA 15120
412-461-8800
http://www.yokososteakhouse.com
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by Gary Weinberg on July 22, 2009
Ahh, the Dirty O as we Pittsburghers affectionately call it. I thought I would start the hot dog blog with one of my hometown favorites…
I stopped at The O around midnight during my last visit to Pittsburgh because it had been a number of years since I had one of their fine hot dogs. I was there during the perfect time because the bars had not let out yet so I was able to walk right in and grab a dog and get down to business.
Traditionally, I would give The O very high marks as one of Pittsburgh’s finest “drunk food.” Of course it would have to follow Primanti Brothers and who could of course forget the infamous Tom’s Diner on Carson St.
I ordered the Chili Cheese Dog with onions and mustard, my staple method of ordering any hot dog. It passed the snap test with flying colors, and was also extremely messy, a sign of a well made chili cheese dog. I would say that The “O” has some of the best hot dogs around.
The Original Hot Dog Shop
3901 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 621-0435
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