Things I like in Pittsburgh I

Aug 23, 2005 · psu · 2 minute read
Food and Drink

I have a reputation for not liking anything. I don’t think I deserve this, because I rant at least as vociferously about things I like as things I do not. But, for some reason people still have a distorted view of my inner pysche, leading them to comment on my articles and ask questions like: “Is there anything in Pittsburgh that you like?”

Of course there is. In fact, there are probably too many to list in one article. So here the first of a few.

Since the comment that I mentioned above was on one of my food rants, I’ll start with food places. Sitting down to list food places that I like, I find that most of them have been mentioned in these pages again, but I will mention them again.

La Prima Espresso: Simply the best coffee anywhere. I don’t think I’ve had better coffee at retail anywhere else on the continent of North America.

Il Piccolo Forno: A sublime bakery next to La Prima.

Rose Tea Cafe: Finally real Chinese food in the city.

DISH: I think this is my favorite or second favorite place in the city for a fancy dinner.

Penn Mac: A great food store with a concentration on the Italian. Best cheese counter in the city. ** Lotus**: A good Asian grocery. More importantly, a good source for a lot of fresh vegetables that other places don’t have. Don’t buy ginger anywhere else. Good fish too.

Whole Foods: If you can’t find it at the first two places, come here. A bit expensive, but the fact that they have a fish counter that is open past 5pm makes up for it.

Tessaro’s: Yummy burgers.

Dee’s and the O: Yummy hot dogs. I still like O dogs more, but the fries at Dee’s are better (shhh).

Vivo: The other place on my short list for fancy dinners.

Taco Loco and Taqueria Mi Mexico: Good tacos. ‘Nuff said.

Chaya: Decent sushi by any standard. The other Japanese food is also good.

Cafe Grand Canal: A great pasta place. Get the veal cannelloni.

Shenot Farm Market (Wexford): Really excellent corn. The best fresh corn in the area, that I know of. If I catch you buying “fresh” corn at Giant Eagle or even Whole Foods, I’ll cut you.

I think that’s a respectable list off the top of my head. For more food I like, look at the places listed on my restaurants page with two blue gumdrops. Any other questions?