I have been meaning to go to Bona Terra for some time now. But, whenever we feel like inspired local food (which is pretty often) we usually head to Legume. We finally made it to Sharpsburg to try out this often-hyped restaurant and we are convinced that it is basically worth the hype.
Bona Terra is BYOB with a daily changing menu. It focuses on local, seasonal food. Unlike Legume (take note, Chef Dick) Bona Terra doesn't post their menu daily. Instead, you find three sample menus on their website. That leaves overly anxious diners to wait until they get to the restaurant that night to see the menu. Gasp! The menu offered five hot appetizers, three salads, a cheese plate, and six dinner entrees. We went with the waitress' recommendation of the dumplings for an appetizer, though the cracker dusted oysters and the roasted quail sounded good too. The dumplings were made with homemade dough, filled with pork shoulder, and served in spicy broth. They were delicate and quite good. We also had a salad, which was one of our favorite parts of the meal. The salad was served with tender greens, candied walnuts, chevre, and a citrus vinaigrette. It was wonderful! Each component was special on its own, and the combination was perfect. We had the striped bass over lentils and the duck breast with basmati rice for our entrees. Both were excellent - the bass was crispy and browned on the skin side and perfectly cooked otherwise. The lentils were mild and weren't overcooked. The duck was another crispy skinned protein, and was very tender. In between courses, the chef served a mango sorbet (housemade, aggressive and delicious) and a tomato soup with crispy proscuitto (smooth and buttery). We were pleasantly surprised when the waitress asked about dessert, as we hadn't seen any leave the kitchen to that point. The desserts included a lemon tart, an offering of sorbets, and a homemade chocolate cake. We opted for the chocolate cake, which was fabulous. It was dense and rich. And it was served with homemade chocolate peanut butter cup icing. Along with the salad, it was the standout of the night. Oh, and I don't want to forget the bread - housemade herbed ciabatta hot from the oven, served with herbed butter. Sooooo good. So, while I am partial to Legume (are you getting that feeling yet?), and while it remains my go-to for creative local food, there is room in my rotation for Bona Terra as well. Just not as often as Legume...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Dear Jesus, Please Help As I Prepare For Lent
As Lent is fast approaching, I find myself thinking not only about the spiritual ways to ready myself for the season, but also the gastronomical ways to do so. Before I get myself into a tizzy thinking about all of the awesome Lenten fish specials I want to partake in (view last February's post for more information) I need to concentrate on some pre-Lenten indulgences. Some of my favorite edible immoderations include:
Paczki - Oakmont Bakery, Oakmont, PA
I am a newcomer to the paczki. I happened into the Oakmont Bakery two years ago the Friday before Ash Wednesday five minutes before close. Somehow, though faced with the sheer terror of having to choose a treat from the vast, seemingly endless cases of dessert heaven, in a very short period of time (this decision would normally take me several recon missions on the internet prior to the visit as well as a good half hour research in the bakery), I did not crumble. I did not turn around and leave, I did not ask for whatever the counter woman recommended or what I know to be safe. I pointed to the round doughnut-looking dessert that I couldn't pronounce and I asked for one of each filling. Those fillings included prune, custard, Pittsburgh cream, lemon, raspberry, apple, and peach. Sweet success. These Polish dessert treats are similar to filled doughnuts, but with more filling and lighter dough. They are also smaller than most filled doughnuts, making them easier to try one of each!
Glazed Cinnamon Rolls- Oram's, Beaver Falls
If you haven't had one of these, go now. But if now is a Saturday after 11, don't go now, as they will likely be out of their famous glazed cinnamon rolls. Don't get me wrong, every doughnut at Oram's is special in it's own right, and an indulgence all the same. This includes some of my other favorites there, like the coconut crusted glazed doughnut and the custard filled chocolate buttercream topped doughnut. But, for all out indulgence, the glazed cinnamon rolls are unbeatable. They are the size of a small frisbee, are light (as impossible as that seems, being as they are a frisbee-sized doughnut), and are glazed with a thin, sweet icing. They are more doughnut than cinnamon roll, and are sinfully wonderful. Get extras, share with your closest friends, then go to confession. And bring them. You'll all need 40 days of fasting after this, but it will help get you through.
Davio - Beechview
Anything here is indulgent. Before your appetizers come, you get fresh baked breads, a gorgonzola spread, dipping oil, and a white bean spread. And this is just the beginning. The lobster bisque, served in a bowl big enough to feed the table, is heavy on the heavy cream as well as the lobster. Don't plan on touching the bread if you order this as anything besides your main meal, as there will be no room left in your belly. The double veal chop is easily two inches thick and can be ordered topped with lump crab meat. Along these lines, the lobster pasta is angel hair served in a lobster cream sauce with chunks of tail and claw meat throughout. Though you won't have room for dessert, one bite of the Russian sable cake (chocolate, flourless) is rich enough to make the cast of Jersey Shore blush. For those avoiding the temptation, you are out of luck. A cookie plate is complimentary after dinner, and is full of amazingly decadent cookies, often including macaroons and biscotti. Confession required again ladies and gents, and I don't mean the confession during mass where the Priest forgives the congregation in one pass of the hand. You need to sit face to face with the Padre and repent if you want to get in the pearly gates after this one.
FYI: This one is heavy on the wallet, too.
smoked mussel and scallop pasta - Seviche, Pittsburgh
For a small plate to make the list, you know it must be over the top in all of the right ways. Think Isaac Mizrahi as opposed to Joan Rivers. This pasta is not on the menu but came as part of a tasting. It is linguini with smoked mussels and smoked scallops in a cream sauce. I am not a huge fan of smoked fish, but this dish was to die for. The creamy sauce with the tender pasta was an amazing compliment to the smoky but not overpowering mussles and scallops. Mwah!
Beef and Bean Nachos - El Campesino, McKnight (or any of the other locations)
Pile of homemade tortilla chips? Check. Pound of sauteed, not too lean beef? Check. Refried beans? Check. Queso? Hell yeah. Check. Checkmark broiled to browned, toasted perfection while you are at it.
Paczki - Oakmont Bakery, Oakmont, PA
I am a newcomer to the paczki. I happened into the Oakmont Bakery two years ago the Friday before Ash Wednesday five minutes before close. Somehow, though faced with the sheer terror of having to choose a treat from the vast, seemingly endless cases of dessert heaven, in a very short period of time (this decision would normally take me several recon missions on the internet prior to the visit as well as a good half hour research in the bakery), I did not crumble. I did not turn around and leave, I did not ask for whatever the counter woman recommended or what I know to be safe. I pointed to the round doughnut-looking dessert that I couldn't pronounce and I asked for one of each filling. Those fillings included prune, custard, Pittsburgh cream, lemon, raspberry, apple, and peach. Sweet success. These Polish dessert treats are similar to filled doughnuts, but with more filling and lighter dough. They are also smaller than most filled doughnuts, making them easier to try one of each!
Glazed Cinnamon Rolls- Oram's, Beaver Falls
If you haven't had one of these, go now. But if now is a Saturday after 11, don't go now, as they will likely be out of their famous glazed cinnamon rolls. Don't get me wrong, every doughnut at Oram's is special in it's own right, and an indulgence all the same. This includes some of my other favorites there, like the coconut crusted glazed doughnut and the custard filled chocolate buttercream topped doughnut. But, for all out indulgence, the glazed cinnamon rolls are unbeatable. They are the size of a small frisbee, are light (as impossible as that seems, being as they are a frisbee-sized doughnut), and are glazed with a thin, sweet icing. They are more doughnut than cinnamon roll, and are sinfully wonderful. Get extras, share with your closest friends, then go to confession. And bring them. You'll all need 40 days of fasting after this, but it will help get you through.
Davio - Beechview
Anything here is indulgent. Before your appetizers come, you get fresh baked breads, a gorgonzola spread, dipping oil, and a white bean spread. And this is just the beginning. The lobster bisque, served in a bowl big enough to feed the table, is heavy on the heavy cream as well as the lobster. Don't plan on touching the bread if you order this as anything besides your main meal, as there will be no room left in your belly. The double veal chop is easily two inches thick and can be ordered topped with lump crab meat. Along these lines, the lobster pasta is angel hair served in a lobster cream sauce with chunks of tail and claw meat throughout. Though you won't have room for dessert, one bite of the Russian sable cake (chocolate, flourless) is rich enough to make the cast of Jersey Shore blush. For those avoiding the temptation, you are out of luck. A cookie plate is complimentary after dinner, and is full of amazingly decadent cookies, often including macaroons and biscotti. Confession required again ladies and gents, and I don't mean the confession during mass where the Priest forgives the congregation in one pass of the hand. You need to sit face to face with the Padre and repent if you want to get in the pearly gates after this one.
FYI: This one is heavy on the wallet, too.
smoked mussel and scallop pasta - Seviche, Pittsburgh
For a small plate to make the list, you know it must be over the top in all of the right ways. Think Isaac Mizrahi as opposed to Joan Rivers. This pasta is not on the menu but came as part of a tasting. It is linguini with smoked mussels and smoked scallops in a cream sauce. I am not a huge fan of smoked fish, but this dish was to die for. The creamy sauce with the tender pasta was an amazing compliment to the smoky but not overpowering mussles and scallops. Mwah!
Beef and Bean Nachos - El Campesino, McKnight (or any of the other locations)
Pile of homemade tortilla chips? Check. Pound of sauteed, not too lean beef? Check. Refried beans? Check. Queso? Hell yeah. Check. Checkmark broiled to browned, toasted perfection while you are at it.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wings Galore - Beyond the Basics
From little known places to non-traditional preparations and sauces, these wings will have you taking a happy break from the usual:
Franklin Park Inn - Franklin Park
Otherwise known for mediocre, faux Mexican cuisine, the grilled wings at the Franklin Park Inn are worth the trip there. They take at least 20 minutes to prepare and are served chargrilled. There is no choice of sauce - they are prepared in a buffalo/tobasco sauce, and are ususaly very spicy. They aren't "saucy" wings, but they are packed with flavor. I think they are marinated prio to cooking and basted throughout the grilling process, but that is purely speculation on my part. (Read: I have tried to reproduce these several times, with the help of my grillmaster husband, and have failed. I would consider doing bad things for this recipe...)
RPMs Wings and Things Bridgeville PA
Not known for quality food or even wings, RPM's serves a hidden gem: the Black and Gold wings. I support our sports teams (even the Pirates) as much as the next Pittsburger, but I support my tastebuds even more. So, take comfort in the fact that I in no way allowed the marketing genius to affect my love of these wings. The "black" aspect is a Cajun sasoning coating the wings, and the "gold" is a honey sauce drizzled over the wings. The Cajun isn't very spicy, and the sauce isn't very sweet. The combination is amazing. I don't usually like other honey wings (like honey mustard) but these don't fit into that category for me. The sauce is thick, like a glaze more than a sauce, and it is used sparingly. The wings take 20-25 minuites to prepare. Salty, midly spicy, and a little sweet...what more can you ask for? Note: RPM's is not for the faint of heart. It still permits smoking and is more a shot and a beer bar than it is a restaurant. I love the place, but I wouldn't take my grandma there. Actually, I would, because she has tatoos, extra ear-piercings, and tells joke that would make Dice Clay blush, but I wouldn't take most grandmas I know there. You get the point...
Pittsburgh Bottleshop Cafe - Bridgeville, PA
The wings at the Bottleshop are served with a choice of the usual sauces, and are not too aggressively spiced. I like my wings crispy, what most people would consider extra crispy. I don't have to ask for them "well done" here, as they are always served as such. Bonus: great beer selection in both draft and bottle. Wing night is Monday: 40 cent wings.
Wings, Suds, and Spuds - Moon Twp.
Wings here are best when requested well done. They are served with an abundance of sauce, but it is good sauce. You get to choose a sauce and order the amount of heat you want as well. I much appreciate that aspect, because I like things hotter than most. Another plus here are the fresh cut curly fries.
Zooky's Sports Tavern - New Brighton
I don't know for sure, but I think the wings served here are fresh wings. If not, they are the freshest tasting frozen wings I've had. Whatever the case, they are great. They can be ordered extra crispy, but be prerared to wait an additional 5 minutes to the usual 20 the wings take to be prepared. There are more sauces to choose from than most places I've been, including oddities like old bay and lemon parmesean. I opt for the more traditional, and usually end up liking the hot the best.
The Oak Grove Bar - Ellwood City
The Oak Grove is a small bar in Ellwood that serves wonderful whole wings. The wings are well done and unless you order a "dry" flavor, the wings are served with plenty of sauce. I have developed a love for the buffalo ranch flavor - dry ranch seasonings added to the buffalo sauce. Other favorites include the buffalo, dry Cajun, and garlic (think melted butter and sauteed, diced garlic).
Franklin Park Inn - Franklin Park
Otherwise known for mediocre, faux Mexican cuisine, the grilled wings at the Franklin Park Inn are worth the trip there. They take at least 20 minutes to prepare and are served chargrilled. There is no choice of sauce - they are prepared in a buffalo/tobasco sauce, and are ususaly very spicy. They aren't "saucy" wings, but they are packed with flavor. I think they are marinated prio to cooking and basted throughout the grilling process, but that is purely speculation on my part. (Read: I have tried to reproduce these several times, with the help of my grillmaster husband, and have failed. I would consider doing bad things for this recipe...)
RPMs Wings and Things Bridgeville PA
Not known for quality food or even wings, RPM's serves a hidden gem: the Black and Gold wings. I support our sports teams (even the Pirates) as much as the next Pittsburger, but I support my tastebuds even more. So, take comfort in the fact that I in no way allowed the marketing genius to affect my love of these wings. The "black" aspect is a Cajun sasoning coating the wings, and the "gold" is a honey sauce drizzled over the wings. The Cajun isn't very spicy, and the sauce isn't very sweet. The combination is amazing. I don't usually like other honey wings (like honey mustard) but these don't fit into that category for me. The sauce is thick, like a glaze more than a sauce, and it is used sparingly. The wings take 20-25 minuites to prepare. Salty, midly spicy, and a little sweet...what more can you ask for? Note: RPM's is not for the faint of heart. It still permits smoking and is more a shot and a beer bar than it is a restaurant. I love the place, but I wouldn't take my grandma there. Actually, I would, because she has tatoos, extra ear-piercings, and tells joke that would make Dice Clay blush, but I wouldn't take most grandmas I know there. You get the point...
Pittsburgh Bottleshop Cafe - Bridgeville, PA
The wings at the Bottleshop are served with a choice of the usual sauces, and are not too aggressively spiced. I like my wings crispy, what most people would consider extra crispy. I don't have to ask for them "well done" here, as they are always served as such. Bonus: great beer selection in both draft and bottle. Wing night is Monday: 40 cent wings.
Wings, Suds, and Spuds - Moon Twp.
Wings here are best when requested well done. They are served with an abundance of sauce, but it is good sauce. You get to choose a sauce and order the amount of heat you want as well. I much appreciate that aspect, because I like things hotter than most. Another plus here are the fresh cut curly fries.
Zooky's Sports Tavern - New Brighton
I don't know for sure, but I think the wings served here are fresh wings. If not, they are the freshest tasting frozen wings I've had. Whatever the case, they are great. They can be ordered extra crispy, but be prerared to wait an additional 5 minutes to the usual 20 the wings take to be prepared. There are more sauces to choose from than most places I've been, including oddities like old bay and lemon parmesean. I opt for the more traditional, and usually end up liking the hot the best.
The Oak Grove Bar - Ellwood City
The Oak Grove is a small bar in Ellwood that serves wonderful whole wings. The wings are well done and unless you order a "dry" flavor, the wings are served with plenty of sauce. I have developed a love for the buffalo ranch flavor - dry ranch seasonings added to the buffalo sauce. Other favorites include the buffalo, dry Cajun, and garlic (think melted butter and sauteed, diced garlic).
Sunday, December 27, 2009
It's Not How Many Karats, But How Many Cookies
Well, maybe it's both. But, I thought this article was interesting nonetheless. It was printed in the New York Times on December 15, 2009, and written by Ron Lieber. I can't figure out how to post a link, so the entire article is below:
The Wedding? I'm Here For The Cookies
LIKE brides and bridegrooms the world over, the ones in this city and nearby towns bask in the glory of the white dress, the big kiss and the first dance.
But then, a large number of them happily cede the spotlight to a cookie. Or a few thousand of them.
For as long as anyone here can remember, wedding receptions in Pittsburgh have featured cookie tables, laden with dozens of homemade old-fashioned offerings like lady locks, pizzelles and buckeyes. For weeks ahead — sometimes months — mothers and aunts and grandmas and in-laws hunker down in the kitchen baking and freezing. Then, on the big day, hungry guests ravage the buffet, piling plates high and packing more in takeout containers so they can have them for breakfast the next day.
No one knows for sure who started the tradition, or why it hasn’t exactly taken hold outside this region. Many people credit Italian and Eastern European immigrants who wanted to bring a bit of the Old Country to the big day in the New World. Given that many of them were already well practiced at laying out a Christmas spread, baking 8 to 10 times as many treats for a few hundred special friends and relatives may not have seemed like such a stretch.
But even amid the increasing professionalization of the wedding, with florists mimicking slick arrangements ripped from Martha Stewart’s magazines and wedding planners scheduling each event down to the minute, the descendants of those Pittsburgh settlers continue to haul their homemade cookies into the fanciest hotels and wedding venues around the city. For many families today, it would be bordering on sacrilege to do without the table.
So on a rainy Saturday in early autumn, Laura Gerrero, her mother, her mother-in-law and two aunts gathered to bake in preparation for Ms. Gerrero’s wedding to Luke Wiehagen. Her mother, Pat, used to make apple and cherry pies for local stores, and her aunt Elaine Ford had recently overseen the creation of over 6,000 cookies for the 180 guests at her own daughter’s wedding.
And presiding over the initial steering-committee meeting was Laura herself, a 26-year-old retail manager. The bride (and the bridegroom, if he’s interested) can veto recipe selections. Ms. Gerrero is not a huge fan of liquor or certain fruits in her sweets, so the peach cookies and rum balls fell off the list.
Some family recipes were a must, however, like peanut butter blossoms, Italian wedding cookies and biscotti. They use a biscotti recipe that Laura’s great aunt, Genevieve Raczkowski, had painstakingly recorded decades ago in her own mother’s kitchen. “She got her board that she used to make spaghetti and noodles, and she would say ‘This much flour,’ ” said Ms. Raczkowski, 74, recalling the unmeasured mountains of ingredients that would grow on the work surface. “I had to pour the flour back into cups. Twenty-four cups of flour. Eighteen eggs. So then I had to cut the recipes.”
Pizzelles, a waffle-like Italian cookie, are also essentially mandatory. The Gerrero wedding was to feature both chocolate and anise pizzelles, made two at a time on an electric press manufactured specifically for this confection.
The work spread over every inch of Pat Gerrero’s kitchen and dining room, as the women filled the lady locks — log-shaped shells — with cream, pressed out spritz butter cookies, and kept an eye on the pizzelle iron. They pored over the working list of cookies. The range of flavors was important, they explained, but so was appearance. They soon realized there were no squares, so lemon bars were added.
Even as the number of cookies grew, there was never any question about whether to skimp on more traditional wedding sweets. “We’re having wedding cake, served with ice cream,” said Pat Gerrero. “My family believes in a little bit of dinner and a lot of dessert. Which is actually an Irish thing. They love sweets.”
They’re clearly not alone in that, for the debate over which immigrant group deserves credit for coming up with the cookie table continues unabated. “I hear the Italians, the Eastern Europeans, but I wouldn’t say that to a Greek person, because I don’t think they would buy it,” said Laura Magone, a filmmaker from Pittsburgh who is working on a documentary about the tradition. “Part of the reason I wanted to do it was because it captures the rich ethnic heritage this area has.”
Pittsburgh doesn’t have an ironclad claim to the cookie table; there are some people in Youngstown, Ohio, who believe it started there. So the tale of the table may be more legend than documented history.
“One theory goes that it got a jump start during the Depression, when elaborate wedding cakes were not as common,” said Andrew Masich, the president and chief executive officer of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. “Cookies filled in the need because so many people could contribute, so the expense didn’t fall on one family. But even that is not certain.”
Not every community adopted the tradition, either. Rabbis around town, for instance, note that they rarely see cookie tables. Assimilation, too, has taken its toll, with some families writing off the table as too ethnic or somehow common.
But that’s not how the Gerreros saw it. Pat, the mother of the bride, comes from one of the city’s well-known families, the Rooneys, who own a controlling stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. “Without a cookie table, there might have been a revolt,” she said.
So the family was left instead to debate the finer points of cookie table etiquette. For instance, just how encouraging should the hosts be of those who want to pack a few dozen for later?
A generation ago, grown-ups would discreetly slip a few cookies from a plate into a purse. The younger set didn’t bother to hide what they were doing. “When I was a kid, you’d get whatever paper napkins you could,” said Ms. Magone, the filmmaker. “Or if you could find a paper plate, that was gold.”
As guests became more shameless, bringing in their own Baggies, host families adapted. The Gerreros decided to supply Chinese-food takeout boxes.
Another key question involves whether the cookies should be on display when the party starts or saved for a big reveal. The problem with the former approach: it may encourage people to move shamelessly from the canapés straight to dessert. Children, in particular, have made a ritual of this.
The bride’s sister, Nina Gerrero, thinks hosts ought to be tolerant of the behavior. “Eating cookies before you’re really supposed to is one of the most fun parts of a wedding,” she said. “I don’t consider it a dessert, though. The cake is the dessert, and the cookies are out there all day. That’s how it is on the holidays, too.” At her sister’s wedding, alas, the cookies were not to appear until the dinner hour.
Finally, there is the bake-or-buy question. Some families cater the whole thing (and lie about it to the guests), while others will turn to professionals only for more labor-intensive cookies like pizzelles or lady locks.
“They give us the recipe, and we make it just like grandma did,” said Sandi Heil, owner of the Pittsburgh Cookie Company in Midway, Pa., who’s catered about 400 weddings while also helping customers with Christmas and other more-everyday needs. “So they can still have grandma’s cookies, and grandma doesn’t have to kill herself making a hundred dozen.”
Wedding regulars in Pittsburgh have an eye for such things and whisper to other guests about it. But there was no such talk when Laura Gerrero’s wedding weekend arrived. On Friday, the various friends and relatives who had been baking pulled their cookies from tins and freezers around town and brought them to LeMont, her wedding site. There, a staff member spends much of Friday coordinating cookie arrivals, set-up and storage.
On Saturday, Ms. Gerreros’s wedding planner, Simone Hudson, and her assistant spent about 90 minutes arranging the 2,000 or so cookies in various tiers. The florist came over to dress things up a bit. Then, they draped tablecloths over the 12-foot display to make sure no one nibbled or knocked anything over.
After dinner was served, the covers came off and word spread among the 166 guests that the moment had arrived. Everyone lined up, and many grazed with the approach of an epicurean anthropologist. “People always talk about the new kind of cookie that they’ve never seen before,” said Nina, the bride’s sister. “My aunts and that generation of women, they say `Did you see that peach cookie?’ And everyone is freaking out.”
“I look for color,” said Scott Gibbons, a Pittsburgh area native who now lives in Cincinnati but was back in the city for the Gerrero wedding. He piled his plate with at least half of the 26 offerings. “I look for unique colors that should not belong in a cookie. And if they’re soft. And chocolate and peanut butter. This is what makes or breaks the wedding. If it wasn’t here, I’d leave.”
Given that the die-hards come to eat and pack more for later, the host family always frets. “The biggest fear is that you’ll run out of cookies,” said Ms. Ford, Laura’s aunt.
Instead, at the Gerrero wedding there was a different problem. So many people wanted to take the leftovers home that the family ran out of boxes.
The Wedding? I'm Here For The Cookies
LIKE brides and bridegrooms the world over, the ones in this city and nearby towns bask in the glory of the white dress, the big kiss and the first dance.
But then, a large number of them happily cede the spotlight to a cookie. Or a few thousand of them.
For as long as anyone here can remember, wedding receptions in Pittsburgh have featured cookie tables, laden with dozens of homemade old-fashioned offerings like lady locks, pizzelles and buckeyes. For weeks ahead — sometimes months — mothers and aunts and grandmas and in-laws hunker down in the kitchen baking and freezing. Then, on the big day, hungry guests ravage the buffet, piling plates high and packing more in takeout containers so they can have them for breakfast the next day.
No one knows for sure who started the tradition, or why it hasn’t exactly taken hold outside this region. Many people credit Italian and Eastern European immigrants who wanted to bring a bit of the Old Country to the big day in the New World. Given that many of them were already well practiced at laying out a Christmas spread, baking 8 to 10 times as many treats for a few hundred special friends and relatives may not have seemed like such a stretch.
But even amid the increasing professionalization of the wedding, with florists mimicking slick arrangements ripped from Martha Stewart’s magazines and wedding planners scheduling each event down to the minute, the descendants of those Pittsburgh settlers continue to haul their homemade cookies into the fanciest hotels and wedding venues around the city. For many families today, it would be bordering on sacrilege to do without the table.
So on a rainy Saturday in early autumn, Laura Gerrero, her mother, her mother-in-law and two aunts gathered to bake in preparation for Ms. Gerrero’s wedding to Luke Wiehagen. Her mother, Pat, used to make apple and cherry pies for local stores, and her aunt Elaine Ford had recently overseen the creation of over 6,000 cookies for the 180 guests at her own daughter’s wedding.
And presiding over the initial steering-committee meeting was Laura herself, a 26-year-old retail manager. The bride (and the bridegroom, if he’s interested) can veto recipe selections. Ms. Gerrero is not a huge fan of liquor or certain fruits in her sweets, so the peach cookies and rum balls fell off the list.
Some family recipes were a must, however, like peanut butter blossoms, Italian wedding cookies and biscotti. They use a biscotti recipe that Laura’s great aunt, Genevieve Raczkowski, had painstakingly recorded decades ago in her own mother’s kitchen. “She got her board that she used to make spaghetti and noodles, and she would say ‘This much flour,’ ” said Ms. Raczkowski, 74, recalling the unmeasured mountains of ingredients that would grow on the work surface. “I had to pour the flour back into cups. Twenty-four cups of flour. Eighteen eggs. So then I had to cut the recipes.”
Pizzelles, a waffle-like Italian cookie, are also essentially mandatory. The Gerrero wedding was to feature both chocolate and anise pizzelles, made two at a time on an electric press manufactured specifically for this confection.
The work spread over every inch of Pat Gerrero’s kitchen and dining room, as the women filled the lady locks — log-shaped shells — with cream, pressed out spritz butter cookies, and kept an eye on the pizzelle iron. They pored over the working list of cookies. The range of flavors was important, they explained, but so was appearance. They soon realized there were no squares, so lemon bars were added.
Even as the number of cookies grew, there was never any question about whether to skimp on more traditional wedding sweets. “We’re having wedding cake, served with ice cream,” said Pat Gerrero. “My family believes in a little bit of dinner and a lot of dessert. Which is actually an Irish thing. They love sweets.”
They’re clearly not alone in that, for the debate over which immigrant group deserves credit for coming up with the cookie table continues unabated. “I hear the Italians, the Eastern Europeans, but I wouldn’t say that to a Greek person, because I don’t think they would buy it,” said Laura Magone, a filmmaker from Pittsburgh who is working on a documentary about the tradition. “Part of the reason I wanted to do it was because it captures the rich ethnic heritage this area has.”
Pittsburgh doesn’t have an ironclad claim to the cookie table; there are some people in Youngstown, Ohio, who believe it started there. So the tale of the table may be more legend than documented history.
“One theory goes that it got a jump start during the Depression, when elaborate wedding cakes were not as common,” said Andrew Masich, the president and chief executive officer of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. “Cookies filled in the need because so many people could contribute, so the expense didn’t fall on one family. But even that is not certain.”
Not every community adopted the tradition, either. Rabbis around town, for instance, note that they rarely see cookie tables. Assimilation, too, has taken its toll, with some families writing off the table as too ethnic or somehow common.
But that’s not how the Gerreros saw it. Pat, the mother of the bride, comes from one of the city’s well-known families, the Rooneys, who own a controlling stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. “Without a cookie table, there might have been a revolt,” she said.
So the family was left instead to debate the finer points of cookie table etiquette. For instance, just how encouraging should the hosts be of those who want to pack a few dozen for later?
A generation ago, grown-ups would discreetly slip a few cookies from a plate into a purse. The younger set didn’t bother to hide what they were doing. “When I was a kid, you’d get whatever paper napkins you could,” said Ms. Magone, the filmmaker. “Or if you could find a paper plate, that was gold.”
As guests became more shameless, bringing in their own Baggies, host families adapted. The Gerreros decided to supply Chinese-food takeout boxes.
Another key question involves whether the cookies should be on display when the party starts or saved for a big reveal. The problem with the former approach: it may encourage people to move shamelessly from the canapés straight to dessert. Children, in particular, have made a ritual of this.
The bride’s sister, Nina Gerrero, thinks hosts ought to be tolerant of the behavior. “Eating cookies before you’re really supposed to is one of the most fun parts of a wedding,” she said. “I don’t consider it a dessert, though. The cake is the dessert, and the cookies are out there all day. That’s how it is on the holidays, too.” At her sister’s wedding, alas, the cookies were not to appear until the dinner hour.
Finally, there is the bake-or-buy question. Some families cater the whole thing (and lie about it to the guests), while others will turn to professionals only for more labor-intensive cookies like pizzelles or lady locks.
“They give us the recipe, and we make it just like grandma did,” said Sandi Heil, owner of the Pittsburgh Cookie Company in Midway, Pa., who’s catered about 400 weddings while also helping customers with Christmas and other more-everyday needs. “So they can still have grandma’s cookies, and grandma doesn’t have to kill herself making a hundred dozen.”
Wedding regulars in Pittsburgh have an eye for such things and whisper to other guests about it. But there was no such talk when Laura Gerrero’s wedding weekend arrived. On Friday, the various friends and relatives who had been baking pulled their cookies from tins and freezers around town and brought them to LeMont, her wedding site. There, a staff member spends much of Friday coordinating cookie arrivals, set-up and storage.
On Saturday, Ms. Gerreros’s wedding planner, Simone Hudson, and her assistant spent about 90 minutes arranging the 2,000 or so cookies in various tiers. The florist came over to dress things up a bit. Then, they draped tablecloths over the 12-foot display to make sure no one nibbled or knocked anything over.
After dinner was served, the covers came off and word spread among the 166 guests that the moment had arrived. Everyone lined up, and many grazed with the approach of an epicurean anthropologist. “People always talk about the new kind of cookie that they’ve never seen before,” said Nina, the bride’s sister. “My aunts and that generation of women, they say `Did you see that peach cookie?’ And everyone is freaking out.”
“I look for color,” said Scott Gibbons, a Pittsburgh area native who now lives in Cincinnati but was back in the city for the Gerrero wedding. He piled his plate with at least half of the 26 offerings. “I look for unique colors that should not belong in a cookie. And if they’re soft. And chocolate and peanut butter. This is what makes or breaks the wedding. If it wasn’t here, I’d leave.”
Given that the die-hards come to eat and pack more for later, the host family always frets. “The biggest fear is that you’ll run out of cookies,” said Ms. Ford, Laura’s aunt.
Instead, at the Gerrero wedding there was a different problem. So many people wanted to take the leftovers home that the family ran out of boxes.
Ravioli Lessons Learned
As with most others, part of my family's Christmas traditions center around the food we eat to celebrate the holiday. With that being the measuring stick, I went on a ravioli bender unparalleled in previous years. I made raviolis three different times the week before Christmas - once with a friend, so that we could have some to give for Christmas gifts, once with my extended family, so that we could have them to eat for Christmas dinner, and once with my husband's extended family, so that they could have them to eat for Christmas Eve dinner. I paid closer attention to the process this year with the intent of this post in mind. Here are some lessons I learned:
1. The quality of the ingredients does matter. At a basic level,I knew this was the case. But, I had the opportunity to taste the difference within a few days of using the different quality ingredients, and to reflect on that difference immediately after tasting it. For example, on one occasion, homemade breadcrumbs were used in the filling, and I could feel and taste the difference. The filling was firmer with the homemade breadcrumb, and the taste difference was more a lack of taste. I could taste the bread in the other (non-homemade) fillings, and that is not what it is meant for. The cheese and other ingredients should shine. The crumbs are meant for texture, not taste. Another example came when my friend managed to get us some homemade ricotta (from some guy in Altoona, PA) and I decided that, done properly, the plain cheese filling, as opposed to the veal and spinach or the sausage and cheese we also traditionally make, are my favorite.
2. Neither of my grandma's are totally right about the dough recipe. (If you know my grandmas, please do not tell them I said this, and please do not print this and show it to them, as I plan to lie through my teeth if ever questioned about it.) My mom's mom uses two eggs to every one cup of flour, and my dad's mom uses one egg to every one cup of flour. The former is too wet to hold up to the filling, and the latter too dry. I basically split the difference, erring a little more on the dry side.
3. Low boil = less broken raviolis.
4. Raisin raviolis are wonderful. I don't particularly care for raisins, usually opting to leave them out of recipes or substitute. But, my neighbor, whom I trust when it comes to food issues, insisted that I try a filling with ricotta and raisins. That was basically the only instruction he gave me, and my friend and I ran with it. We added some Parmesan, eggs, a bit of sugar (less than 1/4 c for 3 lbs ricotta), and some nutmeg. We even ate them with tomato sauce, as instructed. They were fabulous! The raisins were a pleasant surprise in an otherwise mundane ravioli. And, the sugar and nutmeg didn't bother me when paired with the sauce. Who knew?
5. Eat them fresh! They are quite good when boiled from frozen, but they are unparalleled with taken from the ravioli form to the water.
Here is my basic recipe (revised...sorry Grandmas)
dough:
1.25 eggs to every 1 cup flour
dash salt
olive oil, if needed to moisten
basic cheese filling:
ricotta
grated Parm/Romano
breadcrumb
egg yolks
parsley
fresh ground pepper
Base the amounts on the lbs of ricotta you start with, using the following ratios:
lbs ricotta to grated cheese 2:1
lbs ricotta to breadcrumb 2:1
lbs ricotta to egg yolk 1:1
parsley and pepper to taste
We have tried lots of other filling combinations, with honorable mentions going to seafood and sun dried tomato. But, we always make a ground veal and spinach filling (those ingredients mixed with enough of the above ricotta filling to bind) and a ground sausage filling (same method as the veal and spinach) as they have proven to be crowd pleasers time and time again.
I need to recover from this over-1,000-made ravioli bender. While I avoid the process, I wish you happy ravioli-ing
1. The quality of the ingredients does matter. At a basic level,I knew this was the case. But, I had the opportunity to taste the difference within a few days of using the different quality ingredients, and to reflect on that difference immediately after tasting it. For example, on one occasion, homemade breadcrumbs were used in the filling, and I could feel and taste the difference. The filling was firmer with the homemade breadcrumb, and the taste difference was more a lack of taste. I could taste the bread in the other (non-homemade) fillings, and that is not what it is meant for. The cheese and other ingredients should shine. The crumbs are meant for texture, not taste. Another example came when my friend managed to get us some homemade ricotta (from some guy in Altoona, PA) and I decided that, done properly, the plain cheese filling, as opposed to the veal and spinach or the sausage and cheese we also traditionally make, are my favorite.
2. Neither of my grandma's are totally right about the dough recipe. (If you know my grandmas, please do not tell them I said this, and please do not print this and show it to them, as I plan to lie through my teeth if ever questioned about it.) My mom's mom uses two eggs to every one cup of flour, and my dad's mom uses one egg to every one cup of flour. The former is too wet to hold up to the filling, and the latter too dry. I basically split the difference, erring a little more on the dry side.
3. Low boil = less broken raviolis.
4. Raisin raviolis are wonderful. I don't particularly care for raisins, usually opting to leave them out of recipes or substitute. But, my neighbor, whom I trust when it comes to food issues, insisted that I try a filling with ricotta and raisins. That was basically the only instruction he gave me, and my friend and I ran with it. We added some Parmesan, eggs, a bit of sugar (less than 1/4 c for 3 lbs ricotta), and some nutmeg. We even ate them with tomato sauce, as instructed. They were fabulous! The raisins were a pleasant surprise in an otherwise mundane ravioli. And, the sugar and nutmeg didn't bother me when paired with the sauce. Who knew?
5. Eat them fresh! They are quite good when boiled from frozen, but they are unparalleled with taken from the ravioli form to the water.
Here is my basic recipe (revised...sorry Grandmas)
dough:
1.25 eggs to every 1 cup flour
dash salt
olive oil, if needed to moisten
basic cheese filling:
ricotta
grated Parm/Romano
breadcrumb
egg yolks
parsley
fresh ground pepper
Base the amounts on the lbs of ricotta you start with, using the following ratios:
lbs ricotta to grated cheese 2:1
lbs ricotta to breadcrumb 2:1
lbs ricotta to egg yolk 1:1
parsley and pepper to taste
We have tried lots of other filling combinations, with honorable mentions going to seafood and sun dried tomato. But, we always make a ground veal and spinach filling (those ingredients mixed with enough of the above ricotta filling to bind) and a ground sausage filling (same method as the veal and spinach) as they have proven to be crowd pleasers time and time again.
I need to recover from this over-1,000-made ravioli bender. While I avoid the process, I wish you happy ravioli-ing
Saturday, November 28, 2009
15090, A Melting Pot Of Sorts
Ethnic food in certain suburbs of Pittsburgh can be hard to come by. If you know much about Wexford, you probably wouldn't think of it as a gastronomic melting pot. Look closer, and you'll find some descent ethnic fare.
The Thai Place
Pine Tree Shoppes
Sister restaurant of the Shadyside and Fox Chapel Thai Place, The Thai Place in Wexford has wonderful, authentic food. The steamed dumplings are homemade and are not to be missed. They are filled with ground chicken, are light and balanced, and always served piping hot. The Pad-Se-Ew, Chile Fried Rice, and Crispy Duck are some of my favorites. Depending on which chef you get, the spice level can be aggressively wonderful if you ask for a 7 or better out of ten. (My husband and I have been trying to "one up" each other in this category for years. We started at a 5and have lately been ordering a 9 or 10. I think we both secretly prefer a 7/8, but we have our pride to consider, of course.) Dinner can get pricey, and the staff seemed offended one time when we arrived to dine within an hour and a half of closing time, but other than that The Thai Place is highly recommended.
Ichiban
Village At Pine
One in the chain of Ichiban restaurants, the Wexford location joins the Waterworks, Cranberry, and Robinson locations. There are hibachi tables as well as a sushi bar, a drink bar, and non-hibachi tables. The sushi is fresh and wonderful. Some of the rolls are a bit overdone (lots of heavy sauces) but many simple, wonderful rolls are available along with other sushi dishes. The miso soup is very good as well. The drink list is fun and lengthy, and the wine list is descent. The restaurant is closed at odd times between lunch and dinner, so be sure to call ahead if you want to go around then.
My Big Fat Greet Gyro
Pine Tree Shoppes
My Big Fat Greek Gyro, though cheesily-named, serves fresh, tasty Greek fare. The food comes fast and hot and is pretty authentic. The gyros are solid, and the stuffed grape leaves are some of the best I have had. Can't speak much to the non-Greek fare on the menu, and there is lots of it, but the Greek food is very good.
Azzeria
Village At Pine
With the original on Banksville Road, the Wexford Azzeria is the second location. Azzeria serves breakfast, lunch/dinner, and dessert. They woodfire many ingredients and dishes (even LaPrima coffee beans) and serve great food. The pizzas are available in wheat and white crusts, and both are very good. The pizzas aren't actually woodfired at this location - that is done at the Banksville location and the crusts are flash frozen and delivered to the Wexford location. However, the are surprisingly fresh. The pizzas are available in white, red, and vodka sauce options, and a plethora of ingredients, many woodfired at the Wexford location, are available as toppings. We love the greens and beans pizza. Other than a few overly oily pizzas, we have yet to dislike anything about the pizzas there. Pizzas are available by the slice or the pie. Azzeria also offers paninis and salads, as well as homemade soups. I will have to do a post on Azzeria at some time in the future, because there is a lot to talk about, but for now, it suffices to say go there - eat the woodfired wings (which taste more like roasted chicken), the pizza, or a breakfast panini. If you are lucky enough to be there on a day when chili is one of the special soups, order some for there and some to bring home. Don't miss the gelato for a real treat. FYI - Azzeria is BYOB.
Patron
Perry Highway
Patron is a Mexican restaurant on Perry Highway. I have to admit, I am partial to El Campesino, so I didn't give this place much of a chance at first. Then I heard about Monday night taco night. Patron serves beef or chicken tacos on Monday night for $.95. They are hearty tacos - filled with meat (the beef has just enough fat and is ground thin, the chicken is mostly white meat and is shredded, served with stewed tomatoes and onions), shredded queso, and shredded lettuce. The shells are crispy and fresh - so good! Salsa and chips come with the meal as well. The salsa is inconsistent but usually wonderful. Occasionally, someone I am with on a Monday will order something other than a taco (if you can believe it), and when they do their meal is also very good. I have tried the fajitas Azteca (pork chunks, chorizo, chicken, and steak) and they are an interesting, tasty twist on the ordinary fajita.
Adding to the Melting Pot are Mama Lucia's (Village At Pine), China House (Pine Tree Shoppes), and Pierogies by Forgotten Taste (Perry Highway).
The Thai Place
Pine Tree Shoppes
Sister restaurant of the Shadyside and Fox Chapel Thai Place, The Thai Place in Wexford has wonderful, authentic food. The steamed dumplings are homemade and are not to be missed. They are filled with ground chicken, are light and balanced, and always served piping hot. The Pad-Se-Ew, Chile Fried Rice, and Crispy Duck are some of my favorites. Depending on which chef you get, the spice level can be aggressively wonderful if you ask for a 7 or better out of ten. (My husband and I have been trying to "one up" each other in this category for years. We started at a 5and have lately been ordering a 9 or 10. I think we both secretly prefer a 7/8, but we have our pride to consider, of course.) Dinner can get pricey, and the staff seemed offended one time when we arrived to dine within an hour and a half of closing time, but other than that The Thai Place is highly recommended.
Ichiban
Village At Pine
One in the chain of Ichiban restaurants, the Wexford location joins the Waterworks, Cranberry, and Robinson locations. There are hibachi tables as well as a sushi bar, a drink bar, and non-hibachi tables. The sushi is fresh and wonderful. Some of the rolls are a bit overdone (lots of heavy sauces) but many simple, wonderful rolls are available along with other sushi dishes. The miso soup is very good as well. The drink list is fun and lengthy, and the wine list is descent. The restaurant is closed at odd times between lunch and dinner, so be sure to call ahead if you want to go around then.
My Big Fat Greet Gyro
Pine Tree Shoppes
My Big Fat Greek Gyro, though cheesily-named, serves fresh, tasty Greek fare. The food comes fast and hot and is pretty authentic. The gyros are solid, and the stuffed grape leaves are some of the best I have had. Can't speak much to the non-Greek fare on the menu, and there is lots of it, but the Greek food is very good.
Azzeria
Village At Pine
With the original on Banksville Road, the Wexford Azzeria is the second location. Azzeria serves breakfast, lunch/dinner, and dessert. They woodfire many ingredients and dishes (even LaPrima coffee beans) and serve great food. The pizzas are available in wheat and white crusts, and both are very good. The pizzas aren't actually woodfired at this location - that is done at the Banksville location and the crusts are flash frozen and delivered to the Wexford location. However, the are surprisingly fresh. The pizzas are available in white, red, and vodka sauce options, and a plethora of ingredients, many woodfired at the Wexford location, are available as toppings. We love the greens and beans pizza. Other than a few overly oily pizzas, we have yet to dislike anything about the pizzas there. Pizzas are available by the slice or the pie. Azzeria also offers paninis and salads, as well as homemade soups. I will have to do a post on Azzeria at some time in the future, because there is a lot to talk about, but for now, it suffices to say go there - eat the woodfired wings (which taste more like roasted chicken), the pizza, or a breakfast panini. If you are lucky enough to be there on a day when chili is one of the special soups, order some for there and some to bring home. Don't miss the gelato for a real treat. FYI - Azzeria is BYOB.
Patron
Perry Highway
Patron is a Mexican restaurant on Perry Highway. I have to admit, I am partial to El Campesino, so I didn't give this place much of a chance at first. Then I heard about Monday night taco night. Patron serves beef or chicken tacos on Monday night for $.95. They are hearty tacos - filled with meat (the beef has just enough fat and is ground thin, the chicken is mostly white meat and is shredded, served with stewed tomatoes and onions), shredded queso, and shredded lettuce. The shells are crispy and fresh - so good! Salsa and chips come with the meal as well. The salsa is inconsistent but usually wonderful. Occasionally, someone I am with on a Monday will order something other than a taco (if you can believe it), and when they do their meal is also very good. I have tried the fajitas Azteca (pork chunks, chorizo, chicken, and steak) and they are an interesting, tasty twist on the ordinary fajita.
Adding to the Melting Pot are Mama Lucia's (Village At Pine), China House (Pine Tree Shoppes), and Pierogies by Forgotten Taste (Perry Highway).
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Chili and Cheese
What a blessed combination. Best showcased, in my opinion, on a hot dog. Some of my favorite places to get a chili and cheese dog are:
Red Hot Restaurant
219 6th Street
Ellwood City, PA
Red Hot is a small, not too clean, diner-like restaurant in Ellwood City. The staff can be indifferent, at best. But, the chili and cheese anything are fantastic. The chili is spicy but not overpowering, and the beef is finely ground and not too greasy. The cheese used, whether on a dog, burger, or fries, is sliced American. No room temp bottles of squeeze cheese here - take note, Brighton Hot Dog Shop. The dogs are run of the mill pork dogs, and the buns are steamed, I think. The combination of all is not to be missed. Also not to be missed are the chili and cheese fries. They are fresh cut fries, covered with American cheese slices, ladled with hot chili. So very good. I am a big fan of the (surprise!) chili and cheeseburger as well. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The prices are Red Hot are another attraction. We got a large chili cheese fry (which filled two large square to-go Styrofoam containers), 3 chili cheeseburgers, and 8 chili cheese hot dogs (yes, there were other people besides the two of us eating) for under $20. Quarts and pints of the chili are available as well. Additional bonus: Cherokee Red available by the can.
Eddie's Footlong Hot dogs
16306 Conneaut Lake Road
Meadville, PA
Eddie's has been serving footlong hot dogs since 1947. I have been enjoying them, with chili and cheese, since I can remember. Eddie's chili (aka sauce at Eddie's) is, appropriately, saucy. It is mild so far as spice goes. The cheese is shredded cheddar and adds a nice bit of sharpness to to the chili. The dogs are Smith's, made in Erie, PA. I try to eat local whenever I can, so the fact that the dogs are made and the company is headquartered 20 miles to the north is a big plus for me. The fact that they are wonderful is more important, though.
The only seating available is outdoor : picnic tables. Eddie's is open seasonally, so be sure to call ahead and make sure they haven't closed for the winter.
(If you are at Eddie's, you need to go right down the road to Hank's Custard Stand and get dessert - custard, specifically. Maybe the best I have ever had.)
Basilone's
708 Roemer Blvd
Farrell, PA
MARGIE DOG - that's what you need to eat here. It is a chili cheese dog with sliced hot pepper rings. I was in a food coma when I ate this dog, so I can't be sure of the details. But, what I can remember of the dog, besides the overall heavenly deliciousness, is the tangy heat the peppers added to the dog. The chili is chunky with beans and and the cheese is shredded cheddar. The buns are buttered and grilled. Can't say much about the dog itself - I don't remember. I am going to be diligent in getting back there soon and trying another Margie Dog, this time paying attention to the dog itself. It's a sacrifice I am willing to make.
Another sacrifice I am willing to make is a trip to D's Six Pax and Dogz in Regent Square for one of their chili dogs. I hope to do so soon and get back to you. I ate a Legume recently and wanted to try a dog after, but I didn't have the room. It's tough getting old.
Red Hot Restaurant
219 6th Street
Ellwood City, PA
Red Hot is a small, not too clean, diner-like restaurant in Ellwood City. The staff can be indifferent, at best. But, the chili and cheese anything are fantastic. The chili is spicy but not overpowering, and the beef is finely ground and not too greasy. The cheese used, whether on a dog, burger, or fries, is sliced American. No room temp bottles of squeeze cheese here - take note, Brighton Hot Dog Shop. The dogs are run of the mill pork dogs, and the buns are steamed, I think. The combination of all is not to be missed. Also not to be missed are the chili and cheese fries. They are fresh cut fries, covered with American cheese slices, ladled with hot chili. So very good. I am a big fan of the (surprise!) chili and cheeseburger as well. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The prices are Red Hot are another attraction. We got a large chili cheese fry (which filled two large square to-go Styrofoam containers), 3 chili cheeseburgers, and 8 chili cheese hot dogs (yes, there were other people besides the two of us eating) for under $20. Quarts and pints of the chili are available as well. Additional bonus: Cherokee Red available by the can.
Eddie's Footlong Hot dogs
16306 Conneaut Lake Road
Meadville, PA
Eddie's has been serving footlong hot dogs since 1947. I have been enjoying them, with chili and cheese, since I can remember. Eddie's chili (aka sauce at Eddie's) is, appropriately, saucy. It is mild so far as spice goes. The cheese is shredded cheddar and adds a nice bit of sharpness to to the chili. The dogs are Smith's, made in Erie, PA. I try to eat local whenever I can, so the fact that the dogs are made and the company is headquartered 20 miles to the north is a big plus for me. The fact that they are wonderful is more important, though.
The only seating available is outdoor : picnic tables. Eddie's is open seasonally, so be sure to call ahead and make sure they haven't closed for the winter.
(If you are at Eddie's, you need to go right down the road to Hank's Custard Stand and get dessert - custard, specifically. Maybe the best I have ever had.)
Basilone's
708 Roemer Blvd
Farrell, PA
MARGIE DOG - that's what you need to eat here. It is a chili cheese dog with sliced hot pepper rings. I was in a food coma when I ate this dog, so I can't be sure of the details. But, what I can remember of the dog, besides the overall heavenly deliciousness, is the tangy heat the peppers added to the dog. The chili is chunky with beans and and the cheese is shredded cheddar. The buns are buttered and grilled. Can't say much about the dog itself - I don't remember. I am going to be diligent in getting back there soon and trying another Margie Dog, this time paying attention to the dog itself. It's a sacrifice I am willing to make.
Another sacrifice I am willing to make is a trip to D's Six Pax and Dogz in Regent Square for one of their chili dogs. I hope to do so soon and get back to you. I ate a Legume recently and wanted to try a dog after, but I didn't have the room. It's tough getting old.
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