The ’Burgh’s best dishes and drinks right now
Here, found and devoured by our intrepid staffers across the city and the region, are the ’Burgh’s best dishes and drinks right now, or as we like to say, #BBDD.
Gluten-free pizza at Sir Pizza, Ross
It can be really hard for those who steer clear of wheat products to find good glutenfree pizza in the suburbs — especially if you’re looking for a pie that doesn’t come with a hefty surcharge for using wheat-free ingredients. Enter Sir Pizza, a familyowned pizza shop in Ross (with a second location in Franklin Park) that’s known for its funky, square-cut pizza. They introduced GF pies in 2016 using crusts that are made out of house to prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen. My son, who’s eaten more than his fair share of Udi’s frozen pizzas, swears it’s the best he’s ever tasted.
I have to agree that the thin and crispy pies are surprisingly good — not at all like the wet cardboard I expected. They feature the same spicy-sweet sauce as the regular pizzas. Plus, they’re cheap: A 12-inch crustless pie costs $8.95, with each topping an additional $1. We went for the pepperoni, which comes chopped instead of in slices. There were no leftovers. 320 Sewickley Oakmont Road, Ross.
— Gretchen McKay
The Oktoberfest Dog at D’s SixPax & Dogz, Regent Square
With the Steelers not playing until prime time, a brisk and sun-splashed Sunday afternoon was an optimal day for a hike through Frick Park, and having a worked up an appetite and a thirst, I was primed for a stop at D’s in Regent Square.
The “dog of the month,” the Oktoberfest (and yes, we all know that Oktoberfest is actually in September) more than did the trick. The casing positively snapped on the delicious cheesy bratwurst from Bardine’s in Crabtree, Westmoreland County, that was topped with sauerkraut and pungent Dusseldorf mustard on a pretzel bun ($7). Paired with a crisp Straub Oktoberfest beer, it was an excellent treat earned after several miles hiking the hills of Pittsburgh’s grandest park. 1118 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square.
— Dan Gigler
Bok Choy at Sichuan Gourmet, Squirrel Hill
Sometimes when dining out or ordering takeout, I want the simplest of foods. I’m talking about a dish that is not followed by a long list of accessories on the menu or involves some sort of culinary foam. I just want something basic that satisfies my hunger.
Sauteed baby bok choy ($11.99) at Sichuan Gourmet falls in that what-you-seeon-the-menu-is-what-you-get-on-the-plate category. It is on the traditional Sichuan part of the menu and speaks for itself. Verdant baby bok choys are flash sauteed with garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil and come flecked with crushed red peppers because I had requested it to be spicy.
Redolent with garlic, the bok choys are crunchy and delightfully bittersweet. The vegetable comes with steaming hot and fluffy white rice, and honestly, that’s all it needs. 1900 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill.
— Arthi Subramaniam
Pumpkin Pancakes at Simone’s, Mt. Lebanon
I was blessed to go out twice for breakfast last week — once to meet a source in town from Harrisburg and once with my family after early Sunday morning ice hockey and before late Sunday ice hockey. Both times, the menus offered seasonal specials of pumpkin pancakes. ’Tis the season.
I’m not much of a restaurant pancakes fan — I’m partial to multigrain blueberry pancakes, occasionally made at home — and I’m not much of a pumpkin guy, beyond pumpkin pie, which I adore.
But on Sunday, a gloriously pink-sunrise cold October morning that was like a pumpkin aphrodisiac, I surprised myself ordered a short stack of the special Pumpkin Pancakes ($6.98) at Simone’s on the main drag of Mt. Lebanon. I enjoyed them. They had a nicely light drizzle of a caramel sauce and a dusting of powdered sugar and so I didn’t pour any syrup on them. They weren’t too sweet or too pumpkin-y or too spicy or too anything. They were perfectly griddled and, with a large fresh-squeezed orange juice, fueled me on a busy day until after dark. My family enjoyed their Greek Benedict (poached eggs with gyro meat and feta, $10.49) and Nutella Crepes ($7.49) and thus, we discovered another bona fide Pittsburgh destination for breakfast. 665 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon.
— Bob Batz Jr.