The Man from NSBE: Gourmet Notes
The thing that I had initially been told about Pittsburgh was that it was a good place to eat. Being the trencherman that I am, I took this as a challenge. Truth to be told I was mostly excited since, as we all know, there is no real good food west of the Mississippi. It's with that in mind that I pumped friends and acquaintances for information about the best eats in Pittsburgh, and came up with the name "Primanti Brothers".
When people cried the praises of these brothers they mainly did so in reference to their sandwiches. Now I've had a lot of good sandwiches in my day, and frankly I'm not going into any sandwich shop in awe. The place though did impress me, mainly by not trying to impress at all. The place was small, with a thin film of grease on everything including the windows and the the pudgy staff. It was had the feel of a lunch counter, with the sort of old signage that wasn't bought in a kitsch store, but was bought originally and has not moved from it's spot on the wall since the early 70's. I walked in and surveyed the menu, settling on a cheese steak sandwich. Moments later I was presented with a bundle of wax paper, translucent with warm drippings. I swallowed hard, surprised at my own textbook Pavlovian reaction. Unwrapping the package I was presented with a thick sandwich packed full of meat and french fries. French fries! Genius! To include the fries into the sandwich is the apogee of sandwich make, and a feat which would make the late eponymous Earl smile under his bristly mustache.
Yet this is where I stop. The meat itself was not very good, somewhat dry and not as flavorful as it could have been. I was disappointed in the end, I must say. A disappointment that was only mitigated by the time I spent at PNC park later that day, but that's a story for a less family-oriented blog.
Comments
As your lawyer I advice you rent a fast car, grab the suitcase of multi-colored uppers and downers, and start that less family-oriented blog at once.
Posted by: Les | April 17, 2006 1:53 PM
Ah my good friend, these are conversations best left to direct communication. I will say though that the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas comment gives you major props.
Posted by: Lo Fat Mo | April 18, 2006 12:50 PM