Best Italian restaurant in the Pittsburgh area
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I had a bad experience there. But it was hilarious. Right before Christmas, I was going out that way for some Christmas shopping and I decided to stop in for a bite and a beer. It was like 11:45, and they supposedly opened. I pulled into the parking lot and it was PACKED. And LOUD!!! Almost didn't go in. But I did, the bar was packed and loud, I found one seat. So I am sitting there and these guys are absolutely friggin hammered out of their mind. Like 50 of them. And loud. LOUD. I stuck it out and ordered, they were obviously rushed and the pizza was "meh". But finally I asked one of the bartenders, "hey, if you guys opened at 11:00, how in the hell are these people so drunk in that short of time?" It was a Christmas party for the local police, and they got there at 8:00. It was hilarious and annoying at the same time. What is funny, you could tell who their undercover narc cops were because they looked right off of a Hollywood movie.
I haven't been there in years but back in the day Piccolo Piccolo used to make an amazing osso buco.
yeah, they've been closed for probably close to 25 years but they were probably the best Italian restaurant locally. Never been to Alla Famiglia, maybe that ranks up there? Except they are super pricey.
Exactly. There are high end pricey Italian restaurants and then you have your your Sunday gravy joints. I haven't found anything better than Alla Familia still in business. And by God, I miss Piccolo Piccolo. Their Antipasti and Osso Buco were to die for.
On the other end, I gravitate toward 1905 Eatery in the Rocks. Very good and close to where I live.
Funny, if you just want good pasta or basic Italian dishes, make it at home!
It isn't hard. Anyone can boil pasta and sauce can be as simple or complex as you want to make it.
Buy a loaf of Mancini bread and toss a salad and save $100!
It isn't hard. Anyone can boil pasta and sauce can be as simple or complex as you want to make it.
Buy a loaf of Mancini bread and toss a salad and save $100!
I am still mourning the closing of The Groceria in Bloomfield. The food they served to go was legendary!
It took forever for Meat & Potatoes to finally reopen after the pandemic, the Deshantz group seems to move kind of slow sometimes. Ji Gin also took a long time to have their grand opening.
Did they ever give a reason for closing Poulet Bleu? Prime location there in Lawrenceville, seemed like a tough reservation to get. One of the few French restaurants in Pittsburgh, although a little pricey and not quite authentic (still better than the incredibly overpriced Paris 66).
A water pipe burst during that super cold spell over Xmas 2022 and literally flooded out the whole building. I talked to the bartender at Fish nor Fowl (another DeShantz restaurant) last year and he said they transferred their staff from Poulet Bleu to Fish nor Fowl, but they are planning on reopening.
That was last year so not sure if that has changed. It seems like it's taking waaaaaaay too long. But I would be shocked if they walked away from it because it was incredibly successful.
Have you ever eaten at The Rib Room in the back of Meat and Potatoes? We did last month and it was amazing.
One thing that I do at home, that so many of these red sauce joints don't do (including the Villa) is I cook the pasta correctly. I hate it when you go to these places, even as a side, the pasta is just way over cooked. And over sauced.
It was really, really good. And really, really expensive too. It's super small and only open 2 nights/week for 2 sittings, so you have to reserve in advance.
It's very retro looking and they serve Baked Alaska for dessert which is a total throwback. First time I ever tried it.
You should go!
I’ve never spent more on a dinner than I did at Ji Gin. I simultaneously never left a restaurant feeling like I still needed to eat. Cool place otherwise.
Anyone know why Piazza Talarico shut down in Lawrenceville last year? I know they're huge PITT fans and the food was excellent. I heard that they were going to reopen in Cranberry but now reading it's only the wine piece of the business and it will be in Zelienople.
Really disappointed they permanently shut down the food side of the business.
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Really disappointed they permanently shut down the food side of the business.
Papa Joe's Wine Cellar | Zelienople PA
Papa Joe's Wine Cellar, Zelienople, Pennsylvania. 3,892 likes · 46 talking about this · 1,306 were here. Opening Spring of 2024 in Zelienople, PA!
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Wife and I had a terrible experience at Paris 66 and never returned . How do you make coq au vin tough and dry ?!?
Twisted Frenchmen and Poulet Bleu were both terrific .
And you probably paid a fortune for it too, especially if you got a bottle of wine. Betrand is another (or should I say only) French restaurant in Pittsburgh. It is BYOB and decently authentic, even though it is owned by an old Italian guy.
Anyone know why Piazza Talarico shut down in Lawrenceville last year? I know they're huge PITT fans and the food was excellent. I heard that they were going to reopen in Cranberry but now reading it's only the wine piece of the business and it will be in Zelienople.
Really disappointed they permanently shut down the food side of the business.
Papa Joe's Wine Cellar | Zelienople PA
Papa Joe's Wine Cellar, Zelienople, Pennsylvania. 3,892 likes · 46 talking about this · 1,306 were here. Opening Spring of 2024 in Zelienople, PA!
Can't find a more Pitt friendly business than that! Tough running a restaurant, literally takes most of your waking hours to be successful. The Lawrenceville place was nice, especially in the summer sitting on the patio getting the pizza and wine slushies.
Anyone been to Palmieri’s in Plum? A friend took me there the other day. I said why would we want to go to Turtle Creek and my friend said not sure about turtle creek but it’s in Murrysville. When we got there and I recognized the owner I said what happened to your place in turtle creek, and he said they got out of there 20 years ago. Best chicken Romano around.
I love chicken/veal romano. I am not too far from Palmieri's, but never been there. I will have to try.
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