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OT: Best kept secret (Restaurant) in the region

L

Las Panteras

All Conference
May 11, 2014
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Not the well known places.......but the spots that only locals know.......

I will start.......

Cenacola's in Irwin. Located in an industrial park. Started as a pasta making facility when the owner decided to start serving meals. There are a number of wine barrels lined up with stools on each side.....which act as the bar area while waiting for a table......

BYOB....and trust me.......it is freaking outstanding.
 
Della Terra in Harmony/Zelienople is a great spot north of the city...

serving excellent Italian food. Outstanding fresh pastas and wood fired pizzas, small but reasonably priced wine list, decent cocktails including a pretty good negroni. Worth the ride up 79, only 15 minutes from Wexford exit. Also it's next door to one of the best burghers in or around the city, I think they're the same owners and that place is actually called Burghers. And yes I've been to Cenacola and it is fantastic!

Della Terra
 
Panteras, Cenacola's agree 100%, outstanding food, nice portions, great service.

I can list some of my favorites in the east.
K''Vays, home style cooking, During lent, Stacked cod, pierogi pizza.
Twin Oaks, great quality and for shrimp lovers, Monday all you can eat.
Rodney's, pasta fabrizzi and one of the finest bakeries.
Roman Bistro, great gnocchi.
Parkwood, great in the summer, huge outdoor deck, great Reuben's and the best salads.
Village Inn, great veal and chicken.

South.
DeLallos, everything is outstanding, greens and beans is an absolute must.
 
Originally posted by Pitt-Chains:
Panteras, Cenacola's agree 100%, outstanding food, nice portions, great service.

I can list some of my favorites in the east.
K''Vays, home style cooking, During lent, Stacked cod, pierogi pizza.
Twin Oaks, great quality and for shrimp lovers, Monday all you can eat.
Rodney's, pasta fabrizzi and one of the finest bakeries.
Roman Bistro, great gnocchi.
Parkwood, great in the summer, huge outdoor deck, great Reuben's and the best salads.
Village Inn, great veal and chicken.

South.
DeLallos, everything is outstanding, greens and beans is an absolute must.
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Delallo's.......is that the converted house near South Hills Village? If so...I have been told their Louisiana Cajun Pasta is memorable........

Glad others appreciate Cenecola's. terrific place
 
Originally posted by Pitt-Chains:
Panteras, Cenacola's agree 100%, outstanding food, nice portions, great service.

I can list some of my favorites in the east.
K''Vays, home style cooking, During lent, Stacked cod, pierogi pizza.
Twin Oaks, great quality and for shrimp lovers, Monday all you can eat.
Rodney's, pasta fabrizzi and one of the finest bakeries.
Roman Bistro, great gnocchi.
Parkwood, great in the summer, huge outdoor deck, great Reuben's and the best salads.
Village Inn, great veal and chicken.

South.
DeLallos, everything is outstanding, greens and beans is an absolute must.
Delallo's.......is that the converted house near South Hills Village? If so...I have been told their Louisiana Cajun Pasta is memorable........

Glad others appreciate Cenecola's. terrific place


No the converted house is called Slate and it is great.
We always sit at the bar and get to see everything that comes out of the kitchen
 
i dunno if its only known to locals but falbo's in greensburg. bunch of polish grandmas making cheap and awesome and very unhealthy subs, pizza, pasta, etc. they use some darn good beef for their burgers too and i don't think i've gotten a salad there yet that wasn't crisp.
 
Panteras, below the mall, my mouth is watering thinking about those greens and beans...

This post was edited on 3/19 12:30 PM by Pitt-Chains
 
Another vote for Della Terra...................


Totally out of the way place. Excellent food.
 
Re: Della Terra in Harmony/Zelienople is a great spot north of the city...

Agree 100% with Della Terra in Zelienople. Excellent little gem.

I also enjoy Roman Bistro in Forest Hills. High quality seasonal menus for both food and drink.

Finally, I would suggest Gia Visto in Monroeville. It doesn't look like much from the exterior, but consistently great food inside.
 
Re: Della Terra in Harmony/Zelienople is a great spot north of the city...

Jose, where is Gla Visto ?


Almost forgot, One-eleven in Greensburg, some dishes are very unique, my last visit I had blood squid pasta.
This post was edited on 3/19 3:38 PM by Pitt-Chains
 
Tacos in front of the Les Palmas store in Brookline. Seriously. Run, don't walk. AWESOME. Note to yinzers, these are what tacos are supposed to taste like, not some taco bell crap.

Must try. Cheap. Just fantastic and as good as I have had in LA or Houston.
 
Lenzi's Italian Restaurant in Monongahela
Elrama Tavern in of course Elrama
Payne Hill Grill at the intersection of Payne Hill Rd and 885 (Between C-Town and Jefferson)
The Olde Place Inn near Baldwin
 
Haven't been there in awhile but I always liked Amels in the south hills.. Off McNeilly road. Kabobs and other greek dishes.. old style décor.. Sadly I frequent your cookie-cutter establishments over "real family owned" places.. Need to broaden my horizon.. Gonna check out Ringgold94's suggestion in Baldwin/Pleasant hills..

Good thread..
 
Cenacola's ...

no longer a byob
it is surprisingly good...
definitely worth the trip
sorry, tho, it's not "freaking outstanding"
 
Do any of you eat inside the Pgh city limits?

many outstanding, interesting places,
from the looks of list, however, it doesn't look high on the list
here's a few-- in all categories--you might consider:

Dish South Side
Salt E Liberty
Murray Ave Grille (yes, that right--good all around neighborhood place)
Dinette (a favorite, in whole food shopping ctr)
Cashbah nearby
Bar Marco Strip
Ben''s Burger Bar No Side
Alla Famiglia Allentown
Eleven Strip

You want something really out of the way?
See if you can find Angie's in Wilmerding, formerly Angie Conte's,
virtually in her house
 
I have to somewhat disagree about Della Terra....

A group of us (including my kids who were on break) went on a Saturday in December. I think our reservations were at 6:30-ish. Place was completely empty. We order a couple bottles of wine and waitress comes back to tell us they were out of it. No problem, we pick out another one. Yep - you guessed it - they were out of that too. It got to the point we had to ask them what they had in stock. Odd. Then when we went to order they were already out of 2 of their specials. Literally we were looking around at the empty restaurant. It was just a weird experience.

The food was very good and the waitress was great, but there was definitely something wrong that night. We've also eaten at the Burger place they own next door. Also very good, but not sure it would be worth the drive for anyone who doesn't live in the North. JMO. (And for the record, we are extremely easy going diners. Doesn't take much to make us happy.)

If I'm driving up there I'd probably stick with Clifford's or Log Cabin Inn.
 
Originally posted by Las Panteras:
Not the well known places.......but the spots that only locals know.......

I will start.......

Cenacola's in Irwin. Located in an industrial park. Started as a pasta making facility when the owner decided to start serving meals. There are a number of wine barrels lined up with stools on each side.....which act as the bar area while waiting for a table......

BYOB....and trust me.......it is freaking outstanding.
Click to expand...
Vastly, vastly over rated. Every dish contains way too much oil. Unexceptional pasta dishes and bland apps.
 
Good calls on Gran Canal Cafe & Gia Visto...

the owners at Gran Canal are the nicest people. His veal cannelloni are spectacular! And to me, Gia Visto is the only place worth going to in Monroeville.
 
Is Italian the only cuisine in the Burgh?

Sure appears to be the case based on this survey.
 
Log Cabin and Cliffords are very good.............


just not great. Anyway, the OP was about best kept secrets, which those two aren't. At least to those of us living north of the Allegheny county border. The few times my wife an I dined at Della Terra, we felt the food was off the chart.

Suggest you give it another try before writing it off.
 
Do any of you like Korean food?

Most of our hidden gems are Italian, but my new favorite cuisine is Korean. Golden Pig in Bridgeville/Cecil is a great place for Korean beginners, tiny byob spot with a small menu and maybe 12 seats. The chef/owner is an old Korean lady that makes everything fresh to order right in front of you. But last night I went to a new Korean spot on Centre Ave in Shadyside called Nak Won Garden and it was almost as good as Korean food I've had in New York & San Fran!! It's right across the street from Avenue B, which is another of my favorite byob restaurants. If you've never tried Korean give it a shot because the flavors are extraordinary!
 
Re: Della Terra in Harmony/Zelienople is a great spot north of the city...


Originally posted by Pitt-Chains:
Jose, where is Gla Visto ?


Almost forgot, One-eleven in Greensburg, some dishes are very unique, my last visit I had blood squid pasta.
This post was edited on 3/19 3:38 PM by Pitt-Chains
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Gia Visto is off the beaten path on OLD Wm Penn; about a block from the intersection of Center Rd. It sits a bit back from the street and shares a building with 2-3 other businesses. We simply found it because online reviews were great and wanted someplace new to us. It then became a favorite of ours. I actually drove past it 2x when first trying to find it. It was formerly the location of La Cucina Dolce.
 
The Log Cabin is just a shadow of its past..

Unless they've recharged mightily. No better than average. Probably still have long waits, but the food was below Applebee's level.
We still love the Pines....in the Tavern room. Cramped, cozy, great menus. We plan to try Della Terre tomorrow night.

Haven't been to the Tuscan since ownership changed....many great meals ther for over 20 years.

Dining in the Yuppie Kingdom has certainly improved.
 
I stopped a lot before the street construction, you just reminded me. Two bucks for an awesome taco.
 
Re: Della Terra in Harmony/Zelienople is a great spot north of the city...

Jose, being you mentioned La Cucina, I now know the restaurant. I just checked the menu, looks great,, thanks.
 
Re: The Log Cabin is just a shadow of its past..


Originally posted by NTOP:
Unless they've recharged mightily. No better than average. Probably still have long waits, but the food was below Applebee's level.
We still love the Pines....in the Tavern room. Cramped, cozy, great menus. We plan to try Della Terre tomorrow night.

Haven't been to the Tuscan since ownership changed....many great meals ther for over 20 years.

Dining in the Yuppie Kingdom has certainly improved.
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You're right - Pine's is great. Had dinner at Tuscan Inn a few months ago. Not very good IMHO. Let us know your opinion of Della Terra. We just weren't WOW'd.
 
Re: Log Cabin and Cliffords are very good.............


Originally posted by Seneca_Valley:

just not great. Anyway, the OP was about best kept secrets, which those two aren't. At least to those of us living north of the Allegheny county border. The few times my wife an I dined at Della Terra, we felt the food was off the chart.

Suggest you give it another try before writing it off.
Click to expand...
As I said, the food was very good. We just weren't blown away and the issues that evening makes us hesitant to return, especially given the drive.
 
Will do. Sorry to hear about the Tuscan. One of the prior

owners is a friend of mine for 40 years. They had a great run.
 
Della Terre in Harmony....last night

Overall, no better than a B-. We had greens & beans as an app...pretty good. Mrs. had the "Sunday Sauce"...rigatoni with meatball, bracciole & sausage. Sauce (Gravy if you're from Philly) very good, meatball & beef very good...sausage was flat-out dreadful, inedible. I had the pork shoulder with pasta, brown sauce...very good. Limited wine list, no seafood options, I'd say it's no better than Bravo. Better parking than the Bravo in Crammedberry, though it's in a funky little strip center next to a H&R Block 1040EZ mill.

Food: Solid B. Charging $2.00 for bread & dipping oil seemed chintzy.
Service: A..lovely, efficient, friendly young lady.
Wine: C. Inexpensive, but not many choices.
Price: $$
Atmosphere....NR, because it has none. Faux granite tiny tables, noisy, a bit cramped.

If you live in Zelie or close, it'd be a 1-2 times/year spot. We saw no reason to ever go back.
 
If you want a truly unique dining experience, then try Cliffords in Evans City. You will need reservations and it is a BYOB.

The menu is always changing so it is not like you order from the same menu each time. Most of the veggies are harvested from the farm behind the restaurant. It is pricing but worth the expense!

Best sautéed tomatoes i have ever had
 
Originally posted by pittiswhereiamfrom:
Heisenburg, quite a skillful opinion.
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Try Kusuka in North Huntingdon. Remarkable Indonesian place. Not much on atmosphere but remarkable food and the aromas are incredible. My wife is a fantastic cook and Cenacola's dishes are just a notch above ragu and pasta from a box. Quite frankly Luciano's does a better job on traditional Italian than Cenacola does trying to do something mildly unique.
 
Originally posted by 9nationalchampionships:


If you want a truly unique dining experience, then try Cliffords in Evans City. You will need reservations and it is a BYOB.

The menu is always changing so it is not like you order from the same menu each time. Most of the veggies are harvested from the farm behind the restaurant. It is pricing but worth the expense!

Best sautéed tomatoes i have ever had
Click to expand...
I posted the same below. We love it there but it is certainly in the boonies.
 
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