Yeah, I know…

…it’s been a while. But we’ll be back soon – with a vengeance.

The best pizza in our area is from…

 

Please add your favorite if it’s not on the list by choosing “Other” then adding it in…

If I could only eat at one Italian Restaurant the rest of my life, it would be…

Let’s try a poll…

3 Rivers 6 Pack and Eatery

Just in case you didn’t already know it, I’m a pizza snob (and I have no problems admitting this). If I had to eat only one thing for the rest of my life, there’s not a doubt in mind that it would be pizza. Quite honestly, there’s no such thing as bad pizza in my book – it’s just that some is much, much better than others. So when I saw that WPXI was holding a contest to determine who had the best pizza in the Pittsburgh Area, I was shocked to see that there was a place – 3 Rivers 6 pack and Eatery – that is close to me and I had never heard of. If it’s on this list, it has to be damn good, right? Um, yeah, that just flat out wasn’t the case.

First things first, in all fairness to WPXI, the list was compiled by reader vote and then determined by reader vote as well. So, in essence, it all comes down to which pizza shop could persuade its patrons to vote the most. 3 Rivers 6 pack must be pretty persuasive.

I went to check it out on a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon. It’s located in the strip mall below the WalMart in Delmont – next to the movie theater. Honestly, this place defines strip mall – it’s as non-descript as can be. I checked out the craft beers that were offered (decent selection of some quality beers, but this place is no Headkeeper, Mr. Bones or D’s Six Pack and Dogs) and settled on a Magic Hat, a beer I’ve found I can never go wrong with.

After ordering a typical pie for me – sausage, onions and pepperoni – I couldn’t help but laugh at just how bland this place is. I don’t mean to continue to harp on the decor, but seriously, let’s spice this place up a little, guys. My pizza came and I was shocked. Seriously, shocked. I’m well aware that you can’t always judge a book by it’s cover, or in this case a pizza’s taste by it’s appearance, but wow. What’s worse is that the pizza’s taste was as bland as it (and the place) looked. The onions were fine and the sausage tasted like wholesale frozen sausage you get at an average pizza shop. The only redeeming quality was the pepperoni. The sauce was, well, okay, to be fair, but the crust was horrendous. I’m talking I didn’t finish the crust after the first slice horrendous. And I’m not sure if you quite understand just how much of a rarity this is for me.

So I learned my lesson – I’m not running on blind faith to the next place some reader’s poll tells me has some great food and expecting to be amazed. And that’s a shame. I also noticed that this same establishment is in the running for the Best Wings of Pittsburgh – I have to admit I’m more than a little weary. Instead, if I’m looking to get some good pizza while staying relatively local, I’m going to stick to Little E’s or Gino’s or Pizza Siena or Pizza Italiano or Abie and Bimbo’s or Parkwood or… well, you get the point.

To see the results of the contest, click here. For the record, there are some very good spots on that list, but 3 Rivers 6 Pack and Eatery isn’t one of them.

Chef Dato’s Table…

I was truly excited about trying out Chef Dato’s Table. Please take note of the tense that was used there – that’s past tense just in case you aren’t too up on your 5th grade English. Admittedly, I was chomping at the bit to eat there – especially after it was recommended by two separate people as a “new” place to review. Admittedly, I ‘m now wondering what the purpose was in recommending this restaurant – was it because they genuinely enjoyed what they had there? Was it because they had a poor experience and wanted to see it lambasted (Ms. Violet just used that word in an email to me and I love it, so I felt the need to include it in my review)? Whatever their reasons, I can only tell you this – I don’t see myself driving out of my way to go back.

Because I like to be prepared, I checked out Chef Dato’s Table’s website prior to going – and I freely admit that I was pumped to go. The website is easily accessed and easier to navigate – there are pictures of dishes and the online menu is comprehensive. I saw myself as having difficulty in figuring out what to order. Knowing that I was going with my friends and that we frequently share dishes made this a little easier. Do I go with the Buffalo Pierogies or Baked Brie? Do I go with a bunch of smaller plates (love how appetizers are now being called “small plates” – a spade’s a spade…) or something smaller then an entree? Oh, the choices – but I’d much rather have choices than not.

We got to the restaurant and chose to sit in the bar – the restaurant “side” itself was nice enough, but let’s just say that it was filled about half way and we would have brought down the average age in half (at least). I’m wondering if a bus from Redstone Highlands had just let off in front – okay, I’m an age-ist, I admit it, but this scene just didn’t lend itself to what we were looking for, so we went to the lounge. The decor on both sides was perfectly fine – so no complaints there. We were greeted by our server and I’m not sure if she was new to this line of work or to Chef Dato’s Table itself, but things just didn’t go well from here. Quite simply, our service lacked in every manner and I’d be giving an incomplete review if I didn’t address it (loyal readers know about Ms. Violet’s cardinal sin – having to wait for a drink – well, we waited and waited and waited – for everything… but I digress).

Because we had checked out the menu online, we had a pretty good idea of what we were looking to order, and while we weren’t in a hurry, things just flat out didn’t progress as they should. It’s not difficult to tell the difference between a server who’s overloaded with tables, causing things to be slow and one who’s just lazy. Ours was lazy and liked to hang out at the bar. Just not acceptable. I could go on (and I will a little bit later),  but I’ll get to the food. One of the advantages to eating “bar side,” was that they had put out an appetizer to sample.

 

We got off to a great start with this Tomato, Feta, Onion and Garlic Salad - things went South quickly after this, though.If you enjoy bland pierogies and a buffalo sauce that tastes straight out of a bottle, then these are for you!

 

I’m not exactly sure what the fancy name for it would be, but it was a tomato salad with onions, feta and a balsamic vinaigrette. And it was unbelievably good. The dressing was absolutely perfect.

From here, though, things just didn’t go well. We went with the Buffalo Pierogies ($6.99), the Pizza 217 ($6.99), the Asian Pot Stickers ($6.99), a bowl of French Onion Soup ($3.99) and the Bourbon Maple Salmon ($15.99).

The French Onion soup actually needed some flavor added to it – a rarity with this soup in particular. The Pot Stickers themselves were very good, but they were accompanied by a soy sauce – nothing more. A duck-type sauce would have made these even better. While I’m not a salmon kind of guy, I have to admit, I almost wanted to actually try this off .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoy bland pierogies and a buffalo sauce that tastes straight out of a bottle, then these are for you!

 

The pierogies were absolutely beyond bland and the buffalo sauce was weak at best.

 

I know I'm a pizza snob, I know, but this pizza was as eh... as it looks.

 

While I thought the Pizza 217 was mediocre at best, my friends tolerated it more.

So let’s get back to the service. I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for quite some time – in one form or another. I still remember the lessons I endured while undergoing server training way back in the day at a national chain restaurant – and lesson number one is this: never keep people waiting who are trying to pay and leave. It’s their last impression of your restaurant – you want to make it a good one. Remember how I earlier told you about all the waiting we did? Yeah, well we waited for almost 15 minutes after our plates had been cleared before I had to actually go interrupt our server at the bar and ask for the check. This is flat out inexcusable. What’s even more inexcusable is the lack of urgency on the part of anybody to deal with this. Chef Dato was sitting at the bar with a group of (evidently) friends – the manager was actually having to tend bar. This is just not the impression you want your guests to get.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a good experience at Chef Dato’s Table and don’t see ourselves recommending it or going out of our way to go back. As much as you want the food to do the talking for a restaurant, it just wasn’t good enough to make up for the horrendous service that we received.

The Earnest Gourmet

There are people who have lived in Greensburg for their entire lives that look at me like I am out of my mind when I say, “Have you ever been to the Earnest Gourmet?”. Some people drive by this establishment on a daily basis and have no idea that it exists. Other people know it exists, are aware of the fantastic food that is inside, and choose to keep it under wraps. Well, I am here to let you know that if you haven’t stopped there for lunch or been lucky enough to have been to an event catered by Linda Earnest you are missing out!

The first item that I fell in love with at The Earnest Gourmet was their Wild Rice Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing (with optional Smoked Chicken). As I started to go more often I began trying other new (soon to be favorite) items such as:
Tuna and White Bean with Dijon & Dill Salad, the Cafe Chicken Salad with Tarragon, Irish Pea Salad (HONESTLY, I do not like peas…it’s something textural…but this salad is AMAZING! plus it has bacon..)! Every time I go there I must also have the Hummus with Homemade Pita Chips (even if I can’t eat them I have to get some to go.

There is a menu of items that are constantly offered (which you can access on the website, look under Cafe Menu). I usually go for the specials that are offered in the case, but here are some items on the Cafe Menu that I can always use as stand-bys:
The Urania : roast beef with brie on a croissant with horseradish sauce
The Santa Fe Wrap: smoked turkey, hot pepper cheese, roasted red peppers and ranch
Poached Salmon Salad: greens, salmon, dressing, yum!

If you are lucky enough to go there on a day when the Vegetable Lasagna is offered, thank your lucky stars and order two! Ditto for the Tomato Pie or the Spinach & Feta in Pastry!! And save room for dessert because Earnest Gourmet offers some yummy ones: Kahlua Brownies and the English Toffee Cookies are out of this world.

Located at 664 Urania Avenue (just around the corner from Offut Field) in a plain, white brick building, you definitely could miss The Earnest Gourmet if you’re not looking for it. They  have a small-ish back room to dine-in, so whether you choose to eat-in or pick-up, I urge you to stop by for lunch the next time you’re near (**you can also call ahead for pick-up if you are in a hurry). They are open for business Monday – Friday 8:30am – 3:00pm.

http://www.earnestgourmet.com/index.html