Comments on: The Russian Machine Guide to Pittsburgh

By: Kenny

Kenny — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:45:31 +0000

@McKinly “Primanti Brothers is greasy awful”

Sacrilege! Primanti Bros is 10 times better than the O. The O is possibly the grossest “restaurant” in the city. I have seen a homeless man passed out on the floor of the mens room with his head leaning against the urinal! On a side not, the fries are good when your drunk.

By: The Machinist: December 31, 2010

The Machinist: December 31, 2010 — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:05:27 +0000

[...] The Russian Machine Guide to Pittsburgh Through our extensive research we’ve learned that the only good things about Pennsylvania are Keystone and the Bears. [...]

By: J.P.

J.P. — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:20:56 +0000

To clarify a little further on Darb’s observation: distributors sell beer by the case, only. They also sell those overly sweet malt beverage drinks (Bacardi Breezers, etc) by the case. Why you’d wanna drink that stuff is beyond my ability to figure out, but it’s available if yinz’s tastebuds are beyond salvaging.

You may purchase more than one six-pack from a bar, but you generally are required to purchase and carry out each sale as a single transaction. Thus if you need 3 six-packs of beer, it’ll require three purchases and three trips out the door. Yeah, it’s stupid, but PA’s got an archaic and byzantine process for alcohol buying and don’t expect it to change anytime soon, as all of the players involved are happy with their grips on their respective markets.

Wine and liquor need to be purchased through a “State store” and prices are actually good. Pennsylvania’s ability to buy in bulk for an entire State store system generally leads to consumer-friendly prices.

And finally, Lite beer is not beer, it’s just expensive bottled water

Enjoy the Classic, everybody!

By: Wes

Wes — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:13:30 +0000

Any word on a pregame/delay of game bar?

By: McKinley

McKinley — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:02:34 +0000

Primanti Brothers is greasy awful. Go to “The Original” on Forbes for great hot dogs and fries (small order is more than enough for 2-3 people). If that doesn’t cut it for you, Five Guys is next door. Also, the Dunkin’ Donuts just down the street may have the freshest donuts in the franchise.

By: Manda

Manda — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:58:35 +0000

A sidenote to be mindful of traffic coming in. Construction and traffic seem to be ever-present like any true blue collar town.

By: Darb

Darb — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:56:33 +0000

No prob, Peter!

A note on beer: while cases must be purchased from a distributor, some bars will let you buy a six pack to go. Note these will be at bar prices, though. D’s is a good example of a bar that allows this.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:38:55 +0000

You are still going with cracked ribs compounded by a cough? A true warrior, Peter.

By: Peter Hassett

Peter Hassett — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:27:16 +0000

Awesome, @Darb! Thanks.

By: Darb

Darb — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:23:54 +0000

I live n the burgh, so heres what I’ve found to be pretty good. Portioned copied over from a reply to a previous post:

breakfast/brunch:
Avoid Pamela’s. Sure, it’s the touristy “Pittsburgh” go to, but it’s often packed with yinzers and the food isn’t very good.

Better brunch options include:
Square Cafe, in Regent’s Square (Typical breakfast food, veg and vegan friendly, excellent french toast)

Coco Cafe, in Lawrenceville (Typical breakfast foods, get there early, they tend to fill up)

Paris 66, in Shadyside (French)

E2 (E Squared), in Highland Park (Fusion, non-trad stuff, veg and vegan friendly)

Food:
D’s Dogs ‘n 6 Pax, in Regent’s Square – good place to get hot dogs and they have a great beer cave.

Harris Grill, in Shadyside – good food (pub style) and good brews, sports friendly.

Bites & Brews, also in Shadyside – a la cart style pizzas, sammies, and salads. Half price small pizza and a dollar off suds during happy hour.

LuLu’s, in Oakland – good Asian fare.