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Release Date: Wednesday, March 9th 2011
Pop City: New Girl in Town: Cheap Eats in Downtown Pittsburgh
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
By
There's no such thing as a free lunch but a cheap lunch in downtown Pittsburgh is certainly realistic, and it doesn't have to be at McDonald's or Subway. Small, independently-owned establishments both old and new make it a treat to eat city-center and the options are both healthful and a boon to the local economy.
At Istanbul Grille on Liberty Avenue, plates of glistening Turkish food are assembled by John Kalem, a friendly sort whose dark ringlets are kept in check by a blue bandana. Everything is made fresh daily and a meat dish with rice and salad goes for $8.50 while a gyro sandwich runs you $5, as does a cold plate with three sides and house salad.
A beet salad is bathed in red wine vinegar and dill and positively glistens alongside a neon orange puree of carrots, red pepper and garlic. The fried eggplant is a flavor fest as are the hummus and a shimmery lentil salad. "Mediterranean food is so much healthier!" booms owner Josh Gokalp, his dark hair slicked back into a neat ponytail.
Soon enough, a tall, dark and handsome stranger pops in and he's a regular whose faves are plated, no questions asked. It's eye candy in Istanbul.
I can't figure out whether I'm in "Finding Nemo" or an L.A. cafe at Penn Avenue Fish Co. on Forbes Avenue. Seafoam blue and chartreuse define the curvy, cushion-y seats while a blue tile floor calls in the sea. Behind the register is Megan Yahner, a colorful tattoo rippling her left bicep as she sways to trance music. Okay, I'm in L.A.
Perusing the menu, I'm struck by the fact that the fish sandwich is broiled and not fried. "We're really health-conscious here," offers manager Angel Oliverio, whose name and good looks should be sufficient for a Hollywood audition. The fish sammy is def all that, two ample hunks of fish resting between a firm roll. Accompanied by the house salads of the day, it's a deal at $8.99. The sushi selections are extensive and a Green Dragon Roll, with shrimp tempura, eel and crab inside and avo and tobiko out, is beautifully presented. And the soup? To die for. Now if the gals at Penn Fish met the guys from Istanbul...
Tats are all that at Winghart's, a gourmet burger establishment tucked into a corner of revitalized Market Square. North Hills native Zachary Winghart is top gun and his wingman goes by the name of Shipwreck. A certified butcher who trained at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Winghart grinds his chuck daily and keeps the menu simple: six burgers, six pizzas, four salads, chili, soup.
An empty burger – plain – goes for $6 but you'd be wise to order the likes of a Double Denny Blue, 8 oz. of beef topped with a slab o'blue cheese and smothered in blue cheese dressing for $7.50. After having too much fun in Florida, Winghart returned to Pittsburgh several years ago "to find myself a nice western P-A girl." He's now married with children (okay, baby's on the way) and dontcha just love Pittsburgh?
Tina Hammerling is the life force behind The Apollo Cafe, a modest place above street level and halfway between Macy's and the City-County Building. The cafe fell into Tina's lap when her dad went to visit family in Greece and didn't return until three months later. "It's like family here," says the onetime social worker of the camaraderie between her and the girls behind a counter full of simmering, flavorful foods. Known for its homemade soups (small $2.50/large $3.50), the Apollo serves five daily and the chicken noodle could make a Greek god cry. The broccoli-cheddar soup is creamy perfection and yes, Tina is both lucky and good, seeing as how she's benefiting from the departure of The Soup Man across the street. Her Greek salad "flies off the shelves" and the chicken Athenian penne is positively addictive. "This place is an extension of home," says Tina, which is why 'burghers still embrace it twenty years later.
Also guaranteed to get you in and out in under an hour for less than ten dollars is Franktuary, where the hot dogs range from beef to veggie to "locavore," the latter an organic, grass-fed, all-beef confection served naked or with a host of toppings including chili, Miller's Mustard and Frank's Buffalo Wing sauce.
At Hanlon's Cafe on Liberty Avenue near the convention center, owners Kim and Bob Hanlon keep it real by making everything in house, including a delectable pulled pork sandwich napped in melted cheddar and topped with onion sticks and cole slaw (trust me, it works) and homemade chips that will soon be on everyone's lips. The side o'nice that comes with your meal is free of charge.
The big winner at George Aiken's, a cafeteria-style eatery off Market Square, is the chicken and you can get it fried or off the rotisserie. Here's hoping rumors of a shutdown to make way for a high-rise are nothing more – Aiken's must be saved!
Vegetarians will rejoice at Sree's Foods, a V-shaped space serving authentic Indian food. Veggie biryani pairs beautifully with cooling raita and a chickpea and potato stew one of many dishes that speak to this exotic cuisine.
New Girl In Town Elaine Labalme thinks black and yellow goes with everything, especially a pork pie hat.
